Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK is on track to meet United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to working with partners at home and abroad to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The United Nations (UN) does not measure individual countries' progress towards the SDGs, but the collective global progress. However, there are complimentary reports produced using UN data that assess countries' progress towards achieving the SDGs, such as the Sustainable Development Report, which assessed the UK as ninth out of 166 countries in 2024, with a progress score of 82%. The UK's Voluntary National Review (VNR) in 2019 provided a detailed account of actions being taken to achieve the SDGs across the UK government and other actors. This government has not yet taken a decision on undertaking a second VNR.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK's contributions to the United Nations are not helping to fund initiatives that undermine the UK's national interests.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN is an important forum to counter those who oppose democracy, human rights, and free economies. It offers the UK a platform with global reach to play a leading role in solving international challenges - including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and tackling climate change.
We want the UN to be as effective, efficient, and accountable as possible. The UK uses its influence to push for greater coherence and impact across the UN system in order to make the system more efficient, more representative and more responsive to those who need it most. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), together with colleagues across Government, actively works to ensure UK financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies represent value for money to the British taxpayer and align with UK national interests. The FCDO rigorously scrutinises all UN budget proposals to ensure the proposed activities are in line with UK priorities and we continue to adjust the UK's engagement across the UN system to ensure the most effective promotion of UK interests.
The Chancellor has launched Phase 2 of the Spending Review, covering 2026/27 to 2028/29. This will zero-base all spending, conducting a full line-by-line review of all public spending to assess whether it is a priority for this government and represents value for money for the taxpayer. The Spending Review will conclude on 11 June 2025.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of the UK's financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN is an important forum to counter those who oppose democracy, human rights, and free economies. It offers the UK a platform with global reach to play a leading role in solving international challenges - including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and tackling climate change.
We want the UN to be as effective, efficient, and accountable as possible. The UK uses its influence to push for greater coherence and impact across the UN system in order to make the system more efficient, more representative and more responsive to those who need it most. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), together with colleagues across Government, actively works to ensure UK financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies represent value for money to the British taxpayer and align with UK national interests. The FCDO rigorously scrutinises all UN budget proposals to ensure the proposed activities are in line with UK priorities and we continue to adjust the UK's engagement across the UN system to ensure the most effective promotion of UK interests.
The Chancellor has launched Phase 2 of the Spending Review, covering 2026/27 to 2028/29. This will zero-base all spending, conducting a full line-by-line review of all public spending to assess whether it is a priority for this government and represents value for money for the taxpayer. The Spending Review will conclude on 11 June 2025.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the UK's engagement with the United Nations.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN is an important forum to counter those who oppose democracy, human rights, and free economies. It offers the UK a platform with global reach to play a leading role in solving international challenges - including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and tackling climate change.
We want the UN to be as effective, efficient, and accountable as possible. The UK uses its influence to push for greater coherence and impact across the UN system in order to make the system more efficient, more representative and more responsive to those who need it most. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), together with colleagues across Government, actively works to ensure UK financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies represent value for money to the British taxpayer and align with UK national interests. The FCDO rigorously scrutinises all UN budget proposals to ensure the proposed activities are in line with UK priorities and we continue to adjust the UK's engagement across the UN system to ensure the most effective promotion of UK interests.
The Chancellor has launched Phase 2 of the Spending Review, covering 2026/27 to 2028/29. This will zero-base all spending, conducting a full line-by-line review of all public spending to assess whether it is a priority for this government and represents value for money for the taxpayer. The Spending Review will conclude on 11 June 2025.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the UK’s financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN is an important forum to counter those who oppose democracy, human rights, and free economies. It offers the UK a platform with global reach to play a leading role in solving international challenges - including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and tackling climate change.
We want the UN to be as effective, efficient, and accountable as possible. The UK uses its influence to push for greater coherence and impact across the UN system in order to make the system more efficient, more representative and more responsive to those who need it most. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), together with colleagues across Government, actively works to ensure UK financial contributions to the United Nations and its agencies represent value for money to the British taxpayer and align with UK national interests. The FCDO rigorously scrutinises all UN budget proposals to ensure the proposed activities are in line with UK priorities and we continue to adjust the UK's engagement across the UN system to ensure the most effective promotion of UK interests.
