RFUK has come together with seven prominent UK-based environmental and human rights organisations in calling on the UK government to protect tropical forests from the recently announced foreign aid budget cuts.

In a joint letter with Global Witness, Global Canopy, Earthsight, Forest Peoples Programme, Friends of the Earth, Fern and Mighty Earth, we appeal to three UK Secretaries of State to safeguard the nation’s forest protection programmes amid a planned reduction of the Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI).

Addressed to the Rt Hon David Lammy MP (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs), the Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP (Energy Security and Net Zero) and the Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), the letter emphasises the importance of preserving the UK's world-leading forest initiatives.

Continued support for tropical forests and Indigenous Peoples is crucial for achieving global climate, biodiversity and human rights goals. Forests play a vital role in regulating the climate, protecting ecosystems and supporting the livelihoods of over 1.6 billion people, including 300 million Indigenous People. With climate change exacerbating fires, droughts and floods, the need to champion forest and forest people's rights is more critical than ever.

Joe Eisen, RFUK Executive Director, said, “While we won’t think the world’s poorest people should be shouldering the burden for increased UK defence spending, it is now crucial that we do not abandon tropical forests and the hundreds of millions of people who depend on them.”

As COP30 approaches, RFUK and its partners call on the UK government to reaffirm its forest pledges made at COP26 and uphold the Labour government's commitment to upholding this legacy.

RFUK and our partners urge the government not to abandon its leadership in protecting forests – a cornerstone of global climate resilience and human rights.