FCDO/UK

Question 1

getting more girls into education
POINT

Answer 1

One response FCDO has made to poverty is getting more girls into education.

Question 2

getting more girls into education
EXPLAIN

Answer 2

Education is seen as a key enabler of reducing extreme poverty. FCDO work to address barriers in girls’ education not limited to investments in education sector - also make investments in gender-responsive social protection, adolescent sexual and reproductive health and ending violence including child marriage. FCDO prioritises supporting teachers in all their programmes and through global funds in education such as Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and Education Cannot Wait (ECW).

Question 3

getting more girls into education
EXAMPLE

Answer 3

Girls Education Challenge is the world’s largest programme dedicated to girls’ education, reaching up to 1.6 million marginalised girls through total investment of £855 million over 13 years.

Question 4

getting more girls into education
ANALYSIS

Answer 4

The cycle of poverty notes the importance of education in breaking the cycle. For girls who avoid being the victims of marginalisation, they can educate themselves and go on to gain qualifications, secure employment and hopefully prevent any children they may have from being born into poverty themselves.

Question 5

getting more girls into education
EVALUATION

Answer 5

the FCDO has been criticised for not doing enough to ensure that all spending on education does in fact result in children learning better. A 2022 review found that the FCDO needs to ensure that all spending on education in partner countries, not just its own, translates into improved learning. Budget reductions to UK aid to education have also been very significant and, along with potential staff restructurings, may pose a risk to the FCDO retaining its influence on education globally and improving education quality in partner countries.

Question 6

getting more girls into education
LINK TO Q

Answer 6

This may lead to poverty levels increasing as a result.

Question 7

work towards a healthier world.
POINT

Answer 7

Another response FCDO has made to poverty is that they work towards a healthier world.

Question 8

work towards a healthier world.
EXPLAIN

Answer 8

Health is also seen as a key enabler of reducing extreme poverty. FCDO does a lot of work globally to help tackle these diseases so that the populations of developing countries, the workers of now and tomorrow, are healthy and productive. Doing so means that those countries are in a better position to overcome the other challenges of underdevelopment. FCDO’s work will be focussed on tackling barriers that stand in the way of protecting the lives of mothers, babies and children - such as poor-quality health services, lack of nutrition, unsafe water and inadequate sanitation.

Question 9

work towards a healthier world.
EXAMPLE

Answer 9

in DRC, UK and FCDO support has improved access to health services for around 9.5 million people since 2013.

Question 10

work towards a healthier world.
ANALYSIS

Answer 10

This means that through the treatment of illnesses, developing countries gain a much healthier active workforce that contributes to the economy and by ensuring women and children do not suffer a preventable death, they can go on to live healthier lives and contribute to the economy in their home countries once they are old enough. This also means that developing countries are not having to spend quite as much of their little budget on illnesses and can spend it elsewhere due to aid being provided by the UK and FCDO which overall leads to a reduction in poverty levels since more people are able to work and the government can reinvest taxes into the economy.

Question 11

work towards a healthier world.
EVALUATION

Answer 11

the FCDO could be encouraged to focus on working more closely with national governments to help strengthen health systems. There has been a loss of experts in advisory roles, with health being one of the areas most affected. 2023-24 funding for pan-African programmes on sexual and reproductive health rights has been reduced by 60%. Budget reductions have had a dramatic impact on maternal health programming. The Guardian reported that hundreds of thousands more women will face unsafe abortions and thousands will die in pregnancy and childbirth because of UK aid cuts 2023-24.

Question 12

work towards a healthier world.
LINK TO Q

Answer 12

This shows that although the FCDO helps create a healthier world, there are problems that stop it being completely successful that may lead to higher poverty levels.

Question 13

invest in infrastructure and jobs
POINT

Answer 13

A third response FCDO has made to poverty is that they invest in infrastructure and jobs.

