Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to address the conflict in Sudan through the Integrated Security Fund.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Through the Integrated Security Fund, we are providing over £500,000 of funding to projects focused on conflict and security dynamics which support our diplomatic and humanitarian response. In addition, we have also committed £120 million of new funding this financial year to reach over 650,000 people with food, cash, water, sanitation and nutrition support. This is in addition to £235 million allocated in 2024-2025. In May, the Minister of State for International Development announced a further £36 million for Sudanese refugees in Chad to mitigate the regional burden of the displacement crisis. We continue to pursue all diplomatic avenues to press the parties into a permanent ceasefire, allow unrestricted humanitarian access, protect civilians, and commit to a sustained and meaningful peace process. This includes our role as penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council and leader of the core group on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding he has allocated to the Women Peace and Security Agenda through the Integrated Security Fund for (a) 2025-26, (b) 2027-28 and (c) 2028-29.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) supports UK National Security and as part of that delivers on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) in support of UK’s WPS National Action Plan. All projects funded through the ISF consider how their work can benefit gender and social inclusion. ISF projects use marker tools such as the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) indicators to ensure that gender issues are considered from the design stage.
In 2025-26 the Fund has a dedicated allocation for gender and national security work. Funding allocations for 2025/26 are due to be published in the autumn alongside the ISF Annual Report 2024/25 and allocations for future financial years will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat - Esher and Walton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Women, Peace and Security Agenda remains a fund-level outcome for the UK Integrated Security Fund.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Supporting women and girls is a priority for this Government. The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) supports UK National Security and as a part of that delivers on Women, Peace and Security through the UK National Action Plan. The ISF addresses gender and national security threats, both domestically and internationally across the breadth of its work. All ISF programmes consider the impact of gender on their work alongside dedicated projects.