• Total UK aid spending will fall to 0.3% of national income by 2027–28, its lowest share since 1999 and lowest cash terms since 2012
• Under-5 child mortality has fallen by more than 60% since 1990, but that progress is now reversing for the first time in decades – a child still dies every six seconds from causes the world knows how to prevent
• ONE Campaign analysis has found that every $1 spent on development can save up to $103 in future crisis response costs
• ONE is calling for a new International Envoy for Children and Young People, and for the government to put children’s right to survive and thrive at the heart of development policy

LONDON, UK – July 21, 2026 – The ONE Campaign has welcomed the appointment of Kirsty McNeill as Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office – calling on her to make the right of children and young people to survive and thrive a central mission of Britain’s international engagement.

ONE has urged the new government to:

1) Reverse the 40% aid cuts made by Keir Starmer’s government and set a path back to spending 0.7% of national income on aid. This will allow Britain to invest in the basics that save lives around the world: vaccines, nutrition, skilled midwives, and the health systems that hold them together

2) ⁠Use the UK’s role as G20 host in 2027 to bring global powers together to fix the financial system. This means addressing unsustainable debt, the cost of capital and illicit financial flows that hold developing countries back

3) Harness AI to expand opportunity to all – rather than narrowing it to countries that are already wealthy

As a first step, ONE urged the Prime Minister and Foreign Office to appoint an International Envoy for Children and Young People, who would review the UK’s approach to international cooperation to test it against a single question: is Britain’s engagement with the world geared to ensuring that children and young people can survive and thrive?

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

“We warmly welcome Kirsty McNeill to this role at a moment when Britain has the chance to rebuild its reputation as a leader on global health, humanitarian and development issues. She brings years of experience and has the deep knowledge and the passion to make a huge impact. There could not be a better person to take on this role at this time. 

“We want this government to make the survival and future life chances of every child and young person, wherever they are born, one of the organising missions of British foreign policy. We have urged the new Prime Minister to appoint a dedicated envoy for children and young people and make this a central goal of his ten-year plan. 

“This isn’t just the moral choice, it’s the smart one. Violence, instability and extremism take hold in places where children cannot survive and thrive. Investing now will make Britain more secure in the long term.

“We now need this to translate into a clear, funded roadmap. That means rebuilding the aid budget, and launching a G20 presidency that puts young people’s futures at the centre of the agenda, by fixing the financial system that too often works against them. That would be a legacy worth having.”

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For more information, please contact [email protected] / 07792 667241

Notes to Editors

• UK aid spending falling to 0.3% of GNI by 2027–28, lowest share since 1999 and lowest cash total since 2012: House of Commons Library briefing, “UK aid: Reducing spending to 0.3% of GNI by 2027/28”
• Under-5 mortality fell more than 60% since 1990 but reversed last year for the first time in decades; a child dies every six seconds from preventable causes: Hope Report 2026: https://cdn.one.org/pdfs/Hope_Report_2026.pdf
• Every $1 spent on development can save up to $103 in future crisis response costs: ONE Campaign analysis published for the Munich Security Conference
• Kirsty McNeill worked for the ONE Campaign (under its previous name, DATA) before serving in Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s team and in a leadership role with Save the Children

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