The Chancellor has launched Phase 2 of the Spending Review, covering 2026/27 to 2028/29. This will zero-base all spending, conducting a full line-by-line review of all public spending to assess whether it is a priority for this government and represents value for money for the taxpayer. The Spending Review will conclude on 11 June 2025.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to support the United Nations Pact for the Future; and, if so, why.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
On 22 September, the Pact for the Future and its accompanying annexes, a Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations, was adopted by consensus in the United Nations General Assembly. In a speech to the General Assembly on 26 September, the Prime Minister emphasised the UK's support for the Pact for the Future. The Pact provides a critical opportunity for UN Member States to make real-world impact to turbocharge delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals and set a blueprint for how reinvigorated multilateralism can respond to today and tomorrow's challenges.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve the effectiveness of UK aid programmes in (a) reducing poverty, (b) increasing literacy rates and (c) increasing life expectancies.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The International Development White Paper sets out the UK's agenda to re-energise progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, including the central aim of eliminating extreme poverty. To this end, the UK aims to spend at least 50 per cent of our bilateral ODA in the Least Developed Countries.
The FCDO has developed two new programmes that will measure and assess literacy rates, among other objectives. The Scaling Access and Learning in Education programme will help transform the effectiveness of education spending in low- and lower middle-income countries and improve learning outcomes, including on literacy. The Data for Foundational Learning Programme will help track children's learning outcomes globally; generate more learning data nationally; and ensure these data are used.
We are making good progress against the Global Health Framework, which outlines the UK's work on Global Health to support a positive impact on health and wellbeing and thus life expectancy. For example, we announced £5 million of additional funding to TB Alliance to support more effective drug resistant treatment with fewer side effects and £370 million to strengthen global health security at United Nations General Assembly September 2023.
Furthermore, the FCDO is committed to improving the effectiveness of all UK aid. FCDO's Programme Operating Framework maximises the impact of aid through consideration of economy, efficiency, effectiveness and equity. Programmes undergo an annual review of effectiveness, using a results framework. These are published to the Development Tracker website (https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk), which further supports aid effectiveness by providing information to inform other donors spending decisions.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
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 implications for his policies of the outcome of the United Nations General Assembly assessment of progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
With only 15 per cent of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets on track to be delivered by 2030, and 37 per cent stalled or in reverse, there is a clear need to go faster and further to accelerate progress. The Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed the UK's strong commitment to the SDG and the actions needed to deliver them at the SDG Summit during UNGA High Level Week. By listening to the concerns of our partners, particularly in the developing world, we saw important progress made to accelerate delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The UK's forthcoming International Development White Paper will set out our vision for global development that delivers on the Sustainable Development Goals, poverty reduction, economic growth and tackling climate change through to 2030. It will build on commitments outlined in the International Development Strategy and Integrated Review Refresh.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to meet target 3.7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals on universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services by 2030.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The UK Government is committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. We are proud to defend universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights as outlined in the International Development Strategy and Ending Preventable Deaths of Mothers, Babies and Children by 2030 approach paper. This includes our renewed support to life saving global health initiatives such as the Global Financing Facility and to the United Nations Population Fund Supplies programme to advance the availability of modern contraception in the world's poorest countries. The UK continues to work with like-minded partners to accelerate global progress, including by securing joint commitments at the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government and G7 Health Ministerial. This work is crucial to unlock the potential, agency and freedom of women and girls around the world.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in providing a framework for towns, cities, and communities to become more sustainable.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
In July 2021, we published a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to explicitly refer to the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development as a widely-recognised statement of sustainable development objectives, to which the UK has subscribed. At the heart of the NPPF is the presumption in favour of sustainable development. This means that all plans should promote sustainable patterns of growth to meet the local need, align growth and infrastructure; improve the environment; mitigate climate change and adapt to its effects.
The National Model Design Code sets out a process for engaging local communities to create homes, buildings and public places which are safe, inclusive and accessible. It includes design parameters around mitigating and adapting to climate change, including the use of green infrastructure, sustainable drainage systems and encouraging active transport through design.