Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to commit new research funding to the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security to support the Government's commitment to the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict initiative.

The Government is committed to producing the next UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, in a focused, consultative and inclusive way. While HMG funding on Women, Peace and Security is focused on the implementation rather than the production of the UK National Action Plan, we have provided funding to enable civil society consultations in four focus countries and we are working with partners to ensure UK civil society and academic views are taken into account in the revision of the UK National Action Plan. The Government has funded an external, independent evaluation of the current UK National Action Plan, which will make recommendations for the next iteration of the plan for the next financial year to include research on stigma and preventing sexual violence against men and boys. This is part of our on-going efforts to produce an evidence base to inform and shape our Women, Peace and Security policy and more broadly on Gender Equality/Women and Girls, where there is a wide volume of funding for research, including through DFID funding.