International Development Act 2002
Humanitarian Assistance
What about humanitarian assistance?
A separate power is needed to provide assistance to alleviate the effects of a disaster or emergencies, as such assistance may not always clearly contribute to the reduction of poverty (Section 3). This does not extend to long-term reconstruction, which is covered by the powers to provide assistance to further sustainable development or promote welfare, and which is likely to contribute to the reduction of poverty.
Are there any restrictions on which countries can receive humanitarian assistance?
No. We will continue to be able to provide humanitarian assistance to any other country than the UK – as we have done in the cases of Venezuela and France for example.