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Shortsighted’: UK cuts aid to project preparing cities for natural disaster

From Quito to Kathmandu, millions will be endangered by cuts affecting planning for floods, earthquakes and fires, experts say
UK aid cuts to a programme working to reduce the disaster risk to poor communities around the world could endanger millions of lives and slam shut a brief window of opportunity to build safer cities for centuries to come, experts have warned.
Professor John McCloskey, from Edinburgh University, said the 70% cut to this year’s budget for the Tomorrow’s Cities project was an act of “vandalism” that had wrecked the past two years of collaboration with scientists, NGOs, authorities and communities in Ecuador’s capital Quito, Nairobi, Kathmandu and Istanbul.
Globally, about 2 billion urban-dwellers are exposed to hazards such as floods, earthquakes, fires, volcanoes and landslides, threatening the cyclical destruction of lives and livelihoods, according to Tomorrow’s Cities. With urban areas expanding rapidly, it expects this number to reach 4 billion by 2050, while hazards are increasing because of the climate crisis.
“The first million-death earthquake is just around the corner – we all know that. You don’t prepare for earthquakes by just doing physics, you have to plan with decision-makers,” said McCloskey, a professor of natural science hazards. He said the cuts were reversing progress on integrating scientific research with responses of decision-makers, even though Covid showed this to be more vital than ever.
In March, the UK Research and Innovation agency (UKRI) said its funding for international development research projects had been cut from £245m to £125m. Much of that funding is spent through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), set up to address some of the biggest challenges for low-income countries with local experts.
Scientists and policymakers are furious that Tomorrow’s Cities, which is now likely to terminate the work of local researchers around the world, has been “decimated” for savings that are in fact small. Over five years the research hub was to receive about £20m; this year its £5m budget was slashed to £1.4m.

“We are losing the opportunity to move to a sustainable way of living for a small amount of money,” said Teresa Armijos Burneo, from the University of East Anglia, who has been working in the San Luis de Miravalle and San Francisco informal settlements, on an earthquake fault line and in a flood-prone area respectively, outside Quito in Ecuador. The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed more people into these areas.
“The cuts will break the trust that developed between these communities and the scientists,” said Armijos Burneo, whose team brought local people into decision-making about safe building methods and alternative places to live. “We are letting them down because there is no money and we are confirming that they are abandoned by the state.”
After reportedly receiving news of the cuts with just four hours’ notice on 31 March, McCloskey said researchers in four cities were scrambling to salvage some of the work of the past two years, adding that the damage to the UK’s reputation was “breathtaking”.
“This is the best value for your aid budget,” said McCloskey of disaster risk management, adding that humanitarian catastrophes have a huge impact on the global economy. “You get your stake back hundreds of times. The shortsightedness of these decisions is breathtaking. How can your government break its word without batting an eyelid? Some of our partners are saying ‘in our country this wouldn’t be legal’.”
In Nairobi, Kenya, the programme was preparing to work with 200,000 people living in Kibera, Africa’s biggest slum, as well as officials to improve housing in line with the city’s 2015 Disaster and Emergency Management Act. Vera Bukachi, from the Kounkuey Design Initiative community organisation, said the cuts would harm the “life chances of the most marginalised, including women and children”.
In Nepal the research hub was collaborating with the ministry of urban planning in four satellite cities near Kathmandu, where people are still rebuilding after the 2015 earthquake. This work ranges from ensuring people mix cement correctly so their homes withstand future quakes to planning roads.
Rabindra Maharjan, chair of Khokana, a ward in Lalitpur Metropolitan City in Kathmandu Valley, which is a partner, was diplomatic, saying: “We are thankful for this opportunity for our concerns to be heard at government level and look forward to future collaboration with our partners in the Tomorrow’s Cities team.”
However, Tomorrow’s Cities’ Kathmandu team were more blunt, saying: “ODA
A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which allocates money to the UKRI, said: “The UK remains a world-leading aid donor. This year alone, we will spend more than £10bn to address poverty, tackle climate change, fight Covid and improve global health.
“We are working with our delivery partners to implement a new research and development settlement for 2021–22 as part of our wider commitment to maintain the UK’s world-class reputation for science, research and innovation.”
source: Jo Griffin
Levant
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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