Baroness Sheehan

The UK champions universal health coverage (UHC) as vital to ensuring access to quality essential health services for all and helping to protect everyone from infectious diseases, including COVID-19. UHC includes ensuring that no one is impoverished through paying for health services and reducing financial barriers to access especially for the poorest and most vulnerable. Our programmes help poor and vulnerable people to meet food and other basic needs including direct and indirect costs of health care, such as transport so they can access essential health services.

The UK has, so far, pledged £764 million of UK aid to help end the COVID-19 pandemic, in support of the coordinated international response through the international financing institutions, multilaterals and global health initiatives, and DFID programmes. This is to meet the urgent health, humanitarian and economic needs of vulnerable people in developing countries. This funding includes up to £40 million to the Wellcome Therapeutics Accelerator and up to £23 million to the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, both of which are central to efforts to accelerate development and access to new COVID-19 treatments and tests.

We have committed up to £764 million of UK aid funding to date, to support global efforts to combat COVID-19.

This includes up to £296 million to support and enhance resilience in vulnerable countries, encompassing:

• £145 million for UN appeals including: £75 million for the WHO; £20 million for UNICEF, £5 million for Education Cannot Wait, £20 million for the UN Refugee Agency; £15 million for the World Food Programme; and £10 million to UNFPA to provide lifesaving SRHR and gender based violence prevention.
• £55 million to International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement appeals to provide medical supplies and equipment to hospitals and clinics and the building of quarantine areas and disinfection facilities.
• £20 million for international NGO’s including UK charities using British expertise and experience to tackle COVID-19.
• £50 million DFID funding matched with Unilever, advising one billion people about the importance of hygiene and the distribution of over 20 million products.
• £6 million for medical and humanitarian expertise including the deployment of medical specialists from the UK Emergency Medical Team to vulnerable African countries.
• Up to £20 million in the African Union’s new COVID-19 Response Fund to tackle the virus and save lives.

We have also provided up to £150 million of UK aid funding to the IMF’s Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust to help developing countries meet their debt repayments so that they can focus their available resources on tackling COVID-19.

The Government is committed to supporting efforts to meet Sustainable Development Goal 16.9 which aims to provide legal identity for all, including birth registration, by 2030. The Government continues to advocate for the issuance of civil documentation in specific post-conflict countries through UN mechanisms, including the Security Council Working Group for Children and Armed Conflict.

Last year DFID approved a four-year £15 million Digital Identity as an Enabler for Development programme to support the World Bank Group’s Identification for Development initiative to implement trusted, secure, universal and inclusive digital Identification and civil registration systems from birth to death in over 40 countries.

Children on the Move is a DFID-funded 3-year programme (2017-2020) working with UNICEF to help children on the move in Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan. In Somalia the work includes providing children with a legal identity, without which they are at a greater risk of family separation, trafficking and illegal adoption. In 2019, 101,300 children were provided with legal identity documents including a birth certificate.

As well as this, some of the £30 million which DFID is providing to the Global Financing Facility (GFF) supports birth registration in DRC, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda and Uganda.

The UK is reaching refugees with information and support to reduce rumours, myths, fear and panic about COVID-19, through the Communications with Communities Working Group. This includes a large array of methods to disseminate messages to refugees and the host community including community meetings where possible; radio, posters and leaflets, videos, loudspeakers and information service centres. Messages are being endorsed by the Cox’s Bazar Civil Surgeon, translated into the Rohingya language and Bangla, and are being developed in consultation with Rohingya people, including religious leaders, to ensure they are effective. Child-friendly messaging is also being used.

The UK is working with partners to support and protect Rohingya children whose parents or care-givers become sick or die from COVID-19. This includes identifying temporary carers within the same camp block for children at risk of being left alone. These efforts are building on existing foster and child protection systems and will increase the number of Child Protection Volunteers within the Rohingya community in the camps. Although schools in the camps are closed, every effort will be made to get them up and running again as quickly as possible, and to ensure children return to education.

Cox’s Bazar District, where the Rohingya refugee camps are located, is subject to lockdown measures to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19. In addition, on World Health Organization advice, the Bangladeshi Government has instructed a reduction in humanitarian activity to an agreed list of critical (lifesaving) services. This means that fewer aid workers than normal are entering the refugee camps. For example, essential site management activities continue, but staff are reduced to 20% of their usual number. There are no education facilities open at the moment. However, critical UKAid funded services such as food and medical aid continue to be delivered to support the daily needs of refugees, including by refugee volunteers themselves. We consider this temporary reduction in staff accessing the camp a challenging, but important measure to try to prevent or at least delay the transmission of the virus in the camps. Social distancing arrangements have been put in place to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 between humanitarian workers, and to provide medical care for those on the humanitarian frontline, coordinated by IOM. We are closely monitoring the situation, including access issues, and working with our humanitarian partners to best protect and prepare the Rohingya and host communities for an outbreak and to maintain critical services and assistance.

