The UK has taken a tumble in the latest Aid Transparency Index, the only independent measure of “aid transparency” among the world’s major donors. Published today (13 July), the table reveals the relatively new Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has performed significantly worse than the Department for International Development (DfID) did in the last Index in 2020. Before its merger with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, DfID achieved the highest score for transparency.

With FCDO down at 16^th place, not a single UK aid-spending department has made it into the top (“Very Good”) category for the first time since the Index was launched in 2012. By comparison, more donors around the world than ever before have scored “Very Good” or “Good” in the 2022 Index.

Stephanie Draper, CEO at Bond, said in response:
“The loss of transparency of UK aid is a blow for the marginalised communities we work with and the British public, who need to be able to see how it’s spent. To ensure value for money and to achieve the goal of alleviating poverty, UK aid must be transparent and accountable. This fall in UK standing must be addressed.
“This is an opportunity for the foreign secretary to show leadership by doubling down on the department’s transparency, which starts with publishing both departmental and cross-government UK aid budgets annually.”