Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports from UNICEF that the 2023–24 El Niño phenomenon has led to the closure of schools in South Sudan.

The El Niño phenomenon exacerbates regional climate patterns and extreme weather events. Last month, excessive heat caused the temporary closure of some schools in South Sudan. The UK is one of the largest donors to education in South Sudan: we engage closely with the government, UNICEF, and education partners and will monitor the impact of interruptions to education. Our Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience in South Sudan programme has assisted approximately three million people by providing critical life-saving support and helping people to better cope with shocks from conflict, drought and flooding.