Approximately 40% of trafficking survivors in the Rohingya refugee camps are children, predominantly girls. Girls are at risk of early marriage both within the camps and through trafficking.

Irregular movements are not new to Cox’s Bazar district or Bangladesh, which is on the US’ Tier 2 Watch List for Trafficking in Persons. The UK has contributed significantly to the protection sector within the humanitarian response, through partners including the International Organisation for Migration, UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Children’s Fund. Our support helps to raise awareness about the risks of trafficking and build capacity among law enforcement to prevent it. UK funding also supports efforts to identify and provide direct assistance to victims of trafficking, such as safe shelters, psycho-social support, and social workers for children.

We are extremely concerned about the reports of hundreds of Rohingya still at sea and reports of failure to disembark vessels in distress. I have raised this with the Bangladesh Foreign Minister and with the Bangladesh High Commissioner in London. In addition, the British High Commission in Dhaka have raised this issue with the Government of Bangladesh. We continue to urge the Governments of Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and other governments in the region to assist boats carrying Rohingya refugees to land.

We are working with UN partners, including the International Organisation for Migration and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to find out more and provide live-saving action where possible. The UN are already providing shelter and assistance to survivors from the boat which reached Bangladesh on 16 April and stand ready to help any further refugees who make it ashore. We agree with UNHCR that there is a need for greater coordination and responsibility-sharing by states to address the maritime movements of refugees and asylum-seekers in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. The UK is committed to protecting the Rohingya community, some of the world’s most vulnerable peoples.

The UK is leading international efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine that is equitable and accessible.

Following a virtual summit of G20 leaders on the 26 March, the UK Prime Minister called on governments to work together to develop a vaccine as quickly as possible and make it available to anyone who needs it. As subsequently agreed by the G20, we support a global approach to the rapid development and scaled up manufacture of vaccines that are equitable and accessible. We are working with technical partners and WHO to support an approach to Research & Development, regulation and funding that will deliver that.

Our £250 million funding to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is the biggest donation of any country to date. CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic, and civil society organisations, to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics. CEPI is leading the international coordination of vaccine research, making sure that the best experts from around the world get the investments they need to make rapid progress on a vaccine for this COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, the UK is also the largest funder to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Gavi will play a key role in working with CEPI to make a new coronavirus vaccine available and affordable.

The UK has long supported affordable and equitable access to essential medicines, vaccines and other health commodities, here in the UK and globally.

Measures to ensure access to products that may emerge from research include voluntary patent sharing and licensing, whereby patent holders allow others to manufacture, import, and/ or distribute their patented products to accelerate entry of generic medicines to market, pooled procurement and sharing and information exchange.

We are committed to collaborating with public and private partners in the UK and internationally, including exploring voluntary arrangements, such as existing mechanisms, to accelerate development and equitable access in all countries to affordable health technologies for responding to COVID-19. The shape of any agreements are being explored.

DFID is supporting global co-ordinating efforts through our support to the WHO R&D Blueprint. The Blueprint aims to accelerate research and innovation to contain the spread of the pandemic and ensure that those affected receive optimal care. This includes support to the ‘Solidarity’ trials which is testing four existing anti-viral agents or combinations which exist already that could be effective against COVID-19.

We recognise that that older people, people with disabilities, people with pre-existing conditions, and those with complex needs are disproportionately impacted and at more serious risk of severe complications and fatality due to COVID-19. We are working hard to ensure that our help reaches those most in need, including older people, through close collaboration with our partners.

Our funding is supporting a range of initiatives and partners to ensure that it can reach those in need and strengthening fragile health services in the world’s poorest countries where there is a high chance of the disease spreading rapidly.

This includes supporting the United Nation’s Global Humanitarian Response Plan to tackle COVID-19 and help to the most vulnerable across the globe. The plan explicitly identifies older people given their susceptibility to the virus and their broader vulnerability. Our latest UK aid announcement on 12 April of £200 million, is supporting humanitarian organisations to help reduce mass infections in developing countries that often lack the healthcare systems to track and halt the virus. This includes £130 million to UN agencies in response to their COVID-19 humanitarian appeals.

