Global health research, sustainable cities and Ukraine among new ICAI review topics

20 Sep 2023

Global health research, sustainable cities, international climate finance and UK aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion are among the areas to be scrutinised by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) in the coming months.

ICAI has agreed with Parliament’s International Development Committee (IDC) that it will examine and report on the following areas of UK aid spend:

• Sustainable cities, assessing how UK aid is contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 11 to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”.
• Global health research and innovation, looking at the Department of Health and Social Care’s use of aid to fund research after this contributed to the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
• Tackling fraud, building on ICAI’s 2021 rapid review of this area, looking at the country level.
• The Blue Planet Fund, scrutinising the £500 million programme designed to help developing nations to protect the marine environment and reduce poverty.
• Aid to Ukraine, looking at UK aid since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
• International Climate Finance, examining spending against the government’s £11.6 billion pledge.

The government announced on 12 September that the third ICAI Commission, led by Chief Commissioner Dr Tamsyn Barton, has been extended until 30 June 2024.

ICAI will also carry out its annual follow-up review, assessing government progress on addressing recommendations from previous years’ reports.