Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage (1) UN agencies, (2) partner governments, and (3) development actors, to prioritise the needs of older people most at risk from COVID-19.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We recognise that older people, people with pre-existing conditions, people with disabilities and those with complex needs are disproportionately impacted, and at more serious risk of severe complications, due to COVID-19. The UK has so far pledged £544 million of aid to tackle this global pandemic.
This includes support to UN agencies such as Unicef, the World Health Organisation and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Our support will enable humanitarian actors to work with in-country governments and other stakeholders to plan an inclusive response to the crisis, one which takes into account the needs of older people, women and girls and people with disabilities.
We have also developed specific practical guidance to ensure our country offices around the world, working closely with partner governments, prioritise the needs of vulnerable groups, including older people. We are also working with actors across the development sector to ensure inclusion is built into the response from the very start. The pandemic is fast-moving, but we are committed to supporting the UN system, partner countries and the wider development community to reach those most vulnerable.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the work of the World Health Organisation prioritises the health needs of older people in lower- and middle-income countries as part of its response to COVID-19.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We recognise that older people, people with disabilities, people with pre-existing conditions, and those with complex needs are disproportionately impacted and at more serious risk of severe complications and fatality due to COVID-19. The UK is at the forefront of the global response to COVID-19 and has, to date, committed up to £544 million of aid to tackle this global pandemic.
As part of this, the UK is providing £10 million to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) Emergency Flash Appeal. We are working with all of our humanitarian partners to ensure that the most vulnerable, including older people and people with disabilities are reached and supported.
Our funding to the WHO is supporting countries to prepare for and respond to COVID-19. This includes through its Operational Planning Guidelines on public health measures, which outline specific considerations to be given to particularly marginalised groups, including older people. The WHO has also published specific tailored guidance on people with disabilities.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to include the presence of survivors of sexual violence from conflict zones at the Preventing Sexual Violence In Conflict Initiative Conference in November; and whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will liaise with the Home Office to ensure that such people are not prevented from entering the UK to attend that conference.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The PSVI conference 'Time For Justice: Putting Survivors First' will take a survivor-centred approach, focusing on tangible next steps and enabling survivors to contribute to policy debates and outcomes. The newly created role of PSVI Survivor Champion will help ensure that survivors' needs, concerns and priorities are at the forefront of our policy and programming, including for the conference.
The UK Government is working closely with stakeholders, including international survivor networks, to ensure survivors of conflict-related sexual violence from a range of countries and communities are involved in and can attend the PSVI conference on 18-20 November 2019. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is coordinating across Government departments, including with the Home Office, on preparations for the conference. This includes planning on policy deliverables, logistics and attendance.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how (1) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and (2) the Department for International Development, systematically include older women in their (a) work with widows, and (b) wider approach to economic empowerment, across their programmes.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
Gender equality is a top priority for the UK. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development work together to achieve the best development and diplomatic impact for women and girls, including older women.
Better data and understanding of the situation of older women is essential for tackling the poverty and discrimination they face. DFID is investing in improving collection and use of disaggregated data (by sex, age and disability) to enable us to empower and include those who are too often invisible or face additional barriers to escaping poverty, such as older people. For example, we have led the way on the Inclusive Data Charter Action Plan and worked with others to improve the international development system on disaggregated and inclusive data.
Social protection mechanisms can play a crucial part in supporting economic empowerment, as such DFID is enabling the empowerment of older women through social protection programmes, including in Uganda, where UKaid is supporting expanded social protection for older people.