In order to reduce transmission, the UK government is also working with Unilever to fund a £100 million global hygiene programme. This campaign will be tailored to communities to ensure messages are inclusive and effective. It will reach up to a billion people worldwide, raising awareness and changing behaviour, to make sure that people are washing their hands with soap regularly and disinfecting surfaces. The programme will also provide over 20 million hygiene products in the developing world, including in areas where there is little or no sanitation.

In addition, we are redirecting existing support and programmes to be more responsive to COVID-19.

We recognise that that older people are disproportionately impacted and at more risk of severe complications and death due to COVID-19. As well as the immediate risk of catching COVID-19, marginalised groups also experience secondary impacts of the virus. This includes reduced access to healthcare services and information, which is further compounded by existing accessibility barriers.

For example, healthcare information is not routinely distributed in accessible formats. Older people with visual impairments will need access to large print documentation, or may need other alternative communication methods that fit best with their needs. We are working hard to ensure that our help reaches those most in need, including older people, through close collaboration with our partners.

Our funding is supporting a range of initiatives and partners to ensure that it can reach those in need and strengthen fragile health services in the world’s poorest countries where there is a high risk of the disease spreading rapidly. This includes supporting the United Nation’s Global Humanitarian Response Plan to tackle COVID-19 and help to the most vulnerable across the globe. The plan explicitly identifies older people given their susceptibility to the virus and their broader vulnerability. Our latest UK aid announcement on 12 April of £200 million, is supporting humanitarian organisations to help reduce mass infections in developing countries that often lack the healthcare systems to track and halt the virus. This includes £130 million to UN agencies in response to their COVID-19 humanitarian appeals.

To help reduce transmission and inform the public, the UK government is also working with Unilever to fund a £100 million global hygiene programme. This campaign will be tailored to communities to ensure messages are inclusive and effective. It will reach up to a billion people worldwide, raising awareness and changing behaviour, to make sure that people are washing their hands with soap regularly and disinfecting surfaces. The programme will also provide over 20 million hygiene products in the developing world, including in areas where there is little or no sanitation.

In addition, we are redirecting existing support and programmes ensure responses to COVID-19 are fully inclusive, including supporting the needs of older people.

The UK is at the forefront of the global response to COVID-19. We are using UK aid to its full effect to counter the health, humanitarian and economic risks of this pandemic. Since the £46 million was announced, the UK has committed further resources, up to £241 million of funding to support the global efforts to combat the outbreak of COVID-19.

These funds are supporting three main areas of work: helping developing countries manage the crisis by supporting the operations of the UN, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the provision of expert advice; supporting the International Monetary Fund to relieve debt servicing pressures on countries struggling with the virus; and supporting international scientific efforts to develop diagnosis tests and vaccines. Furthermore, through our ongoing overseas operations, DFID is supporting programmes in over 20 countries to improve health systems, such as by building capability for health security through disease surveillance and response.

DFID continues to lead the UK’s work to reduce poverty and deliver the Sustainable Development Goals, maximising opportunities to work jointly with other government departments as demonstrated by the cross-Government response, jointly led by DFID and FCO, to supporting global efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The PM has appointed a fully joint junior ministerial team, along with separate Secretaries of State for the Foreign Office and DFID, to ensure the departments will work more closely overseas to deliver the Government’s objectives. DFID ministers retain authority over decisions on DFID aid spending and accountability for all financial resources remains within existing departmental lines.

Single Departmental Plans are updated annually setting out the Department’s plans to deliver the Global Goals. The most recent version was uploaded in June 2019 and can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-international-development-single-departmental-plan/department-for-international-development-single-departmental-plan--2

Plans will be updated once departments have prepared them as part of the normal government planning and performance process.

The Government take the safety of healthcare workers very seriously. The COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control guidance has been updated to ensure that healthcare workers are protected and all hospitals remain safe, now and in the future.

Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are absolutely essential to ensure all healthcare workers are protected from infection with COVID-19.

The UK has announced up to £241 million of aid funding to support the global efforts to combat the outbreak of COVID-19. As part of this, we are supporting the World Health Organisation and UNICEF to strengthen infection prevention and control in health facilities, to protect health workers in developing countries.

