The Bond Conflict Policy Group, a coalition of peacebuilding and international development organisations, has welcomed the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s renewed commitment to conflict prevention and gender equality in its aid allocations announced on 19 March. The group said the focus on preventing conflict and promoting gender equality is especially important at a time when rising conflict and social division are undermining progress on women’s rights, climate action, and broader international development goals. It stressed that the UK has an important leadership role to play in both preventing and resolving conflict globally.
The coalition particularly welcomed the UK government’s pledge to allocate 70 percent of all geographic aid spending to the most fragile and conflict-affected contexts by 2027/28, as well as the decision to protect central spending on Women, Peace and Security. It also viewed the recognition of diplomacy’s role in conflict prevention as a positive sign. These measures were described as encouraging steps that could help ensure UK aid remains focused on some of the world’s most vulnerable populations and on the structural drivers of instability.
However, the group also raised serious concerns about whether these commitments can realistically be achieved in the context of deep and historic cuts to the UK aid budget. It warned that redirecting billions of pounds from aid to defence spending undermines the very stability the government says it wants to support. In particular, the reduction of the UK’s aid allocation from 0.5 percent to 0.3 percent of gross national income was described as a significant overall withdrawal of support from vulnerable communities and a move that could weaken efforts to tackle conflict, poverty, and inequality.
The coalition questioned how reduced aid levels, combined with cuts to climate funding and shrinking country budgets, would allow the UK to meet its commitments to conflict prevention and peacebuilding in practice, especially in regions such as Africa and the Middle East where fragility, displacement, and humanitarian needs remain high. While it welcomed early indications that geographic allocations may prioritize both fragility and humanitarian need, the group argued that this must be backed by clear implementation, dedicated resources, and long-term strategic planning.
The statement emphasized that a meaningful approach to conflict prevention requires more than policy commitments alone. It called on the UK government to maintain strong partnerships with local civil society organisations, address the root causes of conflict—including gender inequality—across its aid programmes, and preserve the specialist expertise needed to deliver effective peacebuilding and prevention work. Without these elements, the coalition suggested that the UK’s stated priorities risk remaining largely rhetorical.
The Bond Conflict Policy Group also placed the aid reforms in the context of worsening global conditions, noting that the world is facing rising levels of conflict, displacement, and crisis, alongside growing restrictions on women’s rights, shrinking civic space, and what it described as the rapid dismantling of the international system. Against this backdrop, the coalition said it remains committed to working with the FCDO to help ensure the UK plays a constructive global role in fostering lasting peace.
In conclusion, the organisations urged the UK government to turn its stated commitments into a more holistic, strategic, and properly resourced approach to global challenges. While acknowledging the renewed policy focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings as an important starting point, they made clear that only sustained funding, practical action, and meaningful collaboration with local partners will determine whether the UK can genuinely deliver on its peacebuilding and development ambitions.
