©Reuters. The UK will allocate more funds to bilateral than to multilateral aid
London, May 16 (.).- The UK government announced on Monday its new international development strategy, in which it will prioritize bilateral aid programs over those funded by multilateral organizations in order to influence the countries that face your financial or financial Funds receive humanitarian assistance.
Presenting the initiative, Secretary of State Liz Truss stressed that “in an increasingly geopolitical world” the government must use cooperation “as a key element” of its foreign policy.
“Malicious agents (referring to states perceived as hostile) see business and development as a means of control and use patronage, investment and debt as a form of economic coercion and political power,” he said, possibly referring to powers like China a large global presence.
“We will not emulate their evil tactics, but we will match them in our determination to offer an alternative” to “low- and middle-income countries” to bring them “into the orbit of free-market economies,” one said Expression. .
Truss hopes the new strategy will bring tangible benefits to the UK by deepening “global economic, security and development ties”.
The UK’s new approach means that “more will be spent on national and bilateral programs than on multilateral organisations,” which will allow this country to channel aid “directly to where it’s needed,” the statement said.
By 2025, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Development aims to have “bilaterally spent three-quarters of its 2021 allocated aid budget,” which may include programs on women’s education, against gender-based violence, or related to violence in the fight against climate change.
Accordingly, the British Conservative government plans to advise “partner countries” in order to create “alliances between government, research, business and civil society”.
London wants to “cut the bureaucracy surrounding the delivery of aid” and give its ambassadors and high commissioners more powers to execute programs quickly, which in turn will ensure greater control over how funds are spent.
According to the Foreign Office statement, the government “maintains its commitment to Africa” and will increase investment in the Indo-Pacific region, a fundamental part of its foreign policy after Brexit – Britain’s departure from the European Union (EU) -.
The focus is on ‘reliable’ investments by UK investment companies where the ‘financial expertise’ of the city (UK financial sector) is available.
Foreign Affairs emphasizes that although bilateral programs are being worked on, emergency aid in the event of disasters and crises is not being neglected.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, the UK plans to work with countries, including those of the Commonwealth (a commonwealth of former colonies), to tackle “key global challenges” such as “adapting to climate change, protecting biodiversity and halting deforestation in the Amazon and.” elsewhere,” while supporting “sustainable infrastructure,” collects the document released today.
In it, the government pledges to continue investing 0.7% of gross domestic product (GDP) in humanitarian aid and to restore this threshold, which was lifted in 2020 due to the pandemic, “as soon as budgetary conditions allow”.