Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to (a) improve the security of humanitarian aid goods and workers and (b) speed up customs processes for humanitarian aid shipments in South Sudan.

The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to press for safe and unhindered access for humanitarian goods and workers in South Sudan. At the Humanitarian Conference on South Sudan in Oslo on 20 May, which was attended by both the South Sudanese Government and the Opposition, I called on all parties to facilitate safe and speedy access, including accelerated customs clearance. The FCO Minister for Africa raised humanitarian access with senior Ministers when he visited Juba in April.

The UK is also providing practical support to help improve security. For example we are funding well-coordinated and security-aware transportation of goods and staff, including emergency air evacuations, through the World Food Programme Logistics Cluster. We are also supporting the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) which works to increase understanding of, and respect for, International Humanitarian Law by all parties to the conflict. UK officials raise our concerns about the humanitarian situation and the need to improve access regularly in Juba and Addis Ababa.