Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) Official Development Assistance and (b) other resources her Department has allocated to the rule of law initiative in Pakistan; and if she will publish her Department's human rights assessment of that initiative for 2018-2019.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
DFID has spent £7.69m to-date since financial year 2015/16 on rule of law initiatives in Pakistan which are funded through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF). This has supported work to improve the justice system in Pakistan for citizens.
HMG makes robust use of the oversees security and justice assessment (OSJAs) process to manage any human rights risks arising from security and justice assistance delivered overseas. A risk assessment has therefore been carried out on the DFID led work in Pakistan. OSJAs include a UK assessment of the human rights situation in a country at a given time and are regularly updated to inform exposure to risk and adjust programme delivery to reduce that risk if necessary. OSJAs therefore need to be candid about the situation in order to work. Placing them in the public domain could prejudice relations between the UK and another state, the interests of the UK abroad or the promotion or protection by the UK of its interests abroad.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether UK aid for the Ethiopian government is conditional upon that government addressing human rights concerns.
Answered by Nick Hurd
UK conditionality policy is set out in a UK (DFID, FCO and Treasury) Policy Paper - ‘Partnerships for Poverty Reduction: Rethinking Conditionality’ (www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/211182/partnerships-poverty-reduction.pdf). This policy is applied through DFID’s approach to our Partnership Principles (for further information see answer to Hansard 38390). The Government of Ethiopia’s commitment to human rights is assessed on an ongoing basis, including through regular Partnership Principles assessments. Where we have concerns we raise these at the highest levels and through regular UK-Ethiopia Human Rights Dialogues.
UK aid in Ethiopia has contributed to the significant gains in development the country has made over the past decade. The UK has helped reduce poverty and child mortality in Ethiopia by a quarter and put four more million children in primary school.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what guarantees she has received that UK development aid for Ethiopia is not used for military or security purposes or the so-called villagisation dispersal programme; and what safeguards are in place to ensure that UK aid to Ethiopia is used only for agreed development purposes.
Answered by Nick Hurd
All DFID aid in Ethiopia is administered through specific programmes, each with a strong set of controls, high standard monitoring and strong DFID oversight. Aid in Ethiopia is distributed through a number of channels. Where a programme is administered using government systems a standard fiduciary risk assessment evaluating the national public financial management system is mandatory. As with all aid spending, strong checks and balances and regular monitoring ensure that aid is used for the purposes intended.
UK aid in Ethiopia has contributed to the remarkable developmental gains the country has made over the past decade. The UK has helped reduce poverty and child mortality in Ethiopia by a quarter and put four more million children in primary school.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what conditions are applied under the terms of agreement with the Ethiopian government on the provision of UK aid; and what process is used to assess the Ethiopian government's compliance with such conditions.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The United Kingdom’s aid relationship with any government is based on an assessment of commitment to our partnership principles, which include economic, social and human rights and financial management. A guidance note which sets out DFID’s approach to the partnership principles is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/358341/how-to-partnership-principles-march2014a.pdf. As outlined in the policy, DFID makes regular assessments of partnership principles based on a wide range of sources. Sources include local and international non-governmental organisations and think tanks, academic institutions and other development partners. Overall we currently assess that the Government of Ethiopia remains committed to the underlying principles of our partnership.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding the Government provides to the Protection of Basic Services Programme in Ethiopia.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Government no longer provides funding to the Protection of Basic Services (later known as the Promotion of Basic Services) Programme in Ethiopia. The International Development Secretary announced withdrawal of funding to this programme in February, 2015.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what conditionality in relation to governance and human rights is applied to aid to Rwanda.
Answered by Nick Hurd
Decisions on aid to Rwanda are informed by judgements about the Government of Rwanda’s commitment to DFID’s partnership principles, which include respect for political and civil rights. In light of concerns in this area, DFID Ministers have agreed that the UK no longer provides General or Sector Budget Support to the Government of Rwanda. Rather, we direct funding into specific sectors, targeting particular results.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support issuances of land titles and registration of land in Rwanda.
Answered by Nick Hurd
DFID has supported the Government of Rwanda’s Land Tenure Regularisation (LTR) programme since 2009. This ambitious programme is supporting the issuance of a registered land title to every landholder in Rwanda as well as establishing systems for maintenance of those titles to facilitate investment and support women’s rights to land. To date, the programme has delivered 7.1 million registered titles, out of a target of 8 million.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to encourage other nations to contribute bilateral donations to the Great Lakes regional appeal.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The UN regional refugee response covering Burundian refugees is for $314 million (£216 million) and is currently funded at 27%. DFID has contributed £21.15 million to that appeal since April 2015, to support refugees in Tanzania and Rwanda. We are considering further allocations to address the continuing crisis. DFID is also supporting refugees in the DRC and Uganda through existing programmes and the provision of technical advice. DFID is working closely with other donors to the appeal such as the EU and US, as well as UNHCR and NGOs, to highlight priorities and encourage other countries to donate.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to support widows of genocide and conflict in Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Answered by Nick Hurd
Supporting women and girls, including widows, is a top priority for DFID. In Rwanda, DFID supports the Government’s flagship social protection programme, which provides cash transfers to the poorest households with no labour capacity, including widows and those with disabilities.
DFID DRC has committed up to £80 million over five years to promote peace, stability and recovery in eastern DRC. DFID addresses sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) across the DRC, both within and outside conflict zones, through its programmes and by addressing gender inequality. DFID DRC’s Humanitarian Programme is worth £168 million, of which £3.8 million provides direct support to survivors and those at risk of sexual violence.
In Burundi, DFID is greatly concerned about the status of women and children in provinces affected by the political unrest. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has reported rape and abuses against women. HMG continues to raise the issue with the Government of Burundi, the UN and international partners.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to develop a bilateral programme of aid for Burundi similar to programmes for Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Answered by Nick Hurd
There are no plans for DFID to re-open its bilateral aid programme in Burundi, which closed in 2012 following the 2010 Bilateral Aid Review. However, DFID had continued to provide support to Burundi through Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA), an independent agency promoting trade and regional economic integration, given that this is central to Burundi’s growth and prosperity. DFID has provided £10 million for TMEA work in Burundi since 2012. DFID has also supported Centrally Managed Programmes working in Burundi, covering areas such as food security and livelihoods.
The UK is responding to the ongoing political crisis, and was the second largest bilateral donor to the regional refugee appeal in 2015, after the US. £21.15 million was committed by DFID for refugee response in the region, including £14.25 million to support refugees in Tanzania and £6.9 million in Rwanda. Allocations for 2016 are currently being finalised, including for support within Burundi.
Additionally, DFID has provided technical support, in the form of secondment of experts, to support and strengthen the capacity of UN agencies working in Burundi. DFID has deployed a humanitarian adviser to the region in support of the response and to monitor funding provided so far. We continue to work closely with the FCO and international partners to monitor the situation.