Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 10 June (HL6272) and following the UK Deputy Ambassador to Eritrea’s statement on 22 June that health and safety conditions on roadbuilding projects in that country would deteriorate if the UK and EU withdraws support, what assessment they have made of the working conditions of those projects; and what steps they are taking ensure that health and safety standards are maintained.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK’s support for the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa projects in Eritrea on the main arterial roads was conditional on the EU working with the UN to monitor the treatment of workers implementing the project. We pressed the EU to ensure enhanced safeguards were in place and they have confirmed that the project implementer (UNOPS) will monitor whether workers are receiving an appropriate salary, and that basic health and safety standards are applied. This is alongside our continuing efforts to encourage reform of the Eritrean national service system.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the health and safety standards on roadbuilding projects funded by the EU Trust Fund for Africa.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK exercises oversight of UK funding directed through the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa through the Fund’s governance mechanisms. Individual projects such as roadbuilding are assessed for project and contextual risks and in relation to essential standards, including those for health and safety.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which UK Government funded projects in Sudan, if any, have been cancelled as a result of prioritising COVID-19 related programmes.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK has not cancelled any programmes in Sudan as a result of COVID-19. We are committed to supporting the Sudanese response to the COVID-19 pandemic and delivering vital humanitarian assistance to those most in need. The UK is committed to supporting Sudan’s transition to a stable, prosperous democracy.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea following reports by the United Nations of food shortages and malnutrition; what steps they are taking to provide humanitarian assistance which reaches those in urgent need; and what discussions they have had with the government of that country to urge it to use its resources to prioritise the feeding of its people.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We assess that North Korea’s humanitarian need is likely increasing as a result of the country’s border lockdown in response to COVID-19. The lockdown has prevented most aid shipments from entering the country since January and restrictions on internal movement, including for UN agencies and NGOs, has severely impacted the distribution of aid and support. The UN estimates that 10.1 million people suffer from food insecurity and are in urgent need of food assistance.
DFID is providing multilateral funds to the UN and other international organisations providing humanitarian assistance in North Korea, including the Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) in response to COVID-19. As a country of concern in the GHRP, North Korea is receiving funds from this global appeal. We continue to make clear to the North Korean government that international support is available, and urge them to restore international access and monitoring for humanitarian assistance. The UK has also repeatedly called on North Korea to prioritise the well-being of its people over the development of illegal weapons programmes, through our bilateral relationship and in multilateral fora.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the killing of Uwavera Omozuwa, in a church in Benin City, Nigeria; and how UK Aid to Nigeria is used to combat gender-based violence in that country.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The High Commission in Abuja is tracking closely developments around the deplorable killing of Uwavera Omozuwa last month in a church in Benin City. The High Commissioner has spoken out against her killing and all gender-based violence (GBV), calling for those responsible to face justice.
GBV is an endemic issue in Nigeria and poses ongoing challenges to changing behaviour and ensuring equality and equity for women, girls, men, and boys. DFID Nigeria is committed to empowering women and protecting the most vulnerable. We directly support systems and interventions to mitigate and respond to GBV in the conflict-affected North East through provision of emergency medical care and in the case-management, legal counselling and psycho-social support for survivors of GBV through our humanitarian programme.
