Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if the Government will take steps to negotiate a deal at CoP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity which (a) recognises the importance of biodiversity conservation for sustainable development and tackling climate change and (b) is aligned with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK will be seeking an ambitious post-2020 global biodiversity framework to spur global action, recognising the transformative change needed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. Addressing this challenge and tackling climate change are critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
As part of this post-2020 global biodiversity framework, the Government wants to see new targets agreed that are both ambitious and implementable, and it will be important that they are measurable. We recognise the major role nature-based solutions play in climate change mitigation and adaptation and are working to ensure the Convention on Biological Diversity framework and agreements at COP 26 reinforce this message that both need to be tackled together to deliver the necessary step change at the national and global levels.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of UK official development assistance was allocated for the treatment of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
Details of the UK’s official development assistance spend on health are published in Statistics on International Development https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-2016. Our reporting is based on internationally agreed OECD Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC) codes, as part of our commitment to transparent reporting of development assistance in a way that permits international comparisons. Non-communicable diseases and diabetes are not categories within the OECD-DAC codes.
As part of the UK’s commitment to achieving the Global Goals, DFID supports countries to build stronger health systems that can respond to both the existing disease burden and changing health needs, including non-communicable diseases.
Asked by: Alex Chalk (Conservative - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying the target of spending 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product on international aid over a five-year term.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015 requires the 0.7% of Gross National Income target to be met on an annual basis. This is also in accordance with Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) rules to report Official Development Assistance annually to the OECD. The Government is committed to continuing to comply with the Act.