The recent announcements on ODA cuts by several OECD countries – including the United States, the Netherlands, and the UK – show a worrying trend of isolationism and a failure to maintain commitments to poverty eradication.
Aid is complex, and we look forward to a world where it is not needed. However, we must speak out against the way these decisions have been made. This has been done in the context of rising right-wing nationalism, and without consideration of the enormous impact these cuts will have.
At INTRAC, we are particularly concerned about the impact on civil society actors, organisations, and movements. We see these as fundamental to a world in which everyone is able to access their human rights, and to live a life of justice and dignity.
We will work tirelessly in support of this. We will work to strengthen ecosystems of civil society support to increase the resilience, effectiveness, and legitimacy of these actors. Only with robust ecosystems of support can civil society actors endure cuts of this kind without a devastating impact.
We call on the governments of richer nations to restate and live up to unwavering commitments to the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and to ending poverty.