Campaigners oppose Reform call to end Welsh Government international relations spending
Mark Mansfield
Reform UK’s call to end Welsh Government spending on international relations has been condemned by campaign groups, who say the move would damage Wales’ reputation abroad while delivering only minimal savings.
The criticism follows a motion tabled in the Senedd by Reform UK MS Llyr Powell seeking to end all Welsh Government spending on international relations activities.
Campaigners said the proposal would reverse years of international engagement by Wales and could weaken efforts to tackle global issues such as climate change.
The Welsh Government’s international relations budget is worth around £9.2 million a year, with approximately £1 million allocated to international sustainable development projects.
Supporters of the spending point to initiatives such as the Mbale tree-planting programme in Uganda, which plants a tree for every child born in Wales. The scheme is intended to support carbon sequestration, climate resilience and local livelihoods.
A spokesperson for Global Climate Justice Cymru said the challenges facing Wales increasingly require international cooperation.
They said: “At a time when climate change, economic inequality and conflict are global challenges that do not respect borders, turning inward and cutting off the partnerships that help us respond to them is not strength, it is retreat.
“Wales cannot insulate itself from the world by pretending it isn’t part of it.”
Campaigners also cited the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, which includes consideration of Wales’ contribution to global wellbeing among its goals.
The Wales Overseas Agencies Group argued that the spending represented a small proportion of overall public expenditure while helping maintain international links.
A spokesperson said: “Wales’ reputation as an outward-looking, internationally engaged nation has been hard-won. It reflects decades of leadership on sustainable development and global solidarity.
“Cutting this funding would not save meaningful sums, but it would send a damaging signal that Wales is turning its back on the world.”
Opponents of the motion say the implications would extend beyond international development work.
They note that around £8 million of the budget is used to support overseas economic and cultural links, and argue that reducing the funding could affect trade, investment and international partnerships.
Campaigners are calling on Members of the Senedd to oppose the motion when it comes to a vote, and to instead recommit to Cymru’s role as a globally responsible, engaged and forward-looking nation.
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So Uganda is a key trading partner of ours, hence the trees? It’d be great to get some stats on that. If not then maybe common sense dictates that you spend our tiny international budget on building links with countries that might want to invest in Wales, trade, bring jobs etc? The issue is not so much spending money internationally (although there is a valid argument to suggest it could be better spent at home in these desperate times), it is how it is spent and how it benefits Wales. If it’s a case of Uganda v China / Qatar… Read more »
It doesn’t say that Uganda is a key trading partner anywhere in the piece. Have you even read it?
I guess that’s the point. International aid of this kind should have a strategic aim to it – a benefit to Wales etc, not just randomly thrown around. What Owen misses is that Uganda has some of the world’s harshest anti-gay laws. This means that the WG department responsible not only invested in a very random project, but also in a country where being gay is illegal. Not great.
If Reform had their way they would introduce equally repressive laws in Wales.
FFS! These guys are genuinely going from bad to worse. If one is going to stand as a candidate, then at least have a basic understanding of the way things work.
Just by being there, they’re turning the senedd into a laughing stock.
Reform are Little Englanders who do not want Wales to exist as a country, let alone have any presence outside the confines of Westminster. The money spent by the Welsh Government around the world, such as on the Mbale tree-planting programme in Uganda, not only helps the environment but also provides work for villagers there. We often hear Reform complain about asylum seekers and the small boat crisis like a stuck record, but when a solution involves giving people in poorer nations the tools to improve their lives at home—rather than being forced to leave due to poverty—they complain about… Read more »
Presumably the overseas offices will play a central role in the new WDA and can justify their expense by the inward investment they attract. Why Reform oppose more inward investment needs explaining.
And on trees there’s only one atmosphere so planting trees anywhere benefits us all. Presumably the cost per tree is lower in Uganda so this scheme offers taxpayer value for money. Why Reform oppose more trees needs explaining.
‘Could’ is doing a lot of lifting.
If you ever met some of the people at these overseas offices, you quickly realize these are a waste of money the money.
I have met some in my capacity as a business owner
It shows the disconnect between government and governance. A minister has clearly decided that we need a presence, but because they’re not involved in the employment and day to day management, they don’t realise how hapless the staff are
Perhaps if each office had to report annually the inward investment it helped secure there would be a better focus and clearer justification.
Reform and the Tories ‘blow their cover’ time and time again. They know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Spending on international relations is an INVESTMENT something Reform and the Tories (and Labour) with their endless austerity know very little about.
It’s worth pointing out that the Uganda ambassador for the UK was asked a few months ago about what she thought in regards to the Wales tree planted program. She didn’t know it existed.
Not sure what point you’re making. A planted tree exists whether the ambassador knows about it or not.
That’s not true. The Ugandan government and its diplomatic representatives were directly aware of and involved with Wales’s tree-planting efforts in Uganda.
Also, Ugandan officials have formally appreciated the Welsh Government’s funding, noting its impact in “reversing environmental degradation and increasing climate resilience.”
And the Welsh Government is all fine with investing in a country that is one of the most homophobic in the world? Passed all the checks? If so, how? Why Uganda when it is so bad for gay people? People have a right to question this.