Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance he plans to allocate to Sudan in (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO is committed to transparency with the public and predictability with our partners. We will update on planned Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for this Spending Review period in due course.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance he plans to allocate to Pakistan in (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO is committed to transparency with the public and predictability with our partners. We will update on planned Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for this Spending Review period in due course.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance he plans to allocate to Zambia in (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO is committed to transparency with the public and predictability with our partners. We will update on planned Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for this Spending Review period in due course.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance he plans to allocate to Malawi in (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO is committed to transparency with the public and predictability with our partners. We will update on planned Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for this Spending Review period in due course.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what engagement the Government had with civil society groups at the negotiations for a UN Binding Treaty in October 2022; and if he will support the Treaty.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government has consistently supported the United Nations Guiding Principles on business and human rights, which are widely regarded as the authoritative international framework to steer practical action by Governments and businesses worldwide on this important agenda.
The UK has engaged with the UN Working Group looking at proposals for a new international treaty on business and human rights. The UK attended its eighth session in October 2022, setting out the UK's position via a statement which expressed our concerns on the current approach towards a treaty. The UK values the participation of civil society organisations in these negotiations.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to increase the capacity of support for (a) disarmament, (b) demobilization, (c) reintegration and (d) defection programmes in Somalia during the current Somali offensive against al-Shabaab.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK recognises the importance of stabilisation to security in Somalia and the region. We coordinate with international partners, the UN and the Somali Government to understand the needs of communities and support stabilisation efforts, including through our Early Recovery Initiative. The UK supports Somalia's National Programme for the Treatment and Handling of Disengaged Combatants, which aims to establish a safe pathway for low-risk combatants to disengage from non-state armed groups and sustainably reintegrate into communities. The UK also supports the Somalia Stability Fund (SSF), contributing £38 million since 2016 and leveraging a further £52.7 million from others donors over the same period demonstrating their confidence in the Fund and UK leadership. During my visit to Somalia in November, I [Minister Mitchell] pursued these issues as well as proposals to enhance UK support with the Federal Government of Somalia, including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the Somali Defence Minister and National Security Adviser.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to provide support to (a) disarmament, (b) demobilization, (c) reintegration and (d) defection programmes in Somalia.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK recognises the importance of stabilisation to security in Somalia and the region. We coordinate with international partners, the UN and the Somali Government to understand the needs of communities and support stabilisation efforts, including through our Early Recovery Initiative. The UK supports Somalia's National Programme for the Treatment and Handling of Disengaged Combatants, which aims to establish a safe pathway for low-risk combatants to disengage from non-state armed groups and sustainably reintegrate into communities. The UK also supports the Somalia Stability Fund (SSF), contributing £38 million since 2016 and leveraging a further £52.7 million from others donors over the same period demonstrating their confidence in the Fund and UK leadership. During my visit to Somalia in November, I [Minister Mitchell] pursued these issues as well as proposals to enhance UK support with the Federal Government of Somalia, including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the Somali Defence Minister and National Security Adviser.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department has provided to peacebuilding programmes in Somalia in the 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK recognises the importance of stabilisation to security in Somalia and the region. We coordinate with international partners, the UN and the Somali Government to understand the needs of communities and support stabilisation efforts, including through our Early Recovery Initiative. The UK supports Somalia's National Programme for the Treatment and Handling of Disengaged Combatants, which aims to establish a safe pathway for low-risk combatants to disengage from non-state armed groups and sustainably reintegrate into communities. The UK also supports the Somalia Stability Fund (SSF), contributing £38 million since 2016 and leveraging a further £52.7 million from others donors over the same period demonstrating their confidence in the Fund and UK leadership. During my visit to Somalia in November, I [Minister Mitchell] pursued these issues as well as proposals to enhance UK support with the Federal Government of Somalia, including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the Somali Defence Minister and National Security Adviser.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to provide support to (a) health and (b) education services in areas captured from al-Shabaab in Somalia.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK recognises the importance of stabilisation to security in Somalia and the region. We coordinate closely with international partners, the UN and the Somali Government to understand the needs of communities in areas recently recovered from al-Shabaab and to support stabilisation efforts. In November, I met the Somali Defence Minister and National Security Adviser and raised the need for robust planning to meet these needs during and after military operations. Our Early Recovery Initiative supports stabilisation efforts by funding Somali-led responses to priorities identified by communities, including water and protecting critical infrastructure such as bridges. However, due to significant Improvised Explosive Device contamination and the persistent threat of Al-Shabaab counter attacks, it is not feasible for humanitarian and development actors to provide more sustained health and education services in these areas at this time.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what mechanisms his Department has in place to assess the conflict-sensitivity of humanitarian and development assistance funded by UK multi-lateral and non-government agencies.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
FCDO places importance on ensuring humanitarian and development assistance is conflict sensitive. Conflict sensitivity advice is provided across FCDO by conflict technical advisers. In relation to assistance provided through multilateral organisation, the UK funds the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and the UN Peacebuilding Fund to place specialist Peace and Development advisers in-country responsible for driving conflict sensitivity in practice. The UK encourages all institutions to take conflict sensitivity seriously as reflected in the World Bank and the IMF Fragility Conflict and Violence strategies. FCDO funds initiatives, for example in Sudan, South Sudan, Lebanon, Yemen and Myanmar which increase coordination in the delivery of conflict sensitive aid.