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Written Question
Migrant Camps: Humanitarian Aid
Tuesday 1st September 2020

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps the Government has taken to help ensure the effective delivery of aid to refugee camps in (a) Yemen, (b) Syria and (c) South Sudan.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

In Yemen through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), DFID has supported 224 teachers' salaries for refugee and IDP affected areas from July 2020 to February 2021. This funding covers gaps where existing teachers' salaries have stopped or are under threat. UK aid has provided £10.8 million to UNHCR to assist refugees and IDPs in Yemen since 2017. This includes over 5,000 refugee children supported with child protection activities, and counselling to over 3,000 survivors of gender-based violence.

In South Sudan the UK funds several programmes that help support refugees. The UK-Unilever water and sanitation partnership, UNHCR and Save the Children help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in refugee populations and host communities across the country. DFID-funded education programmes in South Sudan ensure IDP and refugee children have access to quality education despite the multiple barriers they face. The UK works with the UN, NGOs and the Red Cross to ensure that life-saving supplies get to the most vulnerable communities. COVID-19 containment measures have made this more difficult, so DFID works closely with the Government and others to ensure that the movement of humanitarian supplies and personnel are impacted as little as possible.

In Syria. Most of the humanitarian need is among internally displaced persons, now totalling 6.1million. DFID continues to support Palestinian refugees in Syria through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Syria programme, to which the UK has contributed £36m since 2017. UNRWA is the only agency mandated to provide services to this population and often the only organisation with the access, permission, and mandate required to assist Palestinian refugees.


Written Question
Poverty: Overseas Aid
Monday 27th July 2020

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, is she will take steps to help ensure that the UK continues to focus on combating poverty by ensuring that aid reaches the (a) most vulnerable and (b) those who are more vulnerable because of their faith.

Answered by Wendy Morton

The UK Government works to ensure that aid reaches the most vulnerable including those who are more vulnerable because of their faith.

DFID’s use of country context analysis has increased the extent to which religious dynamics and religious groups are factored into all of our country programmes. DFID undertakes interdisciplinary analysis of a country’s politics, society, state and economy to identify the most significant problems that hinder development and the main entry points and opportunities to create change. There is a strong emphasis on how politics, security, and demographics interact with economic growth and human development. This includes the role of religion and the persecution of religious minorities.

The situation of vulnerable communities is taken into account when assessing those most in need of protection and assistance. This includes when a community is being targeted or is otherwise vulnerable because of their faith. We actively consult civil society, including faith-based organisations, to understand how best to support vulnerable groups.

Vulnerable religious groups will experience crises such as COVID-19 outbreaks differently. Crises are likely to reinforce their marginalised position in society, their experience of discrimination, violence and stigma, and further limit their access to essential support and services. For this reason, guidance was circulated across DFID highlighting that inclusion must be central to our response and the specific contexts and needs of vulnerable religious communities and other vulnerable groups should be taken into account when developing practical programmes of assistance.

On 8 June, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, hosted a roundtable to hear from faith leaders and faith-based development organisations about the specific challenges minority faith communities are facing during this COVID-19 pandemic.


Written Question
Overseas Aid: Religion
Monday 27th July 2020

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taken to ensure that religious identity is a criterion for the allocation of Official Development Assistance.

Answered by Wendy Morton

DFID’s use of country context analysis has increased the extent to which religious dynamics and religious groups are factored into all of our country programmes. DFID undertakes interdisciplinary analysis of a country’s politics, society, state and economy to identify the most significant problems that hinder development and the main entry points and opportunities to create change. There is a strong emphasis on how politics, security, and demographics interact with economic growth and human development. This includes the role of religion and the persecution of religious minorities.

DFID is committed to working with all its partners, including faith-based organisations, to ensure that the most vulnerable people and groups are prioritised for humanitarian assistance, in line with international humanitarian principles. This includes religious and ethnic groups who are at risk of discrimination and persecution. We work closely with our partners to ensure they are rigorously assessing vulnerability and needs (including those linked with religious identity), ahead of allocating assistance, as well as conducting robust monitoring to ensure that aid is reaching those most in need.


Written Question
Eswatini: Development Aid
Tuesday 21st July 2020

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her (a) South African and (b) Eswatini counterpart on securing (i) affordable electricity for the nation of Eswatini and (ii) enabling children in Eswatini to access computers and the internet for learning.

Answered by James Duddridge

We are in regular contact with the governments of Eswatini and South Africa and the South African power generator, Eskom, on ways to promote renewable energy generation both to improve energy security and reduce costs. We are also working directly with the Southern African Power Pool to support regional policy planning and decision making that accelerates large-scale renewable energy deployment in southern Africa.


Written Question
Non-governmental Organisations: Overseas Aid
Monday 20th July 2020

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to support NGOs that have experienced a significant decline in private funding as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.

