Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to increase the United Kingdom's contribution to the UN World Food Programme in response to the refugee crisis in Syria.

The UK has a proud record of leadership on the humanitarian response to the Syria crisis, having pledged a total of £1 billion. The UK has provided over £169 million to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) since the start of the crisis.

WFP, like all our partners, is under intense pressure to respond to massive needs in the region and has had to make some tough choices. The UK strongly supports WFP’s efforts to target the most vulnerable in this crisis, particularly women and children. The UK is closely monitoring the situation across the region, alongside other key donors, to understand how this reduction in support will impact the lives of Syrian refugees.

The UK does not lobby other donors on behalf of any specific agency, but to focus their attention and their resources on supporting the overall Syria crisis response. The UK is by far the largest bilateral donor in Europe, and second only to the United States, to the Syria crisis. However the UK, the US and the European Union cannot do this alone and other donors must do more to support the needs of millions of Syrians across the region.