PM risks “more empty promises” unless aid cuts falling on girls and gender equality are reversed

As the Prime Minister announces a new vision for international development at the UK’s Food Security Summit, Plan International UK is warning of “more empty promises” unless aid cuts falling heavily on girls and gender equality are reversed.

The warning is based on new analysis from GAGE and Plan International UK revealing that despite repeated commitments to gender equality and humanitarian aid, the Government’s cuts still fell disproportionately on girls and harmed efforts to tackle the global hunger crisis. Worst affected by these cuts have been South Sudan and Ethiopia, where many communities have been facing severe hunger. 

Using the latest available data, the analysis shows that funding for girls and gender equality was slashed by 33 per cent compared to overall aid cuts of 21.1 per cent – with a fall from £0.97 billion in 2020 to £0.65 billion in 2021 (see notes). 

Further breakdown shows that emergency aid targeting adolescent girls, such as life-saving food, shelter, and health services, fell by a massive 81 per cent from £161 million to £30 million, while £1.4 million of development food assistance was cut completely (full sector breakdown available) 

As a result, the UK has gone from being the top-placed donor for adolescent girls in the world, to fifth place behind Canada, Germany, France, and the EU. 

The report also reveals the countries that have been hardest hit by these cuts. In South Sudan, despite the country experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, programming for adolescent girls was cut by 89% from £99 million to £11 million. Meanwhile, programming for adolescent girls in Ethiopia experienced cuts of 62% from £71 million to £27 million, severely impacting the UK’s emergency response.  

Responding to the launch of the Government’s White Paper and a commitment to “put women and girls centre stage”, Rose Caldwell, chief executive of Plan International UK, says:

“We cautiously welcome the Government’s commitment to place gender equality at the heart of the UK’s global efforts. But it has a major task ahead of it. If these commitments are not to be more empty promises, the Government must rebuild trust and urgently restore funding for girls and gender equality. 

“The Government has made repeated commitments to gender equality over the years, but its aid cuts still fell disproportionately on girls. It’s also deeply disappointing to see how cuts to overseas aid have impacted on efforts to tackle global hunger. This is a shocking failure of policy and undermines the UK’s credibility as a serious humanitarian donor. 



“We hope this white paper marks a turning point in the Government’s approach. It’s a positive step, but to deliver on its ambitions and restore the UK’s reputation as a champion of gender equality, the Government must put its money where its mouth is and repair the damage inflicted by its cuts.” 

Nicola Jones, Director of GAGE (Gender And Adolescence: Global Evidence) says: 

“While the commitments outlined in the White Paper endorsed by the Prime Minister are encouraging, our review of the evidence underscores that it will be essential to monitor the extent to which budget resources are being allocated so as to support the most marginalised, including adolescent girls. The report highlights that disaster prevention and preparedness programming targeted at gender and adolescent girls suffered a 91% decrease. This is especially concerning considering the climate crisis and its far-reaching impacts on women and girls, including vis-à-vis food security and nutrition.”   

Further findings from the report include: 

Disaster prevention and preparedness programming targeted at gender and adolescent girls also saw a massive 91% decrease. This is especially concerning considering the climate crisis and its impacts on women and girls.  

Funding for basic health saw a 75% decrease from £35 million in 2020 to £9 million in 2021, while adolescent-focused sexual and reproductive health saw a 35% decrease. 

Aid for gender and adolescent girls in Syria saw a 77% decrease, mainly impacting the Syria Education Programme which provides education services for up to 400,000 young people .

-Ends-  

Notes to Editors  

Full report available upon request.  

Analysis was conducted by GAGE (Gender And Adolescence: Global Evidence) with input from Plan International UK 

The report uses the latest available data from the largest donor ODA tracking dataset, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Creditor Reporting System, at the global level from 2016 to 2021.   

For more information or to arrange interviews please contact:  

Tom Phillips, Media & News Advisor [email protected]  

Tel: 07946 648 533 

Plan International UK Press Office 

Tel: 0300 777 7374 Switchboard: 0300 777 9777 / +44 (0)20 7608 1311 (Non-UK)  

Email: [email protected] Web: plan-uk.org/media-centre