1 The ‘In Development’ process and next steps
The process
1. In November 2024, we launched the In Development process, inviting the public to suggest potential inquiries for our future work programme.1 The aim of the initiative was to provide an opportunity for the international development community and the public to bring topics deserving greater parliamentary scrutiny to the attention of the newly formed Committee. We encouraged people, in the UK and overseas, who are under-represented in international development debates, such as those with direct experience of aid, vulnerable groups or inter-disciplinary researchers, to submit proposals. The Initiative was led by the Thematic Research Lead of the International Affairs and National Security Hub at the House of Commons.
2. We asked contributors to set out in 500 words or in a short video, the nature of the issue that might be explored, why it deserved attention, and how Government policy in the area could be developed or improved. We are very appreciative of the high numbers of people who responded to our call, including from individuals and organisations that had never engaged with the Committee.
3. We received 134 submissions. 113 have been published on the Committee’s website.2 When we received submissions that were clear duplicates, or when an individual or an organisation submitted more than one proposal, only the first submission received has been published.
4. The breadth and quality of submissions were impressive. Topics ranged from the meaning of locally led development to understanding public opinion on overseas aid. Some particularly innovative proposals asked important questions on the place of the blue economy in development strategies, on how science and technology can support UK efforts in international development, and on how to protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. The Committee has been inspired by the brilliant ideas shared and is confident that this initiative will meaningfully shape its future work programme throughout this Parliament.
Outcomes
5. The issue of gender equality and women’s rights in international development featured prominently in the submissions.3 The Committee agrees that gender equality and women empowerment is central to tackling global development challenges. The 30th anniversary of the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action offers a timely opportunity to scrutinise UK’s leadership in this area.
6. We have decided to launch a new inquiry on the UK Government’s commitment to the ‘Women, Peace, and Security Agenda’ that aims to reduce the impact of conflict on women and girls and to promote their inclusion in peacebuilding. This decision was inspired by the submission made by Professor Toni Haastrup of the University of Manchester.4 The Committee launched the inquiry on 7 March 2025. We encourage all those who have brought this area of policy scrutiny to the attention of the Committee to submit written evidence.5
7. In addition, we will make a systematic effort to incorporate cross-cutting considerations into our inquiries whenever relevant, including in relation to the needs of vulnerable communities such as children, older adults, marginalised groups, and individuals with disabilities, and also in relation to the impacts of climate change.
8. We have also noted that multiple submissions have the potential to inform two on-going inquiries, namely on the FCDO’s approach to value for money,6 including submissions on new metrics for evaluating aid impact, and on the FCDO’s approach to displaced people,7 including submissions on climate-induced migrations.
9. We are grateful to all those who submitted ideas to us and who engaged with this process. We encourage all those who put forward an inquiry proposal as part of the In Development Inquiry to make submissions to any relevant inquiries in the future. We also intend to incorporate the ideas contained in them in our work where possible and are likely to return to the submissions throughout the life of this Parliament. The Independent Commission for Aid Impact that scrutinises UK aid spending has also been made aware of the published written evidence for their future work programme.
Formal minutes
Tuesday 11 March 2025
Members present:
Rt Hon David Mundell, in the Chair
Monica Harding
Noah Law
Brian Mathew
David Reed
Sam Rushworth
David Taylor
The ‘In Development’ process
Draft Report (The ‘In Development’ process), proposed by the Chair, brought up and read.
Ordered, That the draft Report be read a second time, paragraph by paragraph.
Paragraphs 1 to 9 read and agreed to.
Resolved, That the Report be the Fourth Report of the Committee to the House.
Ordered, That the Chair make the Report to the House.
Adjournment
[Adjourned till Tuesday 25 March at 1.30 p.m.]
Published written evidence
The following written evidence was received and can be viewed on the inquiry publications page of the Committee’s website.
IND numbers are generated by the evidence processing system and so may not be complete.
1 A Decolonial Approach to Aid Effectiveness Zulfia Abawe (Lecturer, University of South Wales) IND0007
2 Abouelfetouh, Prof. Dr. Alaa (Professor of Microbiology and Immunology , Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University and Alamein International University) IND0099
3 Action for Global Health Network; and We are a network of more than 50 UK and LMIC-based organisations working on the achievement of health equity globally. IND0115
4 Adler, Dr Claudia Milena (Lecturer in Humanitarian Affairs, The University of York); Puthoopparambil, Dr Soorej Joesph (Senior lecturer in Migration and Global health and Programme Director – Master’s programme in Global Health, Uppsala University); and Jayawickrama, Professor Janaka (Professor of Social Anthropology Department of History Director Research Centre for Health and Wellbeing, Shanghai University) IND0020
5 African Foundation for Democracy & GK Partners IND0131
6 Age International IND0098
7 Anonymised IND0023
8 Anonymised IND0014
9 Anti-slavery International IND0116
10 Atal, Dr Maha Rafi (Adam Smith Senior Lecturer in Political Economy, University of Glasgow); Reinsberg, Professor Bernhard (Professor of International Political Economy and Development, University of Glasgow); Bayer, Professor Patrick (Professor of Political Economy, University of Glasgow); and Uribe, Dr Evelyn Navarrete (Research Associate, University of Glasgow) IND0102
11 Avoka, Dr Cephas (DrPH Student, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) IND0010
12 BRAC IND0036
13 Bernard, Dr David (Research Fellow, Open Philanthropy) IND0032
14 Blakemore, Sarah (CEO, Keeping Children Safe) IND0096
15 Bond IND0086
16 Bond Disability & Development Group; Bond Sustainable Development Goals Group; and Bond Child Rights Group IND0041
17 British Medical Association IND0069
18 British Red Cross IND0026
19 CAFOD IND0123
20 CARE International UK IND0035
21 Centre for the Study of Corruption, University of Sussex IND0074
22 Christian Aid IND0120
23 Climate Action Network UK (CAN-UK) IND0119
24 Concern Worldwide UK IND0089
25 Conciliation Resources - on behalf of the Bond Conflict Policy Group IND0037
26 Corporate Justice Coalition; ABColombia; ActionAid UK; Anti-slavery International; Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Friends of the Earth Scotland; Environmental Justice Foundation; The Circle; UNISON; and Water Witness International IND0117
27 Council on Geostrategy IND0022
28 Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP) at University College London (UCL) IND0046
29 Development Education Research Centre IND0112
30 Development Engagement Lab IND0126
31 Egbetokun, Dr Abiodun (Senior Lecturer, De Montfort University) IND0092
32 Equal Right; UBI Lab Network; Basic Income Earth Network - BIEN; Project Deep; Cool Earth; Queen’s University Belfast; University of Wageningen; FEASTA; DRC Climate Change Network; and Centre for Child Development and Research Malawi IND0068
33 Fleury, Dr Saphia (Researcher, University of Hull) IND0018
34 Fluidion IND0087
35 Forest Peoples Programme IND0088
36 Frontline AIDS IND0103
37 GRAVIS IND0050
38 Gender and Development Network IND0080
39 Germond-Duret, Dr Celine (Lecturer in Environmental Politics and Policy, Lancaster University, UK) IND0077
40 Gilbert, Dr Paul (Reader in Development, Justice & Inequality, University of Sussex); Mawdsley, Professor Emma (Professor of Human Geography, University of Cambridge); Sklair, Dr Jessica (Lecturer and Institute for the Humanities & Social Sciences Fellow, Queen Mary University of London); Russon, Dr Jo-Anna (Senior research Fellow in Education, University of Nottingham); Whitty, Dr Brendan (Lecturer in Non-Profit Management, University of St Andrews); Taylor, Dr Olivia (Lecturer in Geography, University of Sussex); and Phelan, Dr Sarah-Jane (Post-Doctoral Research Associate, University of Cambridge & University of Sussex) IND0076
41 GiveDirectly IND0025
42 Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People IND0106
43 Global Nation IND0070
44 Global Public Investment Network IND0121
45 Goodhind, William IND0071
46 Haastrup, Professor Toni (Professor & Chair in Global Politics, University of Manchester) IND0063
47 Happier Lives Institute IND0100
48 Hassan, Dr Oz (Reader in National Security, Deputy Head of Department, Politics and International Studies, The University of Warwick) IND0062
49 HelpAge Tanzania IND0057
50 Henry Jackson Society IND0021
51 Human Rights Watch IND0134
52 Humanity & Inclusion UK IND0039
53 Institute for Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh IND0104
54 International Centre for Tax and Development IND0054
55 Interventions, Investigating Socioeconomic Support (Reader in Tuberculosis and Social Medicine and Honorary Consultant Physician in Infectious Diseases and General Internal Medicine, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom) IND0009
56 Kenny, Charles (Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development) IND0011
57 Kleine, Professor Dorothea (Director, Institute for Global Sustainable Development, University of Sheffield) IND0064
58 Li, Dr. Jie Sheng (Research Analyst, Self) IND0002
59 Lui, Dr Alison (Reader in Law, Liverpool John Moores University) IND0024
60 Mackinder, Dr Sophie (Senior Lecturer in Global Social Policy and International Development, University of York); Richardson, Dr Dominic (Executive Director, Learning for Well-being Foundation); Harris, Dr David (Senior Research Fellow, Columbia University, New York); and Hudson, Professor John (Professor of Social Policy, University of York) IND0129
