DFID’s merger with FCO will not benefit forest peoples

Forest Peoples Programme echoes the concerns of many UK-based NGOs and BOND, the UK network for organisations working in international development, regarding the UK government’s announcement that it will merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The Government’s decision comes without consultation with the UK’s international development and humanitarian sector, and against recommendations from independent aid scrutiny bodies, such as the Independent Commission for Aid Impact and the cross-party International Development Select Committee.   

We are concerned that this merger will have negative consequences for forest peoples around the world. We believe an independent DFID with cabinet-level representation can ensure that UK aid goes to helping those most in need, while not being tied to the UK’s political interests.

It is crucial that the British government puts human rights at the heart of the UK’s development interventions and that it adopts a human rights-based approach across all UK aid, including respect for the rights of indigenous peoples.

Read more information here in the Bond statement