Forthcoming review: UK aid’s international climate finance commitments

14 Dec 2023

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) will assess the UK’s commitments to provide funding to support developing countries to adapt to climate change and mitigate its impact – known as international climate finance (ICF). 

Our forthcoming rapid review will look at how ICF funds are being spent, as well as how they contribute to enabling and influencing global climate action by other donors, the private sector and civil society. 

Developing countries, which have historically contributed the least to the factors that have caused global warming, are most at risk from the effects of climate change such as rising sea levels, increased temperatures, and extreme weather events.  

The UK, which has long been a champion of increased funding for developing countries for climate action, committed to spend at least £5.8 billion in ICF funds in the five years to 2020-21. After this pledge was met, the government doubled this commitment to at least £11.6 billion in the five years to 2025-26. Despite reductions to the aid budget in 2020, the UK’s ICF commitments did not decrease and earlier this year, the government published its ICF strategy outlining four priorities: clean energy; nature for climate and people; adaptation and resilience; and sustainable cities, infrastructure and transport. 

Building on ICAI’s previous scrutiny of UK aid in relation to the climate, we will use a combination of strategic reviews of relevant documents, analysis of financial data and stakeholder consultation to determine whether the government is on target to deliver what it has promised. 

The rapid review will address the following questions:  

• Is the UK on track to meet its international climate finance commitments?   
• How well is the UK supporting the achievement of the global international climate finance goals to which it has committed? 

The publication is expected in February 2024.