Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support people threatened with famine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Responding to severe food insecurity is one of the UK's key objectives in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). UK aid has provided access to food for over 1.7 million people since 2017.

The UK is leading a global call to action on the risk of famine. We have appointed Nick Dyer as the UK's first Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs, and pledged £180 million in 2020 to provide aid to more than 7 million vulnerable people in some of the world's most fragile places, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

During my visit to the DRC in November 2020, I discussed with the Government of DRC the need to address the insecurity and conflict in the East which one of the key drivers of the humanitarian crisis. I also met with food insecure people who had fled violence, and visited a hospital where malnourished children were given lifesaving treatment.