Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps he has taken to enable the provision of humanitarian aid in Lebanon.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
In Lebanon, DFID is providing regular targeted cash transfers to help over 10,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugee families to meet their most basic survival needs. The UK also funds legal assistance, support and advice (e.g. birth/marriage registration, civil documentation) to 55,000 individuals to uphold rights, facilitate access to basic services and to better prepare refugees for their eventual return to Syria. DFID is also supporting provision of non-formal education for up 114,500 vulnerable children and providing child protection and gender-based violence services to 295,930 girls, boys and caregivers.
The UK strongly advocates for the rights and protection of refugees and is working with aid agencies to further reform the aid system to deliver more effective, smarter aid to the most vulnerable. The UK continues to play a leading role in mobilising the international community. On 12 – 14 March 2019, the UK attended the third Brussels Conference on “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region”, driving forward the legacy of our own London Conference held in 2016. The money pledged will save lives and enable the provision of life-saving supplies and resources to build the livelihoods of millions of internally displaced persons and refugees, and their host communities.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions are taking place among member states of the UN to ensure that clean water and sanitation remains a sustainable development goal.
Answered by Grant Shapps - Secretary of State for Defence
United Nations member states have been holding discussions on thematic areas, including water and sanitation (WASH), in preparation for the September UN Summit to adopt the post-2015 development agenda. These discussions follow the report of the UK co-chaired Post-2015 High Level Panel and the report of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals both of which included proposals for a dedicated water goal. The UK supports the inclusion of WASH in the Sustainable Development Goal framework.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure vulnerable people in Gambia are not affected by the decision of the EU to suspend aid to that country.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The EU, with UK support, is seeking to persuade the Gambian Government to improve the human rights situation through its regular political dialogue under the Cotonou Agreement. The release of EU development funds are linked to these discussions.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that vulnerable people in Gambia are not affected by deteriorating conditions as a result of the suspension of aid and human rights violations.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The EU, with UK support, is seeking to persuade the Gambian Government to improve the human rights situation through its regular political dialogue under the Cotonou Agreement. The release of EU development funds are linked to these discussions.