Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the scrutiny of the UK's bilateral aid programmes by the International Development Committee and the Independent Commission on Aid Impact, in addition to internal departmental audit and risk analysis, what level of scrutiny is applied to multilateral aid programmes.
Answered by Lord Bates
As with bilateral aid, multilateral aid is subject to robust scrutiny by the International Development Committee and the Independent Commission on Aid Impact (ICAI). For example, ICAI published a review on “How the Department for International Development (DFID) works with multilateral agencies to achieve impact”, in June 2015 and the International Development Committee published an interim report on “UK Aid - Allocation of resources”, in March 2016.
The Secretary of State has clearly stated her commitment to driving higher results and ensuring value for money and transparency from DFID’s multilateral partners. DFID has taken a strategic approach to scrutinising the impact of our investment in multilateral organisations through the Multilateral Aid Review, the latest review is due to be published soon. The UK is also an active member of the Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN), which brings together 18 donor countries with a common interest in assessing multilateral effectiveness. MOPAN will commission its own assessments of multilateral organisations.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the UK's international aid budget has been allocated to multilateral aid, and primarily through which institutions, in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Bates
On average over the period 2010-2014, 40 per cent of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) was allocated to multilateral organisations. The table attached lists the top five multilateral organisations in terms of core funding.
Figures for 2015 will be published later this year.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to assist the government of Afghanistan in preventing any illegal trade in lapis lazuli and other minerals.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK supports the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) including through strengthening the Ministry’s capacity to detect and report illegal activity such as the illegal trade in Lapis Lazuli and other minerals.
However, because most of this illegal activity occurs in insecure areas where there is little or no government control, the UK is supporting Afghanistan’s long term security and stability; including through providing additional troops to assist the Afghan Forces boost security in the country, and providing £178m aid per year to 2017 to support Afghanistan’s economic growth and development.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to support the government of Afghanistan in strengthening its capacity to control the exports and supply chains of the extractive industries in accordance with OECD due diligence guidelines.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK is supporting the Afghan government to responsibly develop its mineral wealth in accordance with OECD guidelines.
Through the Extractives Sector Support Programme (ESSP), the UK supports the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) to review the legal framework governing extractives and to build a transparent and disciplined fiscal regime. Through the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) the UK is supporting the transparent development of the sector, including through supporting Afghan civil society to bring clarity to the informal mining sector.
The UK is supporting President Ghani’s anti-corruption initiatives, including his commitment that the beneficial ownership of mining companies will be disclosed as part of Afghanistan’s implementation of the EITI. The UK is also helping the Afghan government implement and enforce these policies through supporting the MoMP to develop its capacity in contract management and inspectorate functions.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that the National Solidarity Programme in Afghanistan receives adequate support and delivers the necessary assistance to the most deprived rural areas.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK supports the National Solidarity Programme (NSP) through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). The UK is one of the largest donors to the ARTF which supports the Afghan government to deliver basic services across the country. UK officials will continue to meet regularly with the World Bank, who are the ARTF administrators, and the Afghan Ministry for Rural Rehabilitation and Development, who manage the NSP, to discuss the delivery of these important programmes and ensure that they reach the most vulnerable people in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress of earthquake relief in Nepal in the last 12 months; and how much they have contributed to it.
Answered by Baroness Verma
Over the past year work has been done by both the Government of Nepal and the International Community to meet the immediate needs of those most affected by the devastating earthquakes in April and May 2015. The UK particularly welcomed the formation of Government of Nepal’s National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) earlier in January 2016 whose mandate is to ensure a co-ordinated and coherent response to the post disaster rebuilding efforts.
The UK has played a leading role in addressing the humanitarian needs of the Nepali people and supporting the long-term recovery and reconstruction efforts of the country. With a total commitment of £70 million to the earthquake relief effort, over the last year DFID has provided life-saving humanitarian assistance, for hard to reach communities and to the thousands that remain displaced. UK support has already reached over 280,000 people with shelter, 50,000 people with hygiene kits and sanitation support, and 30,000 people with essential household items, including kitchen sets, solar lamps and water purification tablets. DFID support during the bleak winter season meant that over 200,000 people living at high altitudes were reached with vital cold weather support, including clothes, blankets and mattresses, to help remote communities see through the freezing conditions.
We continue to monitor the humanitarian and recovery situation in Nepal, particularly for those who remain highly vulnerable due to loss of homes and livelihoods. For example we have recently approved £4.49 million to support the Gurkha communities living in the remote high hills of Nepal. The support, which will be implemented through the Gorkha Welfare Scheme (GWS), will include building 120 new water supply systems; reaching 3,400 households (22,500 people) with improved water and sanitation facilities; and building latrines for 2,850 households and 35 school, ensuring girls get a separate toilet in schools.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual cost to the UK of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative; which ten countries have benefited most financially from the scheme; and which countries have performed best in terms of debt servicing and repayment.
Answered by Baroness Verma
To date 36 countries have benefited from the HIPC Initiative. As a result, many developing countries have seen a marked improvement in their debt position and growth over the last 15 years. The recipients that have benefited most by committed volume are: Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia and Uganda.
Many countries saw substantial reductions in their debt servicing as a result of HIPC debt relief. The largest reductions in terms of the ratio of debt service to exports were Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Malawi, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe and, Sierra Leone which all saw a fall of more than 10%.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what outcomes they aim to achieve at the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference in February.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The "Supporting Syria and the Region London 2016)" Conference was held on 4 February last week, and more than US$11 billion was pledged to support people in Syria and the region affected by the conflict, the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. Commitments made at the Conference will help to create 1.1 million jobs and provide education to an additional 1 million children. The UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment and have now pledged a total of over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that financial investment pledged at the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference is backed by political will, and policy changes on the ground, to ensure equal access to quality education.
Answered by Baroness Verma
At the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region being held in London on 4th February, we want the international community to agree a new goal that all Syrian refugee children and affected host country children are in education – formal school or non-formal – by the end of 2016/17. Equally, for inside Syria, it is our aim to increase access to good quality schooling or other learning opportunities such as self-learning and non-formal education. In neighbouring countries we will also increase access to vocational or skills training and higher education for children and youth.
At the Conference our ambition is that international donors, governments from countries in the region hosting refugees, non-governmental organisations and the private sector come together to agree a set of reciprocal financial and policy commitments. The UK and co-hosts are working with donors and other partners to secure increased funding for education under the UN-led appeals for 2016 and longer term, multi-year education funding commitments to ensure sustainability. We are also working with refugee hosting governments in particular to agree the policy commitments necessary to turn increased funding into delivery on the ground.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to persuade countries hosting Syrian refugees in the region to allow NGOs to provide non-formal education opportunities.
Answered by Baroness Verma
At the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region being held in London on 4th February, we want the international community to agree a new goal that all Syrian refugee children and affected host country children are in education – formal school or non-formal – by the end of 2016/17. Equally, for inside Syria, it is our aim to increase access to good quality schooling or other learning opportunities such as self-learning and non-formal education. In neighbouring countries we will also increase access to vocational or skills training and higher education for children and youth.
At the Conference our ambition is that international donors, governments from countries in the region hosting refugees, non-governmental organisations and the private sector come together to agree a set of reciprocal financial and policy commitments. The UK and co-hosts are working with donors and other partners to secure increased funding for education under the UN-led appeals for 2016 and longer term, multi-year education funding commitments to ensure sustainability. We are also working with refugee hosting governments in particular to agree the policy commitments necessary to turn increased funding into delivery on the ground.