UK plans to cut bilateral funding for water projects in developing countries by 80% UK news

The UK plans to cut bilateral funding for water and sanitation projects in developing countries by more than 80% this year, although hand washing and good hygiene are key defenses in the fight against coronavirus, a leaked government note has revealed.

The total amount spent on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) – including multilateral programs – is expected to be cut by 64% to around £ 100million as part of a massive reduction in overseas aid, according to the briefing note which appears to have been prepared for a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Minister.

The three-page document – seen by Sky News – offers one of the clearest admissions to date of the real impact of a decision by Boris Johnson’s government to cut overseas aid by more than 4 billion pounds sterling this fiscal year due to the economic impact of COVID-19[female[feminine in UK coffers.

The move sparked an uproar from aid agencies and many of its own MPs, fearing it would harm the world’s poorest at a time when their needs are greater than ever.

In one section, dubbed “background,” the memo, apparently written for Minister Wendy Morton, outlines “WASH funding – general” for 2021-2022.

“We plan to spend around £ 100million on WASH (to be confirmed), the majority of which will be channeled through our support to the World Bank and other multilateral bodies,” he said. “This would represent a 64% reduction in our overall support to the sector compared to 2019.”

Regarding bilateral water and sanitation programs over the next 12 months, the memo stated: “Our bilateral program, which was already in sharp decline following decisions to leave the sector by country programs, will end. probably by focusing largely on a handful of countries including Ethiopia, Mozambique and Nepal.

“We have not yet exact …