Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the purpose is of the £20 million of UK aid that has been allocated to tackle the covid-19 pandemic through the UN Refugee Agency; when that funding will be spent; how that funding will be spent; and what guidance she has (a) issued and (b) received on the proportion of that funding which will be allocated to NGOs and civil society organisations.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK Government’s funding to UNHCR is in support of its global COVID-19 appeal. Through the appeal, UNHCR will support refugees and IDPs, through scaling up of health and water, sanitation and hygiene preparedness, and response interventions.
It is anticipated that all funding received from both the UK Government and other donors will be fully utilised by 31 December 2020, in line with the current appeal. Given the global nature of this pandemic, UK funding to UNHCR’s appeal is pooled with that of other donors and is therefore not earmarked for any specific implementing partner whether they be NGOs, local government etc. Given UNHCR’s presence in over 130 countries, it is best placed to determine the specific needs in each country, as well as which implementing partner is best placed to deliver these needs.
However, given the important role that NGOs and civil society organisations can play in tackling COVID-19, UNHCR has undertaken a review of its existing procedures related to partnership management and issued additional internal guidance to simplify and expedite collaboration where appropriate.
My officials continue to liaise with UNHCR on all aspects of its COVID-19 response, including its work with NGOs and civil society organisations.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the purpose is of the £15 million of UK aid that has been allocated to tackle the covid-19 pandemic through the World Food Programme; when that funding will be spent; how that funding will be spent; and what guidance she has (a) issued and (b) received on the proportion of that funding which will be allocated to NGOs and civil society organisations.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK Government’s funding to the World Food Programme (WFP), is in support of its global COVID-19 appeal. WFP is setting up a platform of services to enable the health and humanitarian communities (including NGOs) to deliver support to the most vulnerable populations. So far, 39 NGOs have used WFP’s cargo and passenger services.
WFP has established eight international strategic consolidation hubs to support global movement of cargo. These hubs will be connected to regional staging areas in East, West and Central Africa, Central America, Asia and the Middle East.
WFP is setting up air transport links between strategic hubs and regional staging areas to ensure the predictable and sustained movement of life-saving humanitarian and medical cargo.
WFP operates passenger air services to ensure that humanitarian and medical staff are not restricted by commercial transport closures and can reach the areas where they are most needed.
Due to the increased risk of exposure to COVID-19, worldwide movement restrictions and the grounding of commercial transport systems, WFP also set up global medical evacuation services for the whole humanitarian community.
The WFP appeal is for USD $965 million; this is 9% funded with $85 million in confirmed contributions, of which the UK has contributed 22%.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the purpose is of the £15 million of UK aid that has been allocated to tackle the covid-19 pandemic through the UN Population Fund; when that funding will be spent; how that funding will be spent; and what guidance she has (a) issued and (b) received on the proportion of that funding which will be allocated to NGOs and civil society organisations.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK Government has committed £10 million of UK aid to UNFPA in support of its global COVID-19 appeal, through the Global Humanitarian Response Plan. Through the appeal, UNFPA will address the needs of women and girls impacted by COVID-19, including strengthening health systems to deliver sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services, and plugging gaps in the availability of SRH supplies caused by coronavirus.
It is anticipated that all funding received from both the UK Government and other donors will be fully utilised by 31 December 2020, in line with the current appeal. DFID welcomes the vital role that NGOs will continue to play in service delivery through multilaterals, and we are pleased that some UN agencies, such as UNFPA, are seeking to simplify their processes for NGO partners to help ensure funding reaches them more swiftly. We will be working with the UN and DFID’s country offices to understand, improve and track eventual flows to NGOs in-country.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the purpose is of the £20 million of UK aid that has been allocated to tackle the covid-19 pandemic through UNICEF; when that funding will be spent; how that funding will be spent; and what guidance she has (a) issued and (b) received on the proportion of that funding which will be allocated to NGOs and civil society organisations.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK Government’s funding to UNICEF is in support of its global COVID-19 appeal. Through the appeal, UNICEF will contribute to both outbreak control and mitigation of the collateral impacts of the pandemic, including interruptions to water and sanitation, health, nutrition, education, protection and essential social services for children, women and vulnerable populations.
It is anticipated that all funding received from both the UK Government and other donors will be fully utilised by 31 December 2020, in line with the current appeal. In providing these funds to UNICEF, DFID did not require that a specific amount be channelled to NGOs. However, DFID welcomes the vital role that NGOs will continue to play in service delivery through multilaterals, and we are pleased that some UN agencies, such as UNICEF, are seeking to simplify their processes for NGO partners to help ensure funding reaches them more swiftly. We will be working with the UN and DFID’s country offices to increasingly better understand and track eventual flows to NGOs in-country.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much and what proportion of Official Development Assistance has been spent on projects tackling gender inequality in each financial year since 2009-10.
