Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the UK's position will be on the future of its donor commitments and requirements at the conference on Somalia taking place in Copenhagen on 19 and 20 November 2014.

The Copenhagen conference on 19-20 November took stock of progress in the first year of implementation of the Somali New Deal Compact. We called for political stability, continued progress on building peace and stability and the avoidance of further conflict. We also called for greater transparency and accountability in public financial management and the awarding of concessions, and a focus on resource sharing agreements as a key building block of the state formation process required to establish a stable Somali federation. We also emphasised the importance of ensuring the full inclusion and empowerment of women and girls in Somalia and improvements in access to justice. These requirements will provide the framework for our aid relationship with Somalia as we move forwards into the second year of the implementation of the compact.