GAPS Secretariat Response to the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2025-2026 and The UK’s Modern Development Approach
On 16 July 2026, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) released its Annual Report and Accounts for 2025-2026 and a policy paper on The UK’s Modern Development Approach. Together, these documents provide an overview of the FCDO's activities during the previous financial year, outline future ODA spending plans, and set out the FCDO's vision for the future of UK development policy.
Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS) has welcomed the FCDO’s continued commitment to women and girls. In particular, we support the decision to protect central programme funding for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Women, Peace and Security (WPS), and Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict (PSVI). We also welcome the FCDO's commitment to strengthening gender mainstreaming and its ambition for at least 90% of bilateral ODA programmes to contribute to gender equality by 2030.
However, commitments alone will not deliver outcomes.
These protected funding lines sit within the context of significant reductions in overall UK ODA and planned reductions to programming across many fragile and conflict-affected settings. WPS outcomes will not be achieved solely through dedicated WPS funding; they rely on sustained investment, civil society partnerships, and long-term engagement in conflict-affected contexts. GAPS therefore urges the UK Government to clearly outline the next steps and timeline for developing the UK’s next WPS NAP.
GAPS has been clear that the former Foreign Secretary’s prioritisation of women and girls is welcome. Both documents reaffirm the FCDO’s commitment to embedding women's and girls' rights across its diplomatic, security, development and trade work. Yet the evidence presented falls short of demonstrating how this ambition is being translated into practice.
The report references WPS specifically yet provides little information on implementation of the current WPS National Action Plan (NAP) or preparations for the next NAP due from 2027. Instead, it highlights announcements, advocacy efforts, and attendance at international forums as evidence of UK leadership. International leadership is important, but women affected by conflict need evidence that commitments are being implemented and resourced.
Of further concern are the significant cuts to FCDO funding anticipated for nearly all of the 12 focus countries in the current UK WPS NAP, with funding for Libya appearing to disappear. Ukraine is the sole WPS focus country expected to see an increase, and that increase is a negligible 1%.
There is also little information regarding future funding for human development programming, including gender equality expertise. There is also no clear commitment regarding the future of important evidence-generation and learning initiatives, which have historically helped strengthen programming and accountability. The recent closure of the ISF Gender and National Security Portfolio, which has supported such initiatives, does not increase confidence in the UK’s understanding of what it means to deliver on WPS commitments. Protecting a small number of thematic funding lines does not offset broader reductions across the humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding ecosystem on which WPS outcomes depend.
GAPS welcomes the emphasis placed on local leadership in The UK's Modern Development Approach. However, the Annual Report demonstrates that, when faced with complex crises and funding pressures, the FCDO continues to rely heavily on existing multilateral mechanisms and established international partners. These actors play an important role and remain essential partners, but funding channelled through multilateral systems often does not reach women's rights organisations (WROs) and other civil society organisations (CSOs). When CSOs do receive funding, they are often required to navigate significant compliance, reporting and administrative requirements, which can limit their flexibility and responsiveness. If the FCDO is serious about localisation, it must provide greater clarity on how CSOs, particularly WROs, will access long-term, flexible and core funding and how they will be meaningfully involved in decision-making and implementation.
UK leadership on WPS will not be judged by the number of initiatives, frameworks, or coalitions that are announced; it will be judged by whether existing commitments are delivered, resourced, and sustained over the long term. As the UK welcomes its new Prime Minister and a new Cabinet is assembled, the Government must re-engage meaningfully with civil society so that the UK delivers on its WPS commitments and continues to be a global leader on WPS.