Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, what (a) changes to existing and (b) new programmes she has made or established in response to the covid-19 global pandemic.

The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) is a cross-government fund managed by the Joint Funds Unit (JFU). The JFU are taking steps to ensure existing programmes consider the implications of COVID-19 and are currently assigning 25% of discretionary spending to new programming on COVID-19 response. Activities funded to date include supplying specialist medical equipment, hygiene kits and pharmaceuticals in the Middle East and North Africa, and funding healthcare systems in the UK’s Overseas Territories. An ongoing CSSF re-prioritisation exercise will determine how existing and new programmes respond to COVID-19. This exercise will ensure that CSSF funding complements departmental efforts to coordinate the international health response and support vulnerable countries to meet future challenges to security and stability linked to the pandemic.