HMG is closely monitoring the global transmission of the Covid-19, in particular the capabilities and vulnerabilities of developing countries, using the State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting index provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The UK’s global response strategy is to support the WHO and other multilateral actors to contain Covid-19 and mitigate secondary health and socio-economic impacts, especially for vulnerable populations in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Contributing to the WHO’s appeal will enable UK aid to support a strong international response alongside other key donors.

We are targeting our efforts where we have existing capacity to maximise our impact, and working with international partners to ensure aid is effectively distributed to vulnerable countries.

The PM appointed separate Secretaries of State for the Foreign Office and DFID in the recent reshuffle.

The Prime Minister has also appointed a fully joint junior ministerial team to ensure DFID and the FCO will work more closely overseas to deliver the Government’s objectives.

DFID ministers retain authority over decisions on DFID aid spending and accountability for all financial resources remains within existing departmental lines.

As set out in the UK Aid Strategy, each department or public body spending Official Development Assistance (ODA) is accountable for their own spend. As such, there must be clear lines of accountability for all ODA programmes. Accounting Officers of departments or public bodies whose money is being spent on ODA, need to ensure they fulfil their obligations under HMT’s Managing Public Money as they remain personally accountable for ensuring the regularity, propriety and value for money of the use of public funds. Departments must ensure that spending on ODA is within their legal spending authority, meets the OECD eligibility criteria and complies with government aid policy as outlined in the UK Aid Strategy.

Design and delivery of Official Development Assistance projects is the responsibility of the individual spending department.

DFID ministers retain authority over decisions on aid spending and accountability for all financial resources remains within existing departmental lines.

Departments will work more closely together overseas to deliver Her Majesty’s Government’s objectives and ensure the UK’s international operations are fully integrated.

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) contract, used to fund some COVID-19 research, contains a licence back to the Department – known as a ‘step-in right’. This contractual right enables the Department to use, and sub-license to others, all intellectual property created with its funding, and any related intellectual property owned by another party who is contributing to the research project. For COVID-19 research, the Department can exercise the right where the Department is in a position to use or promote the outputs of the funded research in order to achieve ‘Patient Benefit’, including the prevention, treatment or management of any threat to public health.

The UK continues to urge the Israeli Government to respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of peaceful, legal protestors.

The UK worked actively to urge the parties to work with mediators towards an immediate ceasefire. We also fully supported Egyptian, Qatari and UN efforts to that end, working closely with the US. The UK welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza on 20 May, which is an important step to ending the cycle of violence and loss of civilian life. Hamas must end all attacks on Israel. It is also now important for Israel to facilitate rapid humanitarian access in and out of Gaza.

As the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have made clear, this cycle of violence must stop, and every effort must be made to avoid loss of life.

The Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount and Jerusalem hold particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. We support the freedom of Muslims to worship at Al Haram Al Sharif. In meetings with the Israeli authorities we regularly raise the need to respect the status quo of the holy sites in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The UK is committed to global equitable access to effective vaccines as demonstrated by our £548 million contribution to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) - the international initiative to support global equitable access to vaccines. We remain in close contact with the Palestinian Authority on their vaccination campaign and ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister Cleverly most recently discussed this issue with the Palestinian Health Minister on 23 March 2021. We also continue to raise the importance of timely and appropriate access to COVID-19 vaccines with the Israeli Authorities, including through our Embassy in Tel Aviv.

As the Prime Minister said in his letter to the Conservative Friends of Israel, the UK is a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and we respect the independence of the Court. In this instance we do not consider that the ICC has jurisdiction. We continue to closely follow the ICC's work and are looking at the implications of this decision.

We were pleased to note that the Palestinian National COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign began on 21 March following the first shipment of over 60,000 doses from the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) on 17 March. The UK is committed to global equitable access to effective vaccines as demonstrated by our £548m contribution to the COVAX AMC. The second shipment of 72,000 doses also arrived on 19 April 2021.

We remain in close contact with the Palestinian Authority on their vaccination campaign and the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa most recently discussed this issue with the Palestinian Health Minister on 23 March 2021. We also continue to raise the importance of timely and appropriate access to COVID-19 vaccines with the Israeli Authorities, including through our Embassy In Tel Aviv.

We welcome the Government of Israel's decision to establish a special governmental unit and implement legislative changes to tackle settler violence. Nonetheless, we continue to urge the Israeli authorities to thoroughly investigate every instance and to bring those responsible to justice and end the culture of impunity. Our long-standing objective is a negotiated two-state solution which will allow Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace, lessening the likelihood of politically driven violence and incitement to violence.

