Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to provide humanitarian support to vulnerable children in the demilitarised zone in Idleb, Syria.

As of September 2018, DFID has committed additional aid funding of up to £32 million for Northern Syria. DFID’s education programming has so far contributed to improved access to better quality education for 270,000 children in Northwest Syria, including children inside and outside the de-militarised zone. Our support in Idlib has also provided safe spaces for children and victims of gender-based violence, funded capacity building of vital child protection services by Syrian organisations and provided immunisations for 95,000 children under five between January and June 2018.

We continue to advocate for the protection of all civilians in Idlib, including at the UN Security Council, and call on all parties to adhere to agreed ceasefires and cessations of hostilities. It is crucial that unhindered humanitarian access is maintained in Northwest Syria so that aid can reach those in desperate need, and that a reckless military offensive by the Syrian regime is avoided.