Apr. 04 2024
Source Page: We must not allow Myanmar to become a forgotten crisis: UK statement at the UN Security CouncilFound: Thank you President, and thank you ASG Khiari and Director Doughten for your insightful briefings.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of steps his Department is taking to help reduce global (a) spread of lethal disease and (b) infant mortality among individuals who lack access to adequate toilet facilities.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government is committed to improving global health and ending the preventable deaths of children, newborns and mothers. The lack of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is still a major driver of children's illness and mortality. The Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition provided 14,800 health facilities with critical WASH supplies and services over the last three years. We support sanitation in schools in Mozambique and Ethiopia, and our new £18.5 million WASH Systems for Health programme will support governments to develop stronger systems critical to delivering sustainable and climate resilient WASH services - an important part of reducing the spread of disease and reducing infant mortality.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will increase funding for water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure in healthcare facilities to contain antimicrobial resistance.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Statistics on International Development publication confirmed that UK bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend on WASH totalled £46 million in 2022. Multilateral spend on WASH was £63 million in 2021. At this stage we are unable to confirm FCDO's future allocations to WASH.
Mentions:
1: Will Quince (Con - Colchester) , hygiene and infection prevention measures. - Speech Link
2: Maria Caulfield (Con - Lewes) Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Richard Foord) touched on the role of water, which requires an international - Speech Link
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to increase official development assistance funding for (a) water, (b) sanitation and (c) hygiene infrastructure in healthcare facilities to help tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK remains committed to supporting access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), including in healthcare facilities. The UK-funded Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition supported 14,800 facilities with WASH supplies and trained 460,000 health workers on hygiene improvements. We also help rally international attention on antimicrobial resistance through the global taskforce on WASH in Healthcare Facilities, working with World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other partners. The Statistics on International Development publication confirmed that UK bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend on WASH totalled £46 million in 2022. Multilateral spend on WASH was £63 million in 2021. At this stage we are unable to confirm FCDO's future allocations to WASH.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to (a) reassess his Department's funding allocation for overseas aid and (b) prioritise spending on the improvement of (i) water, (ii) sanitation and (iii) hygiene infrastructure in healthcare facilities to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK remains committed to supporting access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), including in healthcare facilities. The UK-funded Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition supported 14,800 facilities with WASH supplies and trained 460,000 health workers on hygiene improvements. We also help rally international attention on antimicrobial resistance through the global taskforce on WASH in Healthcare Facilities, working with World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other partners. The Statistics on International Development publication confirmed that UK bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend on WASH totalled £46 million in 2022. Multilateral spend on WASH was £63 million in 2021. At this stage we are unable to confirm FCDO's future allocations to overseas aid or WASH specifically. The FCDO works closely with the Treasury on our aid budget.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implication for his policies of the joint statement of 15 September 2023 by the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and the Pharmacists’ Defence Association entitled Conflict, natural disaster and the risk of rising resistance.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The joint statement was right to highlight antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a pressing global challenge, including in conflict-affected countries and natural disasters. The FCDO champions action through its diplomacy and bilateral and multilateral investments to better prevent, detect and respond to AMR, supporting stronger health and water, sanitation and hygiene systems and tackling infectious and vaccine-preventable diseases. In 2022, the UK provided £1.1 billion in humanitarian aid, including support for Emergency Medical Team deployment. We look forward to engaging domestic and global stakeholders to identify joint action to tackle AMR at the UN High-Level Meeting on AMR in 2024.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) material and (b) financial support his Department has offered to countries affected by (i) armed conflict and (ii) natural disasters to help control and contain the spread of (A) drug-resistant and (B) other infections in the last 12 months.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Through a combination of diplomacy and funding, the FCDO works bilaterally and with multilateral agencies to support countries affected by conflict and natural disasters. Our work strengthening health and water, sanitation and hygiene systems supports countries to be better prepared to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks and tackle antimicrobial resistance. Our humanitarian response includes deployment of Emergency Medical teams, supporting WHO (World Health Organisation) and UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) and bolstering national responses with key medical supplies, such as recent deployment to Malawi to combat cholera, or responding to the previous Ebola outbreak in Uganda. In 2022, the UK provided £1.1 billion in humanitarian aid.
Mentions:
1: Fleur Anderson (LAB - Putney) on the issues of water sanitation and hygiene as they pertain to the three high-level meetings, and - Speech Link
2: Leo Docherty (CON - Aldershot) action across nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, as I mentioned, as well as climate and the environment - Speech Link
May. 14 2024
Source Page: IPCC Seventh Assessment Report: call for drafting expertsFound: variables, reanalyses (ocean, atmosphere, cryosphere, land, freshwater, coasts), process understanding (water