We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children. We remain concerned about Israel's extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure. We remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention and regularly raise this with the Israeli Ministry of Justice.

The content and quality assurance of textbooks is a matter for individual publishers. Her Majesty's Government is aware that concerns have been raised and understand that Pearson will take action where necessary.

We are aware of the reports surrounding the death of Atef Yousef Hanaysha. Whilst we have not made representations on this particular case, in instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we continue to urge Israel to ensure that its investigations are transparent, swift and comprehensive. We also continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population and urge restraint in the use of live fire.

The UK condemns any incidence of violence by settlers against Palestinians. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population. We call on the Israeli authorities to thoroughly investigate every instance and allegation of crimes against protected persons in the West Bank, and where appropriate bring those responsible to justice.

The UK is committed to global equitable access to effective vaccines as demonstrated by our £548 million contribution to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) - the international initiative to support global equitable access to vaccines. We were pleased to note that the first shipment of over 60,000 doses from the COVAX scheme arrived in the OPTs on the 17th March and that over 21,000 were sent to Gaza.

The British Consulate-General in Jerusalem is in regular contact with the Palestinian Authority and will continue to raise timely and appropriate access to COVID-19 vaccines. UN agencies, the PA and the Israeli Government are also working together to ensure that essential medical supplies and staff can access Gaza.

We are aware of the reports surrounding the death of Bilal Bawatneh. Whilst we have not made representations on this particular case, the UK condemns any incidence of violence by settlers against Palestinians. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population. We call on the Israeli authorities to thoroughly investigate every instance and allegation of crimes against protected persons in the West Bank, and where appropriate bring those responsible to justice.

We have not made an assessment of this issue. In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we continue to urge Israel to ensure that its investigations are transparent, swift and comprehensive. We also continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire.

We are aware of the report by Forensic Architecture: The Extrajudicial Execution of Ahmad Erekat, published on 23 February. We regularly raise the issue of the high numbers of Palestinians killed and injured by Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank and Gaza with the Israeli authorities, encouraging them to carry out transparent investigations into whether use of live fire had been appropriate.

The overall numbers of Palestinian and Israeli casualties are routinely reported in the FCDO's annual human rights and democracy report. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs (OCHA) provide breakdowns of casualties, such as by age and gender. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire. We condemn any incidence of violence by settlers against Palestinians. We welcome the efforts of Israeli authorities to address settler violence, and urge them to thoroughly investigate every instance and bring those responsible to justice.

The holy sites of Jerusalem hold particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. We condemn all forms of violence, including against places of worship, and raise this with the relevant authorities when necessary. In our meetings with the Israeli authorities we regularly raise the need to respect the status quo of the holy sites in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Whilst we have not made representations on these reports, we condemn any incidence of violence by settlers against Palestinians shepherds. We welcome the efforts of the Israeli authorities to address settler violence, and urge them to thoroughly investigate every instance and bring those responsible to justice. We also continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

The UK regularly engages with both the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) on the matter of access to healthcare and will also continue to raise timely and appropriate access to COVID-19 vaccines. We remain concerned about restrictions on movement and access in Gaza, including the impact on those needing to travel outside of Gaza for medical treatment.

UK aid also plays a role in delivering essential healthcare services to Palestinians. The UK provided £20 million in the financial year 2020/21 to support the PA in delivering essential healthcare services to Palestinians. This funding will help the PA support its health workers who have been on the frontline battling COVID-19 and who deliver life-saving medical services. We also provided £1.25m to the World Health Organization and UNICEF to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline public health personnel and scale up laboratory testing capacity.

The UK continues to oppose Israel's proposed demolitions of Palestinian schools and calls on Israel to reconsider its plans to do so. The UK Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised ongoing demolitions with the Israeli Authorities in a meeting alongside like-minded partners on 25 February 2021. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa called on Israel to stop demolitions on 5 February 2021 and raised his concerns about demolitions of Palestinian infrastructure, including the potential demolition of schools, with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 29 October 2020. The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law.

We welcome the steps that the parties have taken so far to coordinate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the news that on the 17 February the first shipment of vaccines from the Palestinian Authority was brought into Gaza, with the approval of Israel. We encourage further cooperation between the two parties in this regard. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate-General in Jerusalem regularly urge the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to take steps to improve health and economic conditions in Gaza. We will continue to monitor the availability of vaccines for Palestinians in Gaza and will raise with the relevant authorities accordingly.

