Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Kachin and Karen states in Myanmar.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is deeply concerned about the intensifying conflict in Kachin and Karen states, including credible reports of human rights abuses and violations. As well as ensuring specific references to the situation in Kachin in the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution on Human Rights in March 2018, the UK has recently agreed funding in Kachin with a local partner for food, shelter, education and sanitation responses for up to 2,600 people. We are also in discussions with partners regarding funding for those affected in Karen state and will continue to urge all parties to abide by the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the security situation in Nigeria after reports of the killing of two Catholic priests and 15 parishioners in Benue State; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
We condemn the recent attack in Benue State, which included an attack on a church and up to fifty houses. We are deeply saddened by the suffering and loss of life. We are concerned by the substantial increase in serious clashes between farmers and cattle herders in recent months. We urge the Government of Nigeria to hold those responsible to account and to work with the affected populations to develop a sustainable solution to the conflict.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what amount of funding the UK provided to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The amount of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in 2015 and 2016 is given in the table below. This data is published each year in the Statistics on International Development (SID) publication. Figures for 2017 will be released next year.
The UK is unequivocally committed to supporting Palestinian refugees across the region. Over the course of the 2017/18 financial year, the UK provided around £50 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), assisting in their provision of essential services including basic education to around 500,000 children, health services for around 3 million Palestinian refugees and supporting Palestinian refugees from Syria.
(£ millions) | 2015 | 2016 |
Bilateral ODA through Multilateral | 30.0 | 21.0 |
Core Multilateral ODA | 34.0 | 33.4 |
Total UK ODA to UNRWA | 64.0 | 54.4 |
Source: Statistics for International Development 2013-2016
ODA figures are produced only on a calendar year basis in line with the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation, Development Assistance Committee definitions.
Bilateral ODA through multilateral is funding to multilateral organisations for specific programmes or for specific countries. In this case, bilateral ODA through multilateral refers UK contributions to UNRWA’s Emergency Appeals. Core multilateral ODA describes un-earmarked funds from the UK which are pooled with other donors’ funding and disbursed as part of the core budget of the multilateral organisation, which is UNRWA’s Programme Budget in this case.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government supports the right of Syrian refugees voluntarily to return to Syria.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is committed to ensuring that any refugee returns to Syria are voluntary, safe, with dignity, and in line with international law. We do not support any forced returns before Syria or parts of Syria are assessed as safe by the UN, which it is yet to do so.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in maintaining its operation after the recent reduction in funding provided by the US.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is unequivocally committed to supporting Palestinian refugees across the region. Over the course of the 2017/18 financial year, the UK provided around £50 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), assisting in their provision of essential services including basic education to around 500,000 children, health services for around 3 million Palestinian refugees and supporting Palestinian refugees from Syria. The UK will deliver its next round of financial support earlier than originally planned, to help meet the growing needs of Palestinian refugees across the region. We are also working with the international community and UNRWA to explore how best to ensure the continuity of essential services to Palestinian refugees at this time.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the extent of people smuggling and trafficking in (a) Sudan and (b) South Sudan.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Estimates of forced labour and people trafficking in Sudan and South Sudan continue to be high. Sudan and South Sudan are ranked joint 6th out of 167 countries for the highest proportion of the population experiencing forced labour and trafficking.
The UK Government is committed to the eradication of all forms of people trafficking and the worst forms of child labour by 2030, as unanimously adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015. The Prime Minister has pushed the UN and the international community to step up efforts, most recently by convening leaders to launch a Call to Action to end such exploitation, which has now been endorsed by over 50 states. The Prime Minister has also committed to doubling UK aid spend to £150 million to tackle the drivers of trafficking.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether officials in her Department have held discussions with the Pakistan Government on the inclusion of religious tolerance in textbooks as part of the Punjab Education Support Programme.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Working in partnership with the Government of Punjab DFID has supported the Punjab Curriculum and Text Book Board to redesign specific textbooks for children in grades one to five. DFID Pakistan officials hold regular meetings with the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board on progress to redesign textbooks to improve their quality and make them more inclusive. It remains the responsibility of the Punjab Textbook Board to approve the redesigned books and to fund their printing and distribution.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department has provided to assist in developing the courts and judicial system in South Sudan in each of the last three years.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK aid funded Access to Justice Programme (2014 – 2016) aimed to increase access to justice for vulnerable South Sudanese, particularly women and girls and those affected by or at risk of violence. The programme spent £1,173,529 in 2015 and £207,967 in 2016. As a result of the escalation of the conflict in South Sudan in July 2016, officials carried out a thorough review of the work and closed the programme in October 2016. Changes in the operating context meant that the programme would no longer be able to deliver the results planned. We maintain close links with those operating in the justice sector in South Sudan and will look to re-engage when appropriate in the future.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps she has taken to help prevent a famine in South Sudan.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
South Sudan is experiencing record levels of food insecurity as a result of the ongoing conflict. To prevent famine, UK Aid is working with partners like the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Humanitarian Air Service to get food and nutrition supplies to key locations across the country – by truck, helicopter or barge. With support from the UK and other international donors, so far this year WFP has reached almost 1.6 million people with a total of 18,000 metric tonnes of food. They are also continuing to preposition stocks at key locations across the country in future anticipation of need.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance is being made available to Palestinian refugees affected by the conflict in Syria.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK supports Palestinian refugees affected by the Syria crisis through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). As part of DFID’s Syria Crisis Response, between 2012/13 and 2017/18 we have provided £92.35 million to UNRWA to support Palestinian refugees affected by the Syrian conflict; including those inside Syria, as well as those who have fled to Jordan and Lebanon. This includes £12.6 million in 2017/18 to provide support for 418,000 Palestinian refugees inside Syria with cash and in-kind food assistance alongside support in the areas of health, livelihoods, education and protection assistance.