Question 14

invest in infrastructure and jobs
EXPLAIN

Answer 14

Often, development can be held back when countries lack the good quality infrastructure needed to help the country become more developed. Sustainable infrastructure is crucial for development. From transport systems to power generation facilities and water and sanitation networks, it provides the services that enable society to function and economies to thrive. Low and middle-income countries need to expand infrastructure investment seven-fold, to more than $1 trillion per year, just to support their transition to net zero.

Question 15

invest in infrastructure and jobs
EXAMPLE

Answer 15

in October 2023, it was announced that there would be a £48 million boost in funding to improve infrastructure in lower income countries.

Question 16

invest in infrastructure and jobs
ANALYSIS

Answer 16

By investing in infrastructure and creating new jobs, FCDO is helping the governments of developing countries create a working population who are earning enough money to pay tax to the government. This means ultimately, the government will be getting more money that it can reinvest back into important areas such as education and healthcare which will eventually create a new generation who are able to work and earn their way out of poverty, investing in this will also make these countries more enticing trading partners which can again work to decrease poverty levels throughout a country.

Question 17

invest in infrastructure and jobs
EVALUATION

Answer 17

the FCDO has been hugely criticised for cutting funding in key areas which will have a long-term and lasting impact. Recent cuts will mean that it is the most marginalised communities worldwide that will continue to bear the brunt of politically driven cuts to budgets.

Question 18

invest in infrastructure and jobs
LINK TO Q

Answer 18

This shows that the FCDO has helped developing countries’ governments invest in infrastructure but there are also issues which stop it being completely successful therefore cannot be considered fully effective in successfully responding to the issue of poverty in the developing world.

Question 19

supporting better governance
POINT

Answer 19

A final response FCDO has made is supporting better governance.

Question 20

supporting better governance
EXPLAIN

Answer 20

Ineffective government is one political factor that holds back the development of a country. Counties that are poorly run or where the leaders make unwise choices often means that vital services go unfunded, or spending is prioritised in the wrong areas. This could also be because of how corruption is common in the developing countries to be more effective. In doing so this should support that government to be better able to support its own citizens and help the country develop.

Question 21

supporting better governance
EXAMPLE

Answer 21

the FCDO has created a toolkit to help governments pursue resilient and sustainable economic growth.

Question 22

supporting better governance
ANALYSIS

Answer 22

This will mean that governments will better spend the money they are collecting from citizens and be more aware of the benefits of investing this into key services. It will also mean that citizens will be more trusting of their government if it is transparent which will also mean that conflict will be less likely. Governments being more open and honest with more careful spending and a more trusting population will also result in them becoming more valuable trading partners which improves the economy and reduces poverty levels.

Question 23

supporting better governance
EVALUATION

Answer 23

the number of food and agriculture advisers had fallen by 25% between 2019 and 2023, reducing the level of help that can be given to governments in this area. The FCDO has been hugely criticised for cutting funding in key areas which will have a long-term and lasting impact.

Question 24

supporting better governance
LINK TO Q

Answer 24

This shows that the FCDO has put a lot of effort into supporting better governance but there are issues that stop it being completely successful in responding to the issue of poverty in the developing world.

Question 25

INTRO

Answer 25

With over 1.1 billion people in poverty, it is important to discuss the effectiveness of the responses made by individual countries. The individual country I have looked at is the UK and FCDO. The factors I am looking at is how effective FCDO have been at getting girls into education, supporting better governance, working towards a healthier world and investing in infrastructure and jobs. Overall, I believe that the UK and FCDO have been successful in responding to poverty to an extent.

Question 26

CONCLUSION

Answer 26

Overall, this essay has argued that the FCDO and the UK have been successful at responding to poverty to an extent. The area they have had the most significant impact is getting more education for girls, this is because if girls go on to gain qualifications they can secure employment which prevents their children from being born into poverty. This stops the cycle of poverty from continuing. However, the response of least significance is investing in infrastructure and jobs. This is because they have cut funding that leads to marginalised communities continuing to bear the brunt of politically driven budget cuts. With the impact of global conflicts such as Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine, it is predicted that underdevelopment will continue to increase on a global scale as people are seeing their homes and families destroyed.