Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the recent declaration by the Zimbabwean Government of the drought in that country being a natural disaster, what humanitarian assistance the UK Government is providing to Zimbabwe.

Due to a combination of drought, economic challenges and the impact of Cyclone Idai, Zimbabwe is facing a humanitarian crisis. Without support, more than 5.5 million people will not have access to the food they need by March 2020. In response, on 9 August 2019, the Secretary of State for International Development announced a new £49million Humanitarian and Resilience Programme that will build on current DFID interventions in livelihoods, food security, resilience, and rural water supply by helping communities and institutions cope with climate change, the macroeconomic context, and other shocks and stresses

This programme is in line with the Global Goals of reducing poverty, achieving food security, ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all and tackling climate change and its impacts.

No UK aid is given directly to the Government of Zimbabwe; all support is channelled through trusted aid partners.