Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of investing in early child development in the developing world.
Answered by Lord Bates
Evidence suggests that supporting children in their early years through health, education, nutrition and responsive care improves their learning potential and yields enormous long term benefits. By 2020 the UK will improve nutrition for 50million children under 5, women of childbearing age and adolescent girls, immunise 76million children against killer diseases and support 11million children in the poorest countries to gain a decent education.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to integrate nutrition into UK-funded reproductive, maternal, child and adolescent health programmes in the developing world.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID’s publication ‘Choices for women: planned pregnancies, safe births and healthy newborns’, provides guidance for our investments in maternal and newborn health, including nutrition for adolescents, pregnant women and babies. DFID Kenya, for example, has enabled a high-impact set of nutrition interventions to be incorporated into the health system and has strengthened Government capacity to deliver these interventions alongside other essential services. The latest review of our bilateral programmes that support maternal, newborn and child health indicates that nutrition has indeed been incorporated in these investments.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote progress towards (1) the World Health Assembly 2025 global nutrition targets, and (2) Sustainable Development Goal 2 to end all forms of malnutrition by 2030.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID has committed to improve the nutrition of 50million people by 2020 to enable more countries to get on track to meet World Health Assembly and Sustainable Development Goal targets. We are working closely with partners to make sure countries receive effective support to accelerate reductions in malnutrition. Our support to the Global Nutrition Report helps monitor whether countries are on track to reach global targets.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have fully disbursed the commitments made at the 2013 Nutrition for Growth Summit; and if not, how much has been disbursed, and when they will disburse the remaining commitments.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID provides annual updates on progress towards Nutrition for Growth (N4G) commitments through the Global Nutrition Report. DFID disbursed 40% of its N4G spending commitment in 2013 and 2014. The remaining funds committed will be disbursed gradually up to 2020 as nutrition programmes are implemented.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to publish the Department for International Development's global nutrition position paper.
Answered by Lord Bates
The nutrition position paper is being updated to reflect the priorities set out in the Multilateral and Bilateral Development Reviews. It is anticipated that we will publish this paper in spring 2017.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to integrate UK-funded health and nutrition programmes in (1) Malawi, (2) Pakistan, and (3) India.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID Malawi is designing a new health and nutrition approach.
DFID has supported integrated health and nutrition services in Pakistan since 2013 and in India since 2007. This will remain a focus for DFID Pakistan, whilst DFID India’s support for health and nutrition ended in March 2016.