Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the report by the UN entitled The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022, published on 9 May 2022, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle poverty in the countries identified in that report as having the highest number of people living in extreme poverty.

The UK is firmly committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)s and the fundamental principle to 'Leave No one Behind'. The International Development White Paper sets out how we will reinvigorate progress on the Goals and work with partners to address the interlinked challenges of poverty, climate change and biodiversity loss. The UK will prioritise its Official Development Assistance (ODA) where it is most needed and most effective, aiming to spend 50 per cent of all bilateral ODA in the least developed countries. We are increasing our support for the poorest and most vulnerable, including plans to nearly double our aid allocations to low-income countries in 2024-25.