MECS contributes written evidence to the International Development Committee enquiry into the connections between Overseas Development Aid and the UK commitment to International Climate Finance

By Dr. Simon Batchelor OBE (Gamos Ltd. / Loughborough University).

The Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme contributed written evidence to the International Development Committee enquiry into the connections between Overseas Development Aid (ODA) and the UK commitment to International Climate Finance (ICF).  UK ICF was launched in 2011 as Official Development Assistance (ODA) and ICF plays a crucial role in fulfilling the UK’s obligations under the Paris Climate Agreement.  In 2019, the previous Government announced its commitment to spend £11.6 billion in ICF in the five years to 2025-26.  Indeed MECS, which started in 2019, sits at the interface of ICF and ODA within the Ayrton Fund.  However, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact’s (ICAI’s) 2024 rapid review of the UK’s current ICF portfolio highlighted that by reclassifying existing ODA as ICF, the UK has “moved the goalpost”, allowing more aid spending to be counted as ICF while not increasing the amounts which reach countries in need.  The parliamentary inquiry will consider the effectiveness of the UK’s current ICF portfolio in driving systemic change and crucially, how it can maximise value for money and impact by learning lessons and leveraging alternative routes to fulfil its future commitments despite reduced resources. 

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Photo credit: Vandan Patel on Unsplash.