Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure that Syrian women are appropriately represented and will play a meaningful role in discussions at the Syria Donors Conference in February 2016, rather than at the preceding civil society conference.
Answered by Earl of Courtown - Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
As you know, women and girls is a top priority for DFID. The focus of the Syria Conference is to raise significant new funding to meet the immediate and longer-term needs of all those affected by the crisis within Syria and to support neighbouring countries, who have shown enormous generosity in hosting refugees, to cope with the impact of the crisis. We also hope that the Conference outcomes will support on-going discussions on a political situation to the conflict.
Under UN Resolution 1325, we are committed to ensuring appropriate representation of women in Conference delegations and panels. This will be pursued through our engagement with overseas delegations to include strong female representation. The Conference will include a strong focus on the situation inside Syria, the very human impact on women, girls and youth, and ways we can protect them from harm, including sexual and gender-based violence. As you know, on the day before the event, we are also supporting a large gathering of civil society, from which a cross-section, including representation of women and girls, will contribute to discussions in the Conference.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any of those staff at the Department for International Development involved in small business grant funding have hands-on experience of business development.
Answered by Baroness Verma
DFID employs cadres of sector-specific technical experts in a range of disciplines in order to provide intellectual and professional rigour to underpin our poverty reduction work. DFID has a cadre of over 80 private sector development advisers who lead our work to support private sector growth, including small business grant funding. Over 80% of private sector development advisers have worked in the private sector, bringing to DFID a first-hand understanding of business development.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any two-way secondment programmes in place in the Department for International Development to foster a comprehensive understanding of small business development.
Answered by Baroness Verma
DFID does not have any secondments in place with small business. Its two-way secondment arrangements with the private sector have been with larger firms, including a current inward secondment from Glaxo Smith Kline and a previous outward secondment to John Lewis.
Aside from secondments, DFID recruits from the private sector, contracts in private sector expertise, benefits from pro bono arrangments with a number of firms, and maintains close partnerships and dialogue with the private sector.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that women and civil society groups are included in proceedings at the Syria Donors' Conference in February 2016.
Answered by Baroness Verma
On 16 November, the Prime Minister announced that the UK, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the United Nations would co-host a conference on the Syria crisis in London on 4 February 2016. The Conference on “Supporting Syria and the Region” will address immediate and longer-term needs of those affected by the conflict. It will include a strong focus on the situation inside Syria, the very human impact on women, girls and youth and ways we can protect them from harm.
On the day before the event we are supporting a large gathering of civil society, from which a cross-section, including representation of women and girls, will contribute to discussions in the conference.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to appoint an International Violence Against Women Champion.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The Secretary of State for International Development and I, champion this issue every day as part of the department’s broader plan to improve the prospects of women and girls overseas. Gender is mainstreamed across all DFID programmes and we are proud of the impact the department has achieved in tackling violence against women and girls, not least through the 2014 Girl Summit which focused on eradicating Female Genital Mutilation and Early and Forced Child Marriage.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are ensuring that pledges made at the Girl Summit 2014 by other countries, and in particular Bangladesh, are being met.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The Girl Summit, co-hosted with UNICEF in London in July 2014, secured over 180 commitments, including 43 governments. We are working with UNICEF to follow up with governments and other participants on progress since the Summit. A summary of these achievements will be available for the anniversary of the Summit.
Over the last year the UK Government has also been working with UN partners, civil society and national Governments, including the Government of Bangladesh, to support countries to implement these commitments. Bangladesh held its own Girl Summit in October 2014, are making legal revisions to the 1929 Child Marriage Restraint Act and finalising the National Plan of Action for Ending Child Marriage.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are following up the Girl Summit 2014 in order to counter early marriage and Female Genital Mutilation; and how they plan to ensure that there is continued global momentum on those issues.
Answered by Baroness Verma
We are delighted that the Girl Summit has accelerated international momentum on ending FGM and Child, Early and Forced Marriage. We have already seen follow-up events take place in Uganda, Bangladesh and Ethiopia and the African Union plan to host a Girl Summit later this year. Since the 2014 Girl Summit, the Department for International Development has focused on delivering the UK Government’s commitment to supporting an end to FGM and Child, Early and Forced Marriage globally, through its £35million programme on ending FGM and the recently launched £36million programme to accelerate action to end Child marriage.
Domestically, a number of measures have been taken to strengthen the law on FGM through the Serious Crime Act, £1.6million has been committed for the next stage of the Department of Health’s FGM prevention programme, and an FGM Unit has been established and commenced a programme of outreach.