• The next 100 days include the start of the UK’s G20 presidency, the Prime Minister’s 10-year plan, the UK-EU Summit and COP31

• From debt to AI, the UK-hosted G20 in 2027 is a chance to build security for the next generation

LONDON, UK – October 27, 2026 – As Andy Burnham marks 100 days in Downing Street, the ONE Campaign says his biggest international test is still to come: whether Britain can use its G20 presidency and the Prime Minister’s 10-year plan to build security for the next generation, at home and abroad.

The government’s first 100 days have combined pressure on the cost of living at home with an emerging set of international challenges. Many of these pressures are connected: energy bills, food prices and strained public finances have been driven by shocks that began beyond Britain’s borders, from war to pandemics and debt crises, and that no country can solve alone. The next 100 days will bring the UK-EU Summit, COP31 in Turkey, the Prime Minister’s 10-year plan and the start of the UK’s G20 presidency. The ONE Campaign argues they are a chance to give Britain’s international role a single, clear purpose.

The stakes are high. For the first time this century, the number of children dying before their fifth birthday is projected to rise. And 3.4 billion people live in countries that spend more on interest payments than on health or education.

With just over a year until the 2027 G20 leaders’ summit in Manchester, ONE called on the government to set the presidency a clear goal, that every child and young person survives and thrives, and to deliver it through three priorities:

1. Make finance cheaper and work harder

Fix the debt system and bring down the high cost of borrowing, particularly for African countries, which is driven more by perception than real risk. Get existing institutions to lend more, by pushing the World Bank and African Development Bank to lend up to their limits, take more capital as guarantees rather than cash, and lend in local currency. The UK can also scale up the Emerging Markets and Developing Economies Taskforce it co-chairs to draw in private capital.

2. Stop money from leaking out of the system 

Africa loses an estimated £66 billion a year to illicit flows, much of it moving through London, yet only around 1% of stolen assets are ever returned. We must make sure existing money reaches public budgets, including by recovering stolen assets and supporting tax collection in low-income countries.

3. Make technology and health systems work for the next generation

Children born today will be the first generation to grow up alongside artificial intelligence. The UK should use its presidency to make AI safe and trusted, open up jobs and skills for young people, and strengthen early warning against the next pandemic, starting with the health systems that vaccinate a child and can also detect an outbreak.

Adrian Lovett, UK Executive Director of the ONE Campaign, said:

“Every family in Britain has felt the cost of shocks that began a long way from home. The pandemic, war and debt crises don’t stop at borders, and neither does the security that comes from tackling them together.

“The G20 presidency, in particular, is a chance to fix the parts of the financial system that stop countries investing in their children: making debt relief faster and fairer, bringing down the cost of borrowing and tackling the flows of illicit money that robs countries of tax revenue. Most of it costs very little – but requires political will. A new deal on debt, cheaper finance and safe AI are among the tools. The next generation is the reason to act.

“Within weeks the Prime Minister will set out his plan for the next ten years and take charge of the world’s leading economies. He can use both to give every child and young person, here and everywhere, a safer, healthier and more secure future, and real grounds for hope.”

About the ONE Campaign:

ONE is a global, nonpartisan organisation advocating for the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa. Since 2004, we have helped secure more than $1 trillion in new investments to build a safer, more prosperous world. Our trusted advocacy combines hard-hitting data, grassroots activism and political engagement to influence decision-makers and drive lasting change. Learn more at ONE.org