The UK is currently the second largest donor to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. The Global Fund invests in over 100 countries, focusing on those countries with the highest disease burden and lowest ability to pay. Our contribution has helped to save 38 million lives since 2002 and aims to help save another 16 million in the next three years.

Resilient health systems are at the core of global efforts to prevent and treat diseases. The UK is partnering with countries with some of the highest rates of AIDS, TB and malaria, to strengthen their health systems. The UK also supports the civil society HIV response through funding to the Robert Carr Fund to advocate for the rights and needs of the most marginalised groups affected by HIV, such as LGBTQ+ people and sex workers.

Investing in research and development to better tackle the three diseases is also crucial. The UK's funding to TB and malaria research is helping to develop new tools to prevent, diagnose and treat these diseases, including drugs that fight the threat of drug resistance. Our world-class research investments include the first child-friendly antimalarial drug, which has saved more than 1 million lives.

We note the letter sent by the Britain-Palestine All-Party Parliamentary Group to the Foreign Secretary on 8 February. We regularly make clear our concerns about the evictions of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem to the Israeli authorities and the Municipality of Jerusalem, both bilaterally and in co-operation with like-minded diplomatic partners. The Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies to all occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, prohibits demolitions or forced evictions absent military necessity. The Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa raised the issue of evictions of Palestinians from their homes, with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 29 October 2020, and the British Embassy in Tel Aviv raises this issue regularly with the Israeli authorities. UK officials from the British Consulate in Jerusalem have made regular visits to areas at risk of demolition and eviction to reiterate UK support for those communities. On 25 November 2020, the UK Consul General Jerusalem visited families at risk of eviction in Sheikh Jarrah, restating UK opposition to evictions of Palestinians from their homes.

The UK is focused on preventing demolitions and evictions from happening in the first place through our legal aid programme, which supports Bedouin communities and Palestinians facing demolition or home eviction in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes.

CDC Group Plc and Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) each have their own policy on investing in projects linked to fossil fuels. These policies are publicly available and closely aligned to the UK Government's own policy on ODA funded fossil fuel investments overseas, announced at the Climate Ambition Summit on 12 December 2020.

Countries need reliable and sustainable supplies of energy if they are to tackle poverty effectively by growing their economies, creating jobs and delivering essential services. UK aid is focused on helping them achieve this. While we do not currently have plans to offset historic emissions, our support for energy is increasingly invested in renewables. Since 2011, the UK has provided 33 million people with improved access to clean energy, avoided 31 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and installed 2,000 MW of clean energy capacity. The Government is continuing to strengthen the UK's ambitious climate action through the doubling of our international climate finance to £11.6 billion between 2021/22 and 2025/26.

UKEF is proactively developing the breadth of its support for renewable sectors, with £2 billion allocated to UKEF's direct lending facility for clean growth and renewable energy projects. The facility recently supported a £230 million large-scale windfarm off the coast of Taiwan and £47.6 million of support to build two of the largest solar plants in Spain. UKEF is continuing to strengthen its pipeline of renewable energy projects.

The Prime Minister announced at the Climate Ambition Summit on 12 December that the Government will no longer provide any new direct financial or promotional support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas, with very limited exemptions. This includes support through Official Development Assistance and export finance.

The Foreign Secretary is currently in the process of concluding the cross-Government review which will agree ODA allocations for all government departments. The process intends to drive coherence across the entire UK ODA budget and ensure the UK acts as a force for good across the globe. The Foreign Secretary will communicate the outcome in due course.

The UK remains concerned about the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza and the impact of COVID-19 on an already fragile healthcare system. Recognising the severity of the situation, we were one of the first donors to provide funding to support the health and humanitarian response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We have provided £1.25 million funding (the World Health Organisation with £630,000 and the United Nations Children's Fund with £620,000) to purchase and co-ordinate delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline health workers and scale up laboratory testing capacity - mainly in Gaza. In addition, we are providing £2.5 million to the World Food Programme to provide food and cash assistance for the most vulnerable Palestinians to help alleviate the humanitarian situation. We have also contributed £1 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's Emergency Appeal in the OPTs which will help provide emergency food to over one million food-insecure refugees in Gaza.

