The funding, channelled through the charity Size of Wales since 2015, totals more than £4m and supports Indigenous communities planting trees around Mbale in eastern Uganda. The grant will end on 31 March 2027.
The scheme had long been criticised by Reform UK and Welsh Conservative politicians over the use of taxpayers' money. A document published in August 2025 by the previous government said Wales was helping some of the very poorest people in the world adapt to climate change and improve their livelihoods, and that the programme protected local people in the Mount Elgon region from deadly landslides. Previous Labour ministers had pointed out that the scheme amounted to about £270,000 a year, equivalent to 0.001% of the Welsh government's total annual budget in 2025.
Plaid Cymru took over the Welsh government in May, and the decision comes as it prepares to publish its draft budget for 2026-27 later this month. A Welsh government spokesperson said the government had to make difficult choices given limited resources. "That is not a judgement on the quality of the work. The programme has planted millions of trees and built important links between Wales and Uganda, and we look forward to continuing our dialogue with Size of Wales," the spokesperson said.
Size of Wales chairman Tim Birch called on the government to reconsider. "At a time of deepening climate crisis, we need to strengthen, not retreat from, our commitment to global responsibility," he said. "Taking action to protect tropical forests is in Wales' own national interests, and working with international partners to restore ecosystems and build climate resilience is more important than ever."
The decision drew political reactions. Reform UK's leader in Wales, Helen Jenner, welcomed the announcement, saying her party had been calling "for an end to this ridiculous woke spending for years now". She said Welsh taxpayers' money should be spent in Wales rather than sent abroad for things such as Ugandan trees. Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar said the decision was "long overdue but it is better late than never", and said the Welsh government had spent taxpayers' money on trees in Africa while schools and hospitals had not been getting the cash they needed. He called for it to put the people of Wales first, not fund vanity projects overseas.
However, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds called the move "short-sighted". "Tackling climate change and protecting nature isn't a luxury," she said. "Plaid are out-Reforming Reform by cutting international funding for work ministers admit has been a success. Wales' global responsibility shouldn't be the first thing to go."
Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates criticised Plaid, saying: "In opposition, Plaid Cymru repeatedly championed international programmes. Yet again, it seems that what Plaid say is very different to what they actually do."
The Welsh government also provides a grant of £280,000 a year to Size of Wales for an education programme in Welsh schools, which continues until the end of March 2027, with a proposal for its future to be considered.