The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for planning and implementing the UK’s development cooperation. The bulk of UK aid is channelled through DFID. In 2000, DFID acknowledged the crucial role of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in reducing poverty and improving the health and living conditions of people in developing countries. Today, all of DFID’s activities are strategically oriented towards achieving the MDGs.

Public Service Agreements set out specific interim targets towards realizing the MDGs. The current 2008-2011 PSA targets are to:

• Make all bilateral and multilateral donors more efficient
• Develop a global partnership for development (beyond aid)
• Respond effectively to conflict and humanitarian crisis and support peace in order to reduce poverty
• Promote good governance, economic growth, trade and access to basic services (improved outcomes for education, health, HIV/AIDS, water and sanitation and social protection)
• Promote climate change mitigation and adaptation measures and ensure environmental sustainability

DFID works in several countries in the following regions:

• Eastern and Southern Africa
• West and Central Africa
• Middle East and North Africa
• South Asia
• Asia Central
• East and Pacific Asia
• East and Pacific Asia
• Europe Latin America
• UK Overseas Territories

The UK will focus its development efforts on the following countries over the next years:

• Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
• Asia: Cambodia, China, Indonesia and Vietnam

The UK development policy since aims to push forward the agenda on Africa and decisions related to poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS, development in Africa and aid effectiveness. In 2008/09, the UK government gave £5.5 billion (€6.5 billion) in international development assistance £3.5 billion (€3.9 billion) (57%) of this was bilateral aid and £2.6 billion (€3 billion) (39%) was multilateral aid. In 2009, DFID published a White Paper: ‘Building our common future’ which commits the government to further increase its ODA to 0.7% of GNI by 2013. In 2008/09, DFID allocated £685 million (€806 million) (21%) to the health sector.

In order to reach the overarching goal of poverty reduction, DFID concentrates the bulk of its aid on least-developed countries (LDCs). Country Assistance Plans (CAPs) set out how the UK aims to contribute to the achievement of the MDGs through bilateral cooperation with various countries. The developing country’s own Poverty Reduction Strategy are taken into account in the drafting of CAPs, which then lay down in detail how DFID will support the country’s strategy for reducing poverty.

Multilateral assistance has always be a prominent feature of UK development cooperation. The main recipients are: the European Commission (£1.2 billion), the World Bank (£493 million), the United Nations (£296 million), and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM).

The UK government is a strong supporter of the ICPD agenda and believes that the MDGs cannot be achieved without significant progress on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). In 2007 DFID produced a second progress report defining their maternal health strategy and was designed to build upon previous SRH commitments. It is supported by their 2004 SRH position paper, where DFID prioritises four priority areas of action in order to accelerate progress towards achieving the ICPD goals:

• Advocacy and partnership
• Support to strengthen SRH service
• Support to address social, cultural, and economic barriers to access
• Generation and application of knowledge

The UK government views gender mainstreaming and increased investment in education for girls and women as critical to contributing to better SRHR, maternal health and lower fertility rates. Core support is provided to WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF, and the World Bank in addition to agencies which specifically support work on SRH such as the International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF), the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH).  In February 2006, DFID committed £3 million (€3.5 million) to the Safe Abortion Action Fund developed by IPPF. The UK is also providing an extra £100 million (€117 million) over five years to UNFPA to improve reproductive health.

DFID has committed £252 million (€ 296 million) (2005-11) to the National Reproductive and Child Health Programme in India that reduces disparities in access and use of reproductive and child health services. In Africa and Asia (Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Malawi, Kenya), DFID is investing strongly in specific Safe Motherhood programmes.

DFID is an active member of the global Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) and is a key partner in the Norwegian government’s drive to achieve MDGs 4 and 5. DFID also supports the work of the Health Metrics Network to help countries to provide better data to track their progress towards MDG 5.

DFID and other partners are supporting innovative financing mechanisms, including the International Financial Facility (IFF) to scale-up basic services, including helping more women access maternity care. They have also joined forces with the Gates Foundation and USAID to support the Initiative for Maternal Mortality Assessment (IMMPACT) which has developed new tools in measuring MDG progress.

DFID’s 2004 strategy to fight HIV/AIDS “Taking Action” focuses on the following issues:

• Narrowing the funding gap
• Improving the international response
• Strengthening political leadership in the North and South
• Providing better programmes, giving more support to women, young people and orphans
• Minimizing the impact of HIV/AIDS in the long term

The UK supports new and innovative approaches to HIV/AIDS, such as research and development of microbicides and HIV vaccines. In recent years UK aid has:

• Made life-saving anti-retroviral treatment (ARV) available to almost 100,000 people
• Distributed half a billion condoms
• Delivered 7 million anti-malaria bed nets
• Provided Tuberculosis treatment to 134,000 people

The UK’s support for funds such as the GFATM and the drug purchasing facility UNITAID has helped to put more than 75.6 million people in the world's poorest countries on treatments for HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. DFID plans to provide up to £1 billion (€1.2 billion) of support to GFATM up to 2015.

 

Civil society organisations (CSOs) are recognized by the UK government as an important force in bringing about social change, empowerment and raising the capacities of poor and vulnerable populations. DFID works with over 200 international and UK CSOs and has direct or indirect links with thousands of CSOs in developing countries. In 2008/09, DFID contributed £793 million (€ 933 million) (25% of total bilateral aid).

DFID supports civil society through a number of centrally managed funds. These include:

• The Civil Society Challenge Fund - supports projects which give poor people, or the organisations that represent them, a voice so they can influence decisions that affect their lives
• The Development Awareness Fund and the Mini Grants Scheme – support activities aimed at promoting public knowledge and understanding of development issues•    Partnership Programme Arrangements -  provide long-term funding for civil society organisations which share DFID’s strategic objectives
• The Conflict and Humanitarian Fund - provides funding to civil society organisations specialising in conflict prevention or resolution and in humanitarian affairs

Department for International Development (DFID)

DFID: Departmental Report 2006http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/departmental-report/2006/default.asp

DFID White Paper 2009: Building our common future.

DFID: Sexual and reproductive health and Rights. A Position Paper (2004).

DFID: Taking Action. The UK’s strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in the developing world (2004).

OECD Development Assistance Committee