UK aid’s international climate finance commitments

A review assessing UK aid’s commitments to international climate finance to support developing countries to adapt and respond to climate change.

Status: Completed
Published: 29 February 2024
Type: Rapid review
Subject: Climate change and biodiversity, Development finance, Multilateral spend, UK aid funds
Assessment: Unrated
Lead commissioner: Tamsyn Barton
SDGs covered:No poverty, Sustainable cities and communities, Responsible consumption and production, Climate action, Life below water, Life on land, Zero hunger, Good health and wellbeing, Clean water and sanitation, Affordable and clean energy, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Our approach

This rapid review will provide a full account of actual and projected international climate finance (ICF) commitments and disbursements in the period from 2020-21 to 2025-26, to determine whether the government is on target to deliver its £11.6 billion pledge. It will also consider the impact of ICF commitments on other parts of UK aid programming, exploring relative trends in climate funding versus aid spending elsewhere.

Our evidence will be examined against:

The UK’s international commitments to the UNFCCC as confirmed in its 2030 strategic framework for international climate and nature action and its ICF strategy, both published in March 2023.
The UK government’s four strategic priorities as set out in the ICF strategy.

Review 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?

Timeline

Approach publication

14 December 2023

Evidence gathering

Completed

Review publication

29 February 2024

Government response

Published December 2024

Further scrutiny

To be confirmed

Read the approach summary paper