Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking in respect of the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report <i>Trade and Environment Review 2013: Wake Up Before it is Too Late</i>, with specific reference to (1) sustainable agriculture, (2) improved research, (3) re-allocation of land use, (4) reform of global trade rules, (5) climate change, and (6) ecological intensification.

The Government is already taking action to address the specific recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report Trade and Environment Review 2013.

At the recent Climate Summit in New York, the Department for International Development on behalf of the Government joined the new Global Alliance on Climate Smart Agriculture. This Alliance aims to enhance the resilience of 500 million people in agriculture by 2030 while at the same time reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions from agriculture. DFID is also a major funder of international agriculture research. This includes support to the Climate Change and Food Security Programme of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

On land use the UK used its G8 Presidency in 2013 to place land high on the agenda. G8 leaders agreed the principle that “Land transactions should be transparent, respecting the property rights of local communities”. They also launched eight land partnerships to support the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on Land Tenure. The UK leads the partnerships in Tanzania and Nigeria and co-leads in Ethiopia. Since the 2013 G8 Summit, the Department for International Development has scaled up its work on land and property rights, through bilateral programmes and multilateral support.

The Government also helps to expand market access and trading opportunities for developing countries. For example, the Government played a critical role in concluding the Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations between the EU and Southern Africa and West Africa. Least developed countries, and countries from the African, Caribbean and Pacific who have signed Economic Partnership Agreements, have duty free and quota free access to the EU market.