Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether following the publication of the document entitled Ending preventable deaths of mothers, babies and children by 2030 on 14 December 2021 his Department identified a champion for that strategy.

I took on the role of Ministerial Champion for Ending Preventable Deaths (EPD). The Champion role will galvanise global action on EPD through partnerships with partner and donor governments. It will help promote UK academia, and public-private partnerships around research, technology and products that will contribute towards improving survival rates of women, babies and children.

In January, I hosted a roundtable event to strengthen collaborative efforts between FCDO, Parliamentarians and civil society. Next month, I [Minister Mitchell] will take part in an international event the UK is co-chairing alongside the US, UNICEF, India and Senegal on EPD.