Having already cut aid from 0.7% of Goss National Income to 0.5%, the report reflects the UK Government’s damaging pathway to further slash spending to 0.3% by 2027.
Katherine May, Oxfam Scotland Advocacy Adviser, said: "The UK Government is taking a sledgehammer to aid spending at a time when conflict, hunger and climate disasters are driving need to staggeringly high levels. The consequences won't be felt by those sitting in comfort in Whitehall; they'll be felt in communities where more children go hungry and more people die of preventable deaths because the support they rely on has been callously ripped away.
“The new Prime Minister should choose a different path and immediately reverse these damaging cuts before even more harm is done. The UK has no shortage of wealth; what’s missing is the political will to use it to help save lives.
"As Westminster pulls back, Scotland must step forward. The Scottish Government's commitment to increase the International Development Fund by 25% is very welcome and Ministers should deliver it swiftly, while simultaneously strengthening Scotland's Humanitarian Emergency Fund. Scotland's contribution may be small in size, but it sends a powerful message that, in a world of deepening crises, we will not turn our backs on people who need help the most."
/ENDS
For more information and interviews, please contact: Rebecca Lozza, Media and Communications Adviser, Oxfam Scotland: rlozza1@oxfam.org.uk / 07917738450
