Independent aid watchdog responds to consultation – how we will take your feedback on board

18 Dec 2024

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) today publishes the results of its 2024 public consultation and announces two new review topics.

The watchdog will begin its 2025 work programme looking at UK aid to Sudan, an urgent priority given the current conflict and humanitarian crisis. It will also review how UK development funding is supporting the global transition to renewable energy, in a continued focus on climate.

The consultation, which ran from 4 September to 16 October 2024, received 234 responses from a diverse range of stakeholders, including government officials, civil society organisations, private sector representatives, academics and members of the public.

Key findings

ICAI asked respondents which areas should be the highest priority to scrutinise over the next four years of the Commission.

The top ten themes were:

• Value for money of different types of development assistance
• UK’s humanitarian crisis response approaches, particularly in Sudan
• Climate change impacts and international climate finance
• Effectiveness of poverty reduction approaches and reaching marginalised people
• Decision-making processes in aid funding allocation
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) capabilities
• Effectiveness of cross-departmental aid spending
• The UK’s approach to localisation (giving local and national actors more influence over how UK aid is delivered in their country)
• Country-by-country analysis of aid allocation
• Impact of changes to the aid spending target

ICAI Commissioners, Liz Ditchburn and Harold Freeman, said:

“The breadth and depth of responses to our consultation demonstrates just how much support there is for robust independent scrutiny of the UK’s development spending.

“Stakeholders have given clear direction on where they think our focus should be – from assessing the coherence of development funding across government and how it reduces poverty, to examining how effectively humanitarian aid reaches those most in need. We are grateful to everyone who took the time to respond. These insights will help ensure our work remains relevant and impactful over the next four years.”

New reviews announced

Following the consultation, ICAI has confirmed two new review topics:

1. UK aid to Sudan
2. The UK’s support for the transition to clean energy in low- and middle-income countries.

Future developments

Clear themes emerged from the consultation that are already informing ICAI’s thinking on its future work, including:

• the need to improve accessibility of reports and findings
• stakeholder engagement across the development sector, government and Parliament, as well as in developing countries
• how ICAI helps share learning across government.

ICAI’s full workplan for the coming year will be announced in 2025, in consultation with Parliament’s International Development Committee.

The appointment of ICAI’s new Chief Commissioner, Jillian Popkins, has been confirmed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and her start date will be announced in due course.

To stay updated on our work, sign up to our newsletter.