Answered by Wendy Morton
All of DFID’s aid activities reported to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are screened against the gender equality policy marker. This is a measurement of the proportion of aid that supports gender equality and women’s empowerment. An activity can be marked as ‘principal’ if gender equality is the main objective of the programme, or as a ‘significant’ if gender equality is an important and deliberate objective, but not the principal reason for undertaking the programme.
DFID’s spend on bilateral allocable activities targeting gender equality is made publicly available through the OECD statistics portal. For example, in 2018 £4.2 billion of DFID’s total bilateral spend was marked principal or significant (66%).
These world-leading investments are delivering results at scale. Between 2015 and 2019, DFID reached 50.6 million women of childbearing age, children under 5 and adolescent girls through our nutrition-relevant programmes and supported 5.8 million girls gain access to a decent education. Last year, UK aid helped 23.5 million of the world’s poorest women and girls access to vital, voluntary family planning.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to increase the Rapid Response Facility for covid-19 to help support a rapid humanitarian response.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Decisions on allocating funds through the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) are being made in relation to the wider DFID COVID19 response. We will keep the funding under review as we do with all our humanitarian interventions. DFID is also adapting its programmes across its country network to respond to COVID-19 and has committed significant new funding through the multilateral system. We expect NGOs to play a key role in delivery through both these channels, and indeed recognise that in many places NGOs will be best placed to meet the needs of those most vulnerable, at risk and hard to reach. In addition, extra funding has been allocated to NGOs through the DFID Unilever COVID-19 Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish the funding her Department has allocated to each programme responding to the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK is at the forefront of the global response and has publicly committed up to £744 million of UK aid so far to support the global efforts to combat the outbreak of COVID-19. This is split across three areas 1) £276 million to support UN, NGOs and Red Cross efforts to build resilience in vulnerable countries 2) £318 million to find a vaccine, new drugs and therapeutics and 3) £150 million to support countries facing the economic shock of COVID-19.
This is on top of our work to pivot much of our existing activity to provide health, humanitarian and economic support where it is needed most. This ongoing exercise includes close collaboration with our existing partners on their ability to operate and adapt their programmes during the pandemic.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to establish a £320 million stabilisation fund to ensure that UK charities working internationally can continue to operate during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Civil society organisations (CSOs) are key partners for DFID in our response to COVID-19 and we have pledged new funding specifically for CSOs to support our work to tackle the virus. This includes funding allocated through the Rapid Response Facility and significant funding through the DFID Unilever COVID-19 Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition. In addition, International Non-Government Organisations will receive funding through multilateral organisations as downstream partners as part of the UK’s response. As DFID’s country network adapts programming to respond to COVID-19, country teams are considering how they can do this through partners, including through CSOs. For example, in Sudan and Nepal, preparedness and response plans will support both UN and CSO operations.
We are working flexibly with existing civil society partners to respond to the pandemic, maintain delivery of essential programmes and manage the impacts on organisations and staff. DFID is also offering support to all suppliers, including civil society, in line with the provisions of the Cabinet Office Procurement Policy Note and associated guidance for grants, which allows for relief on services and goods provided in the UK, to DFID aid programmes as a last resort and on a case-by-case basis for DFID contracts and grants. UK-based CSOs are also eligible for the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to introduce greater flexibility for existing donor funds for UK NGOs to support the covid-19 response.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The expertise, resilience and flexibility of our supply partners, both in the private sector and civil society, is vital to deliver UK aid to protect the most vulnerable in the world’s poorest countries.
DFID is currently reviewing its entire portfolio and assessing the expected impact of COVID-19 on our programmes, both in-country and centrally, and prioritising (in this order) the health and humanitarian response; livelihoods, social protection, and support to the governments of vulnerable countries. Many of these programmes are delivered in part or wholly through NGOs. We are assessing each of our programmes to evaluate their contribution to these objectives and for opportunities to adapt them to support the COVID-19 response.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support civil society organisations in receipt of grants and contracts from her Department during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Wendy Morton
DFID is engaging with supply partners to address the challenges posed to them and DFID-funded projects by COVID-19. We will work collaboratively with supply partners to find pragmatic solutions to support both our partners and continuation of our programmes where appropriate.
DFID is offering support to suppliers and partners where this is appropriate, in line with the UK government position and will apply the provisions of the Cabinet Office Procurement Policy Note and associated guidance for grants, which allows for relief on services and goods provided in the UK, to DFID aid programmes as a last resort and on a case-by-case basis for DFID contracts and grants.