Response to merging DFID and FCO

Today, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the merger of The Department for International Development (DFID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). 

Perry Maddox, Restless Development’s Chief Executive Officer, said:

“Against the unparalleled threat of a global pandemic and global recession, young people and communities all around the world are working tirelessly to respond and to build back better from COVID19.

“In these most challenging of times, today’s announcement to merge DFID and FCO is a step backwards. Not just from the efforts to build back better, but also from tackling injustice, poverty and inequality, for which UK Aid is rightly known worldwide.

Perry Maddox, CEO

“We are proud of the role that UK Aid has played in recent decades tackling injustice. The UK Department for International Development has been a field leader in partnering with youth to create dramatic impact and value for money, from mobilising over half of Sierra Leonean communities to end Ebola to creating huge gains for women and girls to access family planning. Yet today, this move to merge DFID and FCO will harm the world’s poorest communities at a time when they most need collaboration and opportunity.

“Partnership with the UK Department of International Development, a recognised global leader in poverty reduction and a leader among UK government departments for transparency and effectiveness, has been pivotal in unleashing the power of the world’s largest-ever youth generation to tackle local and global problems. We thank our valued colleagues in DFID, and we call upon the government to ensure that the high standards set by DFID are at the heart of the future of all UK Aid.”

If you are a journalist with an enquiry, please email comms@restlessdevelopment.org.