A statement from our Co-CEO Lauren Watters on the announcement that the UK’s aid budget will be further slashed to fund increased defence spending:
“This decision will no doubt disproportionately harm the world’s most left behind, particularly children with disabilities, who are already among the most marginalised and at heightened risk of violence.
The United Nations estimates that over one billion people globally live with disabilities, with 16% of these disabilities attributable to armed conflict. In an increasingly unsafe world, and now without development spending, these individuals will be pushed further into vulnerability.
We know that cutting development assistance exacerbates inequalities, fuels instability, and ultimately creates a less safe world, requiring greater expenditure in the long run. To cut aid is nothing short of a false economy.
But what is becoming increasingly clear is that these cuts will decimate small and medium-sized UK-registered INGOs – the very organisations on the frontline of supporting the worlds most marginalised communities. In the current economic climate, these organisations can no longer rely on philanthropic giving and without government funding, their survival is quite frankly unlikely.
The UK government cannot expect civil society to fill the gap and protect marginalised groups in its place. These cuts will lead to the irreversible erosion of the aid sector’s capacity to reduce inequalities, directly undermining the UK’s stated commitment to this goal.
The UK was once a global leader in disability inclusion. This retreat from development spending will abandon children with disabilities worldwide, leaving them further from safety, support, and without a voice.
We had hoped the UK would fill the leadership void left by other global players. Instead, it has chosen a path that will undoubtedly worsen the lives of children with disabilities globally.”
Lauren Watters, Able Child Co-CEO
