The UK aid response to COVID-19
Completed: 21 October 2021
This review examines the prioritisation and redirection of UK aid in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Reviews
UK aid’s alignment with the Paris Agreement
Completed: 14 October 2021
A rapid review that examines how the UK government is aligning all its official development assistance (ODA) with the Paris Agreement, following its commitment to do so in 2019.International climate finance: UK aid for halting deforestation and preventing irreversible biodiversity loss
Completed: 15 July 2021
A review examining the effectiveness of UK aid in halting deforestation and preventing biodiversity loss.UK aid’s approach to youth employment in the Middle East and North Africa
Completed: 8 July 2021
A review assessing the relevance and effectiveness of UK aid programmes in promoting employment opportunities for young people across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).ICAI follow-up review of 2019-20 reports
Completed: 23 June 2021
ICAI’s follow-up review looks at how well government departments have responded to the recommendations made in our 2019-20 reviews.Management of the 0.7% ODA spending target in 2020
Completed: 20 May 2021
The government successfully met its aid spending target in 2020 through reprioritising programmes as the COVID-19 pandemic hit – but economic uncertainty and the government’s ‘cut once, cut deep’ approach meant that cuts to bilateral aid were ultimately more drastic than they needed to be.The UK’s aid engagement with China
Completed: 28 April 2021
An information note providing a factual account of how UK aid has been spent by government departments supporting China’s own development, partnering with China on global development challenges, and working with third countries on their engagement with China.Tackling fraud in UK aid
Completed: 8 April 2021
The government’s approach to managing fraud in the aid programme is broadly relevant and effective – but more can be done to find fraud cases by improving oversight and intelligence sharing across aid-spending departments, and streamlining and enhancing whistleblowing systems.UK aid spending during COVID-19: management of procurement through suppliers
Completed: 4 December 2020
Aid-spending government departments worked flexibly with suppliers to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their work, but lack of transparency about the government’s new aid priorities hampered delivery, and the long-term impact of the cuts to the UK aid programme remains to be seen.Management of the 0.7% ODA spending target
Completed: 24 November 2020
The government’s approach to managing its aid-spending target has become increasingly effective and well-coordinated across government – but making the process more flexible in future could reduce the “significant” impact of major economic shocks.The UK’s approach to tackling modern slavery through the aid programme
Completed: 14 October 2020
The UK’s work to tackle modern slavery in developing countries has had limited long-term impact, did not build on existing international efforts and experience, and failed to adequately involve survivors – though the government played a prominent role in raising the profile of the issue globally.Sexual exploitation and abuse by international peacekeepers
Completed: 30 September 2020
The UK’s “leading” work to tackle the widespread problem of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) by international peacekeepers is relevant and important, but could be strengthened with more focus on survivors and a stronger approach to learning. This short report is a companion to ICAI’s January 2020 review of The UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative.