Statement by Lumos CEO in response to aid cuts
26.02.2025
Howard Taylor, Lumos CEO, said: “We at Lumos are deeply concerned at the wave of recent foreign aid cuts and their impact on the world’s most vulnerable people.
Over the last year, nearly a dozen OECD donor governments have implemented or announced major cuts to foreign aid, most recently the US and UK.
This simultaneous retreat from aid commitments by some of the world’s richest countries comes at a time when more than 300 million people need humanitarian support. The short-term cost of foreign aid cuts will take a devastating human toll. In the longer-run, decades of hard-won development progress are at risk of being reversed. The most marginalised people will suffer most, including children separated or at risk of family separation.
We recognise the fiscal pressure and domestic demands facing all donor governments. But this moment requires more global solidarity, not less. Foreign aid is not just the right thing to do, it’s also a cost-effective investment, and it’s in our own interests as a catalyst for a more healthy, peaceful and prosperous world.
We urge donor governments everywhere to restore and maintain their foreign aid commitments.”
About Lumos
Lumos works to realise every child’s right to a family by transforming care systems around the world. Our vision is a world in which all children grow up in safe and loving families within supported communities.
Founded in 2005 by author J.K. Rowling, Lumos partners with governments, civil society and young people with lived experience to transform care systems globally and advocate for family-based solutions that help children thrive. We ensure that families receive the support they need to stay together or reunite, and that children grow up in family-based settings such as foster or kinship care, not institutions. Despite clear evidence of the harms of institutionalisation, an estimated 5.4 million children worldwide continue to live in institutions. And a much larger number of children are at risk of institutionalisation – those living in poverty, experiencing domestic violence and abuse, and living in countries affected by conflict.