The UK is committed to shining a spotlight on the vulnerabilities of widows globally, including raising awareness of the multiple discrimination and abuse often faced by older widows. In Ghana, UKaid is securing lives of dignity for elderly widows banished from their communities due to ‘witchcraft’ accusations and working with traditional authorities to condemn violence, social exclusion and abuse towards widows. At the Commission on the Status of Women in March, the UK helped secure the first ever UN-level recognition of the need to invest in adequate measures to protect and support widows.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals were refused visas to travel to the UK for the Global Disability Summit in July 2018.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This information requested is not published. Attending meetings, conferences and seminars are all allowed under the Visitor Rules. UKVI has in place engagement teams who can work with event organisers ahead of events to support them through visa processes. Event organisers can approach UKVI directly, we also identify organisers through engagement with other government department and external Stakeholders.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals were refused visas to travel to the UK for Wilton Park events in 2018.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This information requested is not published. Attending meetings, conferences and seminars are all allowed under the Visitor Rules. UKVI has in place engagement teams who can work with event organisers ahead of events to support them through visa processes. Event organisers can approach UKVI directly, we also identify organisers through engagement with other government department and external Stakeholders.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals were refused visas to travel to the UK for the DfID Safeguarding Summit in October 2018.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This information requested is not published. Attending meetings, conferences and seminars are all allowed under the Visitor Rules. UKVI has in place engagement teams who can work with event organisers ahead of events to support them through visa processes. Event organisers can approach UKVI directly, we also identify organisers through engagement with other government department and external Stakeholders.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Serbia regarding the negative rhetoric against women politicians in that country and the risk of it inciting violence against them.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
While we have not made representations specifically about negative rhetoric against women in politics, we have, as part of our interactions with the Serbian government, had regular discussions on gender equality, including with the Equality Commissioner and the Gender Champion. On International Women’s Day our Embassy in Belgrade held two public debates, one on the role of women in Serbian society and the other on women in the IT sector. Our Embassy is also designing a programme with UN Women to strengthen gender responsive governance in Serbia.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage investments in nutrition under the World Bank's Human Capital Project in order to (1) reduce rates of stunting, and (2) promote economic growth worldwide.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We use our position on the World Bank Board, as the leading contributor to the International Development Association (IDA), to push for increased, high-quality World Bank investments in nutrition. For example, we worked with the World Bank as they designed the Human Capital Project to ensure the inclusion of nutrition as one of the Human Capital Index’s key indicators. We expect the Index and Project to have a positive impact on nutrition indicators and consequent impact on economic development.
We have been advocating for the next IDA replenishment (IDA19) to increase support to human capital, including nutrition, across its key priorities, such as gender and fragility, conflict and violence. Under the current replenishment (IDA18), IDA plans to reach 180 to 200 million people with basic nutrition services, as a result of its growing portfolio of IDA investments in nutrition.
We also work closely with the Bank as a partner in encouraging others to invest. To this end, we co-hosted a high-level event in 2017 alongside the World Bank Group to encourage the international community to make new commitments to nutrition. We are also working with the Bank on substantive preparations for the Tokyo Global Nutrition Summit 2020 which will be a critical moment to secure new global commitments to tackling malnutrition through to 2030.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make representations for nutrition to be prioritised during discussions ahead of the replenishment of IDA19 of the International Development Association.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We use our position on the World Bank Board, as the leading contributor to the International Development Association (IDA), to push for increased, high-quality World Bank investments in nutrition. For example, we worked with the World Bank as they designed the Human Capital Project to ensure the inclusion of nutrition as one of the Human Capital Index’s key indicators. We expect the Index and Project to have a positive impact on nutrition indicators and consequent impact on economic development.
We have been advocating for the next IDA replenishment (IDA19) to increase support to human capital, including nutrition, across its key priorities, such as gender and fragility, conflict and violence. Under the current replenishment (IDA18), IDA plans to reach 180 to 200 million people with basic nutrition services, as a result of its growing portfolio of IDA investments in nutrition.
We also work closely with the Bank as a partner in encouraging others to invest. To this end, we co-hosted a high-level event in 2017 alongside the World Bank Group to encourage the international community to make new commitments to nutrition. We are also working with the Bank on substantive preparations for the Tokyo Global Nutrition Summit 2020 which will be a critical moment to secure new global commitments to tackling malnutrition through to 2030.