Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on her Department's humanitarian work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In June 2020, the UN published revised estimates that 25.6 million people are now in need of humanitarian assistance in DRC, an increase from the previous estimate of 15.6 million. This increase is primarily due to the impact of COVID-19 on food security and the already fragile healthcare system. In addition, access challenges, disruption to supply chains, and increased insecurity will continue to exacerbate humanitarian needs.

The UK is continuing to respond at scale to meet urgent humanitarian needs and has adapted our programmes to reduce the risk of, and respond to, COVID-19 transmission.