We have serious concerns about the use of punitive acts against the families of Palestinians who have been accused of violent acts by Israel, including Israel's policy of demolitions to destroy the homes belonging to suspected Palestinian terrorists or their families. Such punishments, in all but the most exceptional of cases, are contrary to international humanitarian law. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have registered concerns about this policy with Israeli authorities. The UK also remains deeply concerned about the situation in Gaza. We continue to stress to the Israeli authorities the damage that their restrictions are doing to the economy and to the living standards of ordinary Palestinians in Gaza. There remains an urgent need for all parties to reach an agreement that addresses the underlying causes of the conflict in Gaza.

The UK has a strong track record in investing in global health and health systems to deliver the SDGs, to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), and to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children by 2030. To protect global progress in these areas from the impacts of COVID-19, the UK is working with our partners and country governments to respond to the pandemic, and to support resilient health systems for maintaining safe essential health services, including for persisting threats such as malaria, TB, HIV, vaccine preventable diseases and new diseases. The UK has pledged up to £1.4 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which will support developing countries tackle these three epidemics as well as strengthen national health systems. The Global Fund is also making up to $1 billion available for countries to respond to COVID-19, to reinforce their health systems, adapt their programmes and reduce the indirect impacts on health services.

The UK recognises that we have a real opportunity to shape a recovery from COVID-19 that delivers cleaner, healthier, more inclusive, and more resilient economies and societies. Better health, together with respect for people's rights, helps everyone, including the poorest and most vulnerable to survive and thrive; boosting human capital; and driving poverty eradication and inclusive economic development.

The UK has a strong track record in investing in global health and health systems to deliver the SDGs, to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), and to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children by 2030. To protect global progress in these areas from the impacts of COVID-19, the UK is working with our partners and country governments to respond to the pandemic, and to support resilient health systems for maintaining safe essential health services, including for persisting threats such as malaria, TB, HIV, vaccine preventable diseases and new diseases. The UK has pledged up to £1.4 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which will support developing countries tackle these three epidemics as well as strengthen national health systems. The Global Fund is also making up to $1 billion available for countries to respond to COVID-19, to reinforce their health systems, adapt their programmes and reduce the indirect impacts on health services.

The UK recognises that we have a real opportunity to shape a recovery from COVID-19 that delivers cleaner, healthier, more inclusive, and more resilient economies and societies. Better health, together with respect for people's rights, helps everyone, including the poorest and most vulnerable to survive and thrive; boosting human capital; and driving poverty eradication and inclusive economic development.

The UK has a strong track record in investing in global health and health systems to deliver the SDGs, to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), and to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children by 2030. To protect global progress in these areas from the impacts of COVID-19, the UK is working with our partners and country governments to respond to the pandemic, and to support resilient health systems for maintaining safe essential health services, including for persisting threats such as malaria, TB, HIV, vaccine preventable diseases and new diseases. The UK has pledged up to £1.4 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which will support developing countries tackle these three epidemics as well as strengthen national health systems. The Global Fund is also making up to $1 billion available for countries to respond to COVID-19, to reinforce their health systems, adapt their programmes and reduce the indirect impacts on health services.

The UK recognises that we have a real opportunity to shape a recovery from COVID-19 that delivers cleaner, healthier, more inclusive, and more resilient economies and societies. Better health, together with respect for people's rights, helps everyone, including the poorest and most vulnerable to survive and thrive; boosting human capital; and driving poverty eradication and inclusive economic development.

Following the Chancellor's statement of 25 November announcing the outcome of the Spending Review, the Foreign Secretary has announced he will run a short cross-government review to review, appraise and finalise all the UK's ODA allocations for next year in the lead-up to Christmas.

Difficult decisions have been necessary to identify the savings required. The First Secretary chaired a review process across government looking at all strands of the ODA budget ensuring support for five ODA priorities; bottom billion poverty reduction, climate change, girls' education, COVID-19 and Britain as a force for good. The national statistic reporting on ODA spending (Statistics for International Development) published in 2021 will provide a full breakdown of the UK's ODA spend for 2020.

We recognise that there are human rights concerns in India-administered Kashmir and we have raised these with the Government of India. We remain concerned at ongoing detentions and some restrictions on internet services and call for these to be lifted as soon as possible. We encourage all states to ensure domestic laws are in line with international standards. Any allegations of human rights abuses or violations are deeply concerning and must be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently.

The UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan is mandated to observe ceasefire violations across the Line of Control between India and Pakistan and report these to the UN Secretary General. We remain concerned by some ongoing restrictions on mobile internet access in India-administered Kashmir and call on the Government of India to lift these restrictions as soon as possible.

