Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are proposing to other UN Relief Works Agency donors to meet the shortfall in funding for the agency in the light of the decision of the government of the United States to reduce its support.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK has engaged in the recent UNRWA Advisory Commission meetings which include the US, all main donors and host Governments to discuss UNRWA’s continuity of services. The UK has so far provided around £50 million in 2017/18, based on the Agency meeting rigorous performance indicators, and is one of the largest donors to UNRWA. We contributed more than expected for this financial year to help manage UNRWA’s funding gap in December.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the humanitarian impact of the Saudi-led blockade of Yemen; whether they are supporting the actions of the coalition in Yemen; and if so, what form that support takes.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK is deeply concerned by the serious deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen. Even before the Saudi-led Coalition recently announced the temporary closure of all sea, land and air routes into Yemen, the country was the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with 21 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. The Coalition has since announced the reopening of ports and airports in areas controlled by the Government of Yemen, but these remain closed in areas not under government control - where 71% of Yemenis in severe humanitarian need live.
While the UK remains committed to supporting Saudi Arabia to address its legitimate security needs, it is absolutely vital that Yemen is kept open to humanitarian access and commercial supplies and personnel, upon which the Yemeni population depend. We are raising the importance of these points at the highest levels.
The UK continues to play a leading role in lobbying all sides to find a peaceful solution. As the pen-holder on Yemen at the UN Security Council the UK proposed and coordinated a UN Security Council Presidential Statement in June calling for an end to the conflict and the resumption of peace talks. The UK has since been pushing for a revived political process.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of the $6 billion of humanitarian aid pledged at the Supporting Syria and the Region conference in February has been disbursed.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Syria Conference raised a record amount of more than $12 billion - the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. $6billion was pledged for 2016 and a further $6.1billion for 2017-20 to enable partners to plan ahead. According to the UN, as of 26 August, $4.8 billion has been committed by donors to implementing partners for humanitarian assistance in 2016.
The UK continues to urge donors to deliver on the commitments made in London including at the forthcoming UN General Assembly in New York, where the Secretary of State for International Development will co-host a Conference follow-up event. The Department for International Development has set up a tracking mechanism that will report on the delivery of all the financial commitments made at the conference, including humanitarian and development funding and loans. The first report from the tracking mechanism will be published in September.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made since the Supporting Syria and the Region conference in February in implementing loans by multilateral development banks and bilateral donors to help vulnerable Syrians and host communities in the Middle East.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Syria Conference raised a record amount of more than $12 billion - the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. This was supported by Multilateral Development Banks and donors’ pledges of around $41 billion loans, including $1.7 billion on highly concessional terms.
The World Bank launched the MENA Finance Initiative to support Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon at the Spring Meetings in April. Donors pledged $140 million in grants and over $1 billion in concessional loans. Grant pledges have since increased to $225 million.
As part of this initiative, the UK is providing an £80 million concessional loan to the World Bank MENA Finance Facility to support employment opportunities for Syrian refugees in Jordan. In July, a successful first meeting of the Steering Committee saw two Jordan projects approved.
The UK continues to urge donors to deliver on the commitments made at the London Conference in London. The Department for International Development has set up a tracking mechanism that will report on the delivery of the financial commitments made at the London Conference, including humanitarian and development funding and loans. The first report from the tracking mechanism will be published in September.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Syria Donors Conference in London in February 2016 will address issues surrounding sexual violence in conflict.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The London Conference for Syria and the region will mark a qualitative shift in the way the international community responds to this protracted crisis - addressing both immediate and longer-term needs, particularly on jobs and education. The Conference will also focus on the protection of civilians from harm, including sexual and gender-based violence.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 4 November (HL2983), what representations they have made to the governments of (1) Saudi Arabia, and (2) the United Arab Emirates, about their assistance in ensuring immediate humanitarian access for non-governmental organisations in Yemen, and what has been the outcome of those representations.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The UK continues to work with the Governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on improving access for humanitarian aid and workers. We are supporting the work of the UN Special Envoy to convene peace talks in the coming weeks and to negotiate a lasting ceasefire as the best way to improve humanitarian access.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of freedom of access to Yemen by the UNHCR and non-governmental organisations looking after the most vulnerable in that country.
Answered by Baroness Verma
Intense fighting on the ground is making it increasingly hard for UNHCR and other non-governmental organisations to reach those in need within Yemen. This is compounded by restrictions on imports of commercial and humanitarian supplies into the country, including fuel. This in turn is hampering the distribution of humanitarian supplies within country, including essential food and medicines.Of the 2.3 million internally displaced people in Yemen, to date UNHCR has provided emergency relief items to 147,386 of them since the end of March.
The UK continues to call on all parties to facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered access to all people in need in Yemen. The UK is one of the largest donors to the crisis and has announced £75m to respond to the crisis in Yemen. UK aid is providing vital medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter, working with trusted and impartial actors who have a strong track record in delivering assistance in difficult and dangerous places. We also support a UN-led process on access negotiations and the establishment of the Access Working Group where partners report cases of obstruction and accessible routes.