Answered by Wendy Morton

We are working flexibly with existing civil society partners to respond to the pandemic, maintain delivery of essential programmes and manage the impacts on organisations and staff.

DFID is offering support to all suppliers, including civil society, in line with the provisions of the Cabinet Office Procurement Policy Note and associated guidance for grants. This allows for relief on services and goods provided in the UK, to DFID aid programmes as a last resort and on a case-by-case basis for DFID contracts and grants. UK-based Non-Government Organisations are also eligible for the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.


Written Question
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Thursday 16th July 2020

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she had with representatives from (a) NGOs, (b) aid recipients and (c) other stakeholders in advance of the decision to merge her Department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As with any government change like this, the announcement came first to Parliament. Since then, the DFID Permanent Secretary and Baroness Sugg, who is DFID’s NGO lead, have been meeting with NGOs regularly. The Government will continue to engage closely with interested stakeholders in the weeks and months to come as we work to create the new department, which will unite our development expertise and first class diplomatic service to make the UK a force for good in the world.


Written Question
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Sustainable Development
Wednesday 15th July 2020

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office plans to make the Sustainable Development Goals a priority for that Office.

Answered by Wendy Morton

The UK remains committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and to the underpinning pledge to Leave No One Behind as we strive to achieve them. As the Prime Minister said in his statement to the UN Financing for Development High-Level Event on 28 May, following COVID-19 there is every need for us to work together to advance shared international objectives - including the SDGs.


Written Question
Overseas Aid: Religion
Wednesday 15th July 2020

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to ensure that (a) Christians and (b) other religious minorities undertaking the distribution of aid in developing countries do not face discrimination as a result of their faith.

Answered by Nigel Adams

The UK Government works to ensure that those responsible for the distribution of aid in developing countries, including Christian and other religious minorities, do not face discrimination as a result of their faith. DFID works closely with the FCO to call for rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid workers to those in need and vice versa. We also strongly advocate for compliance with International Humanitarian Law and with the Humanitarian Principles, both of which serve to protect aid workers and those they seek to assist.

International Humanitarian Law states that parties to a conflict must allow humanitarian relief for civilians in need, which is impartial in character and conducted without any adverse distinction. They must not withhold consent to relief operations arbitrarily. Parties to a conflict must not discriminate against aid agencies and/or their personnel delivering aid of this nature because of their faith. DFID conducts thorough due diligence assessments of its partners to ensure that they have the ability to work in fragile and conflict afflicted states and to implement appropriate safety and security protocols.

On 8 June, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, hosted a roundtable to hear from faith leaders and faith-based development organisations about the specific challenges minority faith communities are facing during this COVID-19 pandemic.


Written Question
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: International Organisations
Wednesday 8th July 2020

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government plans to maintain the same board representatives on (a) Gavi, (b) CEPI, (c) UNITAID, (d) the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and (e) other multilateral organisations after her Department's merger with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Answered by Wendy Morton

As we create the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the government is clear that the UK will remain a champion of the international system. COVID-19 has demonstrated that a strong, well-functioning multilateral system is in the UK’s interests, and this merger will bring together our overseas efforts on aid and diplomacy so we can maximise our influence across the world.

There are no current plans to change our level of representation in multilateral organisations. Our multilateral relationships and priorities will be considered as part of the Integrated Review, which will set an ambitious vision for the future of the UK as an active, internationalist, problem-solving and burden-sharing nation.


Written Question
Overseas Aid
Wednesday 8th July 2020

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to help ensure that UK aid reaches (a) vulnerable religious minorities and (b) other vulnerable groups of people.

Answered by Nigel Adams

The UK Government works to ensure that all aid reaches the most vulnerable, including those from religious communities and other vulnerable groups, such as disabled people and women and girls.

The UK is committed to delivering its humanitarian aid during the COVID-19 pandemic according to internationally recognised humanitarian principles. These principles ensure that humanitarian assistance is delivered to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance. This includes vulnerable religious communities and other vulnerable groups, who are assessed by our partners when determining those most in need of protection and assistance.

Vulnerable groups will experience COVID-19 outbreaks differently. COVID-19 is likely to reinforce their marginalised position in society, their experience of discrimination, violence and stigma, and further limit their access to essential support and services. For this reason, guidance was circulated across DFID highlighting that inclusion must be central to our response and the specific contexts and needs of vulnerable religious communities and other vulnerable groups should be taken into account when developing practical programmes to tackle COVID-19.

On 8 June, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, hosted a roundtable with faith leaders and the chief executives of faith-based development organisations. The meeting covered how faith groups are contributing to the response to COVID-19; where those interventions have been most effective; the challenges for faith groups, and, how DFID could work more effectively with faith groups.