We recognise that refugees and Internally Displaced People may be at higher risk of infection by COVID-19 and other diseases due to high geographical mobility, overcrowded conditions, lack of safe sanitation and already poor health outcomes, and have focused our advocacy and aid commitments accordingly, working with international partners. The UK has committed up to £764 million aid funding so far to support global efforts to combat COVID-19, which includes £276 million for supporting resilience in vulnerable countries. £145 million of this is focused on UN appeals, and support to particular vulnerable groups: £75 million for the WHO; £20 million for UNICEF and £5 million to Education Cannot Wait to help refugee, migrant and displaced children proving basic suppliers and lessons; £20 million for the UN Refugee Agency providing access to handwashing stations and drinking water for displaced people; £15 million for the World Food Programme; and £10 million to UNFPA to provide lifesaving Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and gender based violence prevention. We have also adapted our bilateral programmes in a number of countries to respond to the particular challenges that COVID-19 presents to vulnerable communities. For example, in Bangladesh, UK aid is helping maintain essential humanitarian services in Rohingya refugee camps.

How the US manages its domestic COVID response is a matter for the US authorities. However, the UK remains in regular contact at the highest levels with our US partners on our joint response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, including discussions on how to deliver a global health response that provides support for the most vulnerable.

The UK Government is concerned that COVID-19 and measures taken to tackle it could have a disproportionate impact on marginalised and vulnerable groups, and is clear that measures taken to tackle the crisis must be designed to mitigate, rather than contribute to, this. We are working with international partners to ensure that child protection is integrated into a comprehensive response to COVID-19 that supports those groups who will be hit the hardest and are often with limited or no state protection. We welcome the statement made by the Chairpersons of the 10 UN Treaty Bodies on 24 March calling for a human rights approach in fighting COVID-19 and in the subsequent guidance provided by other Treaty Bodies, such as the Committee on the Rights of the Child. In negotiations in Geneva on a draft Human Rights Council Presidential statement on human rights and COVID-19, the UK has supported specific mention of children's rights, and proposed additional language highlighting the need to consider the particular situation of women and girls, and the role they can play in the response. A number of other countries have also proposed adding strengthened wording on children's rights, reflecting many of the concerns raised in the statement by the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

The UK is committed to protecting the most vulnerable children in the world. We are working with international partners to ensure that child protection is integrated into a comprehensive, multi-sectoral response to Covid-19 which supports the most marginalised and vulnerable groups around the world, often with limited or no state protection, including children who live and work on the streets. We provide significant support to protect children from violence in conflict and humanitarian crises and to reduce their risks of exploitation and neglect. We welcome the statement made by the Chairpersons of the 10 UN Treaty Bodies on 24 March calling for a human rights approach in fighting COVID-19 and in the subsequent guidance provided by other Treaty Bodies, such as the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Providing financial support to UNICEF enables the UK to protect vulnerable children across the world who would be significantly affected by the spread of COVID-19, and through emergency grants to "Education Cannot Wait" we are supporting children in 16 Covid-19 hit countries. We are also working to ensure that existing UK programming is responsive to the challenge of supporting those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Work on supporting street children in the UK does not come under the remit of the Department for International Development or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

We remain concerned by the plight of Rohingya refugees and urge regional governments to engage on this issue.

Officials from the British Embassy in Bangkok have discussed with the Thai government the importance of the provision of humanitarian assistance to Rohingyas aboard vessels that enter Thai waters, including in the last week. The Foreign Secretary raised our concerns about the situation of the Rohingya community with the former Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah on 11 February. Our High Commission in Kuala Lumpur has subsequently continued to raise our concerns on the issue with the Malaysian Government.

To prioritise international support, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has assessed which countries are most at risk of the importation of cases and how prepared they are for a potential outbreak. The UK assessment is that COVID-19 poses an immediate health risk to low- and middle-income countries as well as secondary health and socio-economic impacts. Diseases are global threats and to save lives around the world we need a strong international response. The UK has announced up to £241 million of UK aid funding to support the global efforts to combat the outbreak of COVID-19 and to support multilateral actors, including the WHO, to mitigate the impacts for low- and middle-income countries.

The Prime Minister appointed a fully joint Junior Ministerial Team for the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). This builds on the good work DFID is already delivering with the FCO in bilateral posts, multilateral missions and through FCO-DFID Joint Units in London. The Prime Minister also appointed separate Secretaries of State for the FCO and DFID in the recent reshuffle and is keen to make sure that UK aid is both spent well and aligned with the UK's foreign policy priorities.