June 10 – The Caribbean could be affected when the United Kingdom cuts multilateral aid at the end of an assessment of its funding to various agencies.

The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) currently funds over 30 organisations, including the Caribbean Development Bank.

Britain’s International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell has written to all institutions who last year shared around £3 billion (US$4.3 billion) from the UK aid budget to alert them to the Multilateral Aid Review, which will begin immediately.

Each organisation will be tested to ensure the UK is getting maximum value from its aid money. This will include an assessment of the relevance of each body to the UK’s objectives on poverty reduction and their ability to deliver results on the ground.

Organisations that demonstrate value for money and the greatest impact on poverty could receive a cash boost. Those that fail to meet the tough criteria could have their funding reduced or stopped altogether.

The findings of the review will be made public later in the year.