Terms of reference published: Management of the ODA spending target

10 Nov 2025

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) has today published more information about our forthcoming review of the UK’s management of the official development assistance (ODA) spending target. 

The period since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has been one of exceptional turbulence for UK development assistance. UK ODA spending was reduced from the statutory target of 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.5% in 2021 and is now being progressively reduced to 0.3% by 2027. 

At the same time, government expenditure on support to refugees and asylum seekers in the UK has increased, sharply reducing ODA available for spending overseas.

The full review, due to be published in March 2026, will assess the effectiveness of the UK’s processes for allocating and managing the ODA budget from 2021-22 to 2024-25.  It will draw forward-looking lessons to inform the UK’s approach to ODA management from 2025 onwards. It will also assess the impact of development spend supporting refugees and asylum seekers in the UK on the government’s ability to ensure long-term value for money in ODA allocations. 

It will build on an explanatory information note published in July 2025, which described the UK’s management of the ODA spending target and highlighted issues that merited further scrutiny. 

Read the terms of reference for the full review.