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<p>As outlined in the recently-published Integrated Review, the UK will support strong,
transparent and accountable political processes and institutions overseas. The Government
will continue to use its development budget to champion and strengthen democratic
institutions, human rights, free media and effective governance. Supporting open societies
is a priority in Africa, the way we act to promote democracy and defend democratic
freedoms in each country is dependent on the context and needs of the country concerned.
The Westminster Foundation for Democracy is an important partner in delivering this
work in many African contexts.</p><p>The impact of the global pandemic on the UK economy
has forced us to take the tough but necessary decision to temporarily reduce how much
we spend on Official Development Assistance (ODA). We will temporarily move to a target
of spending 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) on ODA, rather than 0.7 per
cent. This is a temporary measure and we will return to 0.7 per cent when the fiscal
situation allows. We are now working through the implications of these changes for
individual programmes. No decisions have yet been made on individual budget allocations.</p><p>
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