Across DFID Nigeria, we pursue DFID’s Strategic Vision for Women and Girls. We promote women’s rights and gender equality through multiple sectors: increasing women’s economic empowerment through dedicated livelihoods programmes; ensuring gender sensitivity of government social protection programmes; supporting women’s participation and representation in politics and civil society through governance programmes; and keeping girls safe in schools through our education programmes.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they have distributed funding from the £300 million North East Nigeria Transition to Development Programme since April 2017; how they intend to distribute funding from now until that programme’s end in 2022; who (1) have been, and (2) will be, the beneficiaries of that funding; how qualifying communities are chosen; and how they intend to evaluate (a) the use, and (b) the results, of that funding.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK has provided lifesaving assistance through the North East Nigeria Transition to Development (NENTAD) Programme over the last three years to support the UN-led Humanitarian Response Plan. Funding has been distributed to UN agencies, two INGO-led consortia and the Red Cross Movement to provide urgent aid to save lives and minimise suffering. To date the UK’s funding distribution has included £125 million for lifesaving food; more than £60 million for nutritious foods and treatment; more than £16 million for informal and emergency education; nearly £19 million to support humanitarian coordination in the North East; more than £17 million for protection support and services and £6 million for access to lifesaving water, sanitation and hygiene. Funding is intended to be distributed until the programme’s end through a range of UN, INGO and Red Cross partners to meet the most critical lifesaving needs. In light of the emerging needs due to Covid-19, partners will be asked to ensure their activities address the risks and urgent impacts of Covid-19 in North East Nigeria.
Previous beneficiaries of the NENTAD programme were identified as being in acute need of lifesaving assistance by the humanitarian community. In 2018/19 NENTAD programme results included reaching 1.6 million people with lifesaving food assistance, providing access to education for 130,000 out-of-school children, the prevention of malnutrition amongst 260,000 children and providing 48,000 people with clean water. The future beneficiaries of the NENTAD programme will continue to be the most vulnerable conflict-affected people in North East Nigeria, including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), refugees and affected host communities.
Qualifying communities are selected by humanitarian partners following needs assessments to identify who is most in need of lifesaving support, so that resources can be efficiently prioritised for the most vulnerable. DFID evaluates the use and results of funding through quarterly reviews with implementing partners; field visits to the North East; internal audits and through the DFID Annual Review. The last Annual Review of the NENTAD programme was scored an A. A planned Mid-Term Review of NENTAD has been paused due to Covid-19.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by The World Bank Group Capture of Foreign Aid: Evidence from Offshore Bank Accounts, published in February, in particular its finding that disbursements of aid to 22 of the most aid-dependent countries coincided with significant increases in the value of bank deposits in tax havens.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We do not tolerate any misuse of UK aid and have robust systems in place to protect our investments. The Government welcomes research in international development, which can help to inform this. The World Bank is a key partner to the Government in international efforts to tackle corruption and has been assessed by the Government and other parties as having robust procedures to combat fraud and corruption in the use of its funds.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 18 February (HL1300), which consultancies were used to help deliver the UK–Africa Investment Summit 2020; and how much those consultancies were paid.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The government contracted a range of companies to provide services including production, and the design and running of pre-events, to support the delivery of the UK-Africa Investment Summit. These contracts are ongoing, and it is the government’s intention to provide further details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees that (1) fighting in Sudan’s West Darfur State has displaced an estimated 46,000 people inside that country and caused more than 14,000 to flee into Chad since December, (2) the majority of those displaced are women and young children, (3) villages and homes have been burnt, and (4) a further 30,000 are estimated to be displaced in the coming weeks; and what action they are taking to bring to justice those who are responsible.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We are deeply concerned by the recent violence in West Darfur, and subsequent dispersal of a large number of people to nearby el Geneina town and Eastern Chad. Many of those displaced are believed to be women and children. Recent violence has left substantial damage, including the large scale burning of houses. The situation is now calm but remains fragile.
In response international organisations have channelled funds to support those displaced, including from the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (to which the UK is the largest bilateral donor). The UK welcomes the establishment of a committee for reconciliation and to investigate those responsible for this violence. The UK is strongly committed to respect for human rights and accountability, and continues to encourage all parties to progress the peace talks.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any consultancies were used to help deliver the UK–Africa Investment Summit 2020; and if so, why.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The production aspects of the UK-Africa Investment Summit were contracted out to specialist event companies, as is normal government practice. We also used contractors to design and run the series of pre-events, to undertake analysis of trade and investment trends, and to assess the Summit's impact. These organisations complemented the large cross-government team of policy officials who delivered the Summit.