Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department's climate and agriculture teams will take to ensure that the development of more climate resilient crop varieties will improve nutritional outcomes for the poorest people in countries with the highest burden of malnutrition and food insecurity; and what steps his Department will take to track those outcomes.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
DFID funds the development of new crop varieties which are high yielding, climate and disease resilient, and have improved nutritional value. This includes flood tolerant rice that reduces risks for 10 million smallholders in South Asia, and drought tolerant maize that delivers more stable yields under climate stress being grown by 3 million households in Africa. DFID also supports the development and delivery of biofortified crops, which are conventionally bred with higher levels of zinc, iron and Vitamin A, as well as climate-resilient traits such as drought and pest tolerance. By 2018, DFID had reached over 8 million households with these climate-resilient and nutritious crops such as high iron beans and pearl millet, and orange sweet potato (high in Vitamin A).
DFID plans to reach 13.5 million households in countries with high levels of nutrition insecurity by 2022 with these new biofortified crops. DFID tracks outcomes closely through its international research partners, and invests in the generation of high quality evidence to measure impact and cost-effectiveness of such interventions.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to develop stronger health systems which integrate malnutrition prevention and treatment to achieve universal health coverage.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK championed the prevention and treatment of malnutrition as a core aspect of universal health coverage at the high-level meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in September. This is key to ending preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns, and children, given that malnutrition drives 45% of child deaths – a top priority for the UK as recently announced.
To support countries to achieve universal health coverage the UK is also investing in health systems strengthening and service delivery that integrates nutrition in countries such as Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We have also taken steps to integrate nutrition more strongly into global health initiatives such as the Global Financing Facility. This is line with the UK’s commitment at the United Nations General Assembly to address malnutrition as one of the leading causes of illness and death.
The UK has also been working closely with the Government of Japan to ensure that commitments to strengthen the integration of nutrition into health systems are a key plank of the 2020 Nutrition for Growth Summit in Tokyo.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to integrate a life cycle approach that reaches older women and men into its work to help disabled people.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK Government recognises that older people with disabilities experience a range of complex barriers and face multiple exclusions.
DFID’s Strategy for Disability Inclusive Development 2018-23 sets out our vision of a world where people with disabilities at all stages of their lives are engaged, empowered and able to exercise and enjoy their rights on an equal basis with others. The strategy takes a life-course approach, ensuring the delivery of transformative change for persons with disabilities of all ages.
DFID has taken important steps to meet this ambition, including supporting governments to make vital social protection systems more inclusive. For example, the UK has been proud to partner with the Government of Uganda over the last 10 years to deliver a Senior Citizen Grant, which includes support for over 70,000 older people with disabilities each year.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the contribution of the private sector to delivering sexual and reproductive health programmes in developing countries.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK government considers the private sector, both for-profit and not-for-profit, to be critical to the successful delivery of sexual and reproductive health programmes and outcomes in developing countries.
DFID works with private manufacturers to develop new products such as contraceptives and HIV treatment, and to reduce their prices so that they are accessible. For example, a global partnership between donors and manufacturers led to a decrease in price of contraceptive implants globally from $20 per unit to $8, leading to increased access and uptake. DFID also funds not-for-profit providers to implement reproductive health programmes in many countries; and supports national governments to work with private health care providers as part of their overall health system. We support global programmes that attract the private sector's contribution, such as the Global Financing Facility, and we also recognise that global companies can have an impact through their employment practices and work with them to improve sexual and reproductive health for female employees.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the secretary of state for international development, what his priorities are for the 2019 Nairobi Summit on the International Conference on Population and Development.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Nairobi Summit is a critical global moment for sexual and reproductive health and rights in 2019 as it marks 25 years since the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, and 50 years since the formation of United Nations Population Fund.
The UK Government are planning for high level attendance at this important conference. We will take every opportunity to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights for girls and women and are working with partners to play our part in ensuring a successful Summit.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the secretary of state for international development, if he will discuss the importance of advancing adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights at the 2019 Nairobi Summit on the International Conference on Population and Development.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK will raise the importance of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights as part of our engagements at the Nairobi ICPD+25 Summit. The UK committed at the 2017 Family Planning Summit to focus on adolescents in our sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes. We continue to amplify the needs of adolescent girls through our voice on the world stage.
At the UN General Assembly, the Secretary of State made clear the UK’s ongoing commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights, announcing an additional £600 million aid package to provide improved access to family planning. UK aid programmes are helping to give millions of women and girls control over their bodies, so they can choose if, when and how many children they want; that is a basic right that every woman and girl deserves.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which (a) Ministers and (b) officials will attend as delegates the 2019 Nairobi Summit on the International Conference on Population and Development.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Nairobi Summit is a critical global moment for sexual and reproductive health and rights in 2019 as it marks 25 years since the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, and 50 years since the formation of United Nations Population Fund.
The UK Government are planning for high level attendance at this important conference. We will take every opportunity to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights for girls and women and are working with partners to play our part in ensuring a successful Summit.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the private sector in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights outcomes in developing countries.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK government considers the private sector, both for-profit and not-for-profit, to be critical to the successful delivery of sexual and reproductive health programmes and outcomes in developing countries.
DFID works with private manufacturers to develop new products such as contraceptives and HIV treatment, and to reduce their prices so that they are accessible. For example, a global partnership between donors and manufacturers led to a decrease in price of contraceptive implants globally from $20 per unit to $8, leading to increased access and uptake. DFID also funds not-for-profit providers to implement reproductive health programmes in many countries; and supports national governments to work with private health care providers as part of their overall health system. We support global programmes that attract the private sector's contribution, such as the Global Financing Facility, and we also recognise that global companies can have an impact through their employment practices and work with them to improve sexual and reproductive health for female employees.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effect of the 2019 expansion of the US Government’s Protecting Life on Global Health Assistance policy on UK NGOs that also receive US Government health funding.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK government will continue to lead the world in our long-term support for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and to help women and girls get the information and services they need to give them control over their own lives and bodies. This is essential to achieving the Global Goals.
Following the reintroduction and expansion of the Mexico City Policy in January 2017, we have kept in close contact with partners including UK NGOs to ensure the policy does not compromise UK-supported evidence-based comprehensive SRHR programming.
The full implications of the further expansion of the Mexico City Policy in May 2019 are still emerging and we are closely monitoring developments. DFID is considering the implications, including with our partners, civil society and other donors.
The UK will continue to defend SRHR through our programmes and our voice on the world stage.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK NGOs are protected from the 2019 expansion of the US Government’s Protecting Life on Global Health Assistance policy.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK government will continue to lead the world in our long-term support for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and to help women and girls get the information and services they need to give them control over their own lives and bodies. This is essential to achieving the Global Goals.
Following the reintroduction and expansion of the Mexico City Policy in January 2017, we have kept in close contact with partners including UK NGOs to ensure the policy does not compromise UK-supported evidence-based comprehensive SRHR programming.
The full implications of the further expansion of the Mexico City Policy in May 2019 are still emerging and we are closely monitoring developments. DFID is considering the implications, including with our partners, civil society and other donors.
The UK will continue to defend SRHR through our programmes and our voice on the world stage.