Age International responds to new report on the UK Government's approach to displaced people

Age International welcomes the publication today of the International Development Committee’s report on The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Approach To Displaced People. The report is a timely reminder of the urgent need for a more inclusive and effective response to displacement, as increasing numbers of people - including older people - are being forced to flee their homes around the world.

We are pleased the report highlights the particular risks faced by older people in displacement, from mobility challenges and chronic health conditions, to separation from family. It also highlights the persistent gaps in data that leave them invisible in aid and programme design.

Set against the backdrop of drastically reduced Official Development Assistance (ODA) budgets by the UK and other donors, the IDC report highlights areas in which the FCDO’s approach to displacement could be strengthened. It stops short, however, of recognising how aid cuts disproportionately harm older people.

To deliver on the UK’s commitments to ‘leave no one behind’, older people’s needs and rights must be fully considered across all key areas. It is disappointing that more evidence was not presented to the Committee that highlights this. Without a clear commitment from the UK Government, policies and programmes will continue to exclude the growing millions of older displaced persons, undermining the effectiveness of the humanitarian and longer-term responses.

We urge the Government to act on the report’s findings and recommendations, particularly the need for strengthening the collection, use and publication of data disaggregated by age. We also urge them to increase engagement with local actors who have a deeper understanding of the needs of older displaced persons, and to protect gender-specific programming which includes older women.