61 Mandal, Dr Anandadeep (Associate Professor, University of Birmingham) IND0005
62 MSI Reproductive Choices,; UK SRHR Network; International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF); Ipas; and Frontline AIDS IND0097
63 Malawi Network of Older Persons’ Organizations (MANEPO) IND0044
64 Mansour, Dr Wesam (Health Systems Researcher, ReBUILD for Resilience - Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine) IND0084
65 Maxwell, Dr Clare (Reader in Maternal and Infant Health, Liverpool John Moores University) IND0073
66 Mercy Corps IND0015
67 Minority Rights Group; and Clear Global IND0072
68 Mogaji, Dr Emmanuel (Associate Professor of Marketing , Keele University) IND0003
69 Muslim Charities Forum IND0132
70 National Oceanography Centre IND0029
71 Neal, Prof Sarah (Professor in Global Health, University of Southampton) IND0033
72 Norwegian Refugee Council IND0091
73 OKUP (okup.ent@gmail.com); and CAFOD IND0124
74 Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) IND0127
75 Peace Brigades International UK; Amnesty International UK; and Scottish Human Rights Defenders Fellowship IND0095
76 Plaut, Mr Martin (Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies) IND0001
77 Popoola, Bukola (Lecturer, Ajayi Crowther University Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology) IND0016
78 Positive Money UK IND0107
79 Rahimi, Dr Roya (Reader in Marketing and Leisure Management , University of Wolverhampton) IND0017
80 Raven, Dr Joanna IND0093
81 Restless Development IND0065
82 Results UK IND0027
83 Riaz, Ayesha (Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Greenwich) IND0059
84 Riggirozzi, Prof Pia (Professor of Global Politics , University of Southmpton) IND0034
85 Right To Play IND0031
86 Rose, Dr Jo (Senior Lecturer in International Humanitarian Affairs and Sustainable Development, University of York); and Adler, Dr Claudia Milena (Lecturer in International Humanitarian Affairs, University of York) IND0078
87 Royal College of Nursing IND0079
88 STOPAIDS, Just Treatment & the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) IND0133
89 STOPAIDS; Frontline AIDS; and Tackle IND0130
90 Save the Children UK IND0042
91 Scotland’s International Development Alliance IND0101
92 Scott, Professor Martin (Professor of Media and Global Development, University of East Anglia); Girling, Dr David (Associate Professor in Media and Global Development, University of East Anglia); and Stavinoha, Dr Ludek (Associate Professor in Media and Global Development, University of East Anglia) IND0004
93 Shabaka IND0085
94 Small International Development Charities Network (SIDCN) IND0067
95 Taylor, Ms Gloria Oluwakemi (PhD student , Redeemer’s University Ede. Osun state. Nigeria) IND0008
96 Tekkatho Foundation IND0045
97 The Fairtrade Foundation IND0081
98 The United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) IND0038
99 Toros, Professor Harmonie (Professor in Politics and International Relations, University of Reading) IND0056
100 Transform Trade IND0040
101 UCL Social Research Institute, University College London; Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion; and Imkaan Welfare Organisation IND0114
102 UKCVFamily IND0052
103 UNISON IND0090
104 University of Bristol, UK; Southern Voice; Institute for Development Studies; University of Cape Town; and University of South Africa IND0108
105 University of Cumbria IND0058
106 Urban Institute, University of Sheffield; Sheffield Hallam University and Mekelle University (Ethiopia); Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia); Mzuzu University (Malawi); Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (Mozambique); and Centre for Research on Governance and Development (Mozambique) IND0028
107 VSO IND0030
108 Ventrella, Dr Matilde (Senior lecturer , Liverpool John Moores University) IND0012
109 WACI Health (co-lead of Inclusive Global Health Institutions Project); and STOPAIDS (co-lead of Inclusive Global Health Institutions Project) IND0122
110 Warwick Interdisciplinary Research Centre for International Development (University of Warwick); and Humanitarian Action Group IND0075
111 WaterAid IND0109
112 World Vision UK IND0019
113 Yeates, Professor Nicola (Professor of Social Policy , The Open University) IND0094
List of Reports from the Committee during the current Parliament
All publications from the Committee are available on the publications page of the Committee’s website.
Session 2024–25
|
Number |
Title |
Reference |
|
3rd |
The Government’s efforts to achieve SDG2: Zero Hunger |
HC 515 |
|
2nd |
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory |
HC 373 |
|
1st |
Appointment of the Chief Commissioner of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact |
HC 448 |
|
2nd |
The UK Small Island Developing States Strategy: Government Response |
HC 597 |
|
1st |
FCDO and disability-inclusive development: Government Response |
HC 568 |
Footnotes
1 See International Development Committee, In Development: call for evidence, opened 5 December 2024.
2 See International Development Committee, In Development: written evidence.
3 This includes, for instance, IND0021, IND0033, IND0034, IND0035, IND0044, IND0056, IND0064, IND0065, IND0073, IND0080, IND0084.
5 See International Development Committee, Women, peace and security, opened 7 March 2025.
6 See International Development Committee, The FCDO’s approach to value for money, opened 13 November 2024.
7 See International Development Committee, The FCDO’s approach to displaced people, opened 9 December 2024.