Asked by: Lord Luce (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what humanitarian assistance they are giving to support those suffering from starvation in the Kasai region of Congo.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Minister for Africa visited Kasai Central, in the DRC, in November 2017 to see for himself the impact of the conflict. UK bilateral aid is already supporting 25,800 children with food assistance in the Kasais. Over the next 5 years the UK will be providing a range of humanitarian support. As part of this, we will support a further 840,000 people nationally with food assistance, including people in the Kasais.
Asked by: Lord Luce (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian needs of the people of Yemen; and what humanitarian assistance is being provided to them.
Answered by Baroness Verma
According to the UN, 21 million people - more than 80% of the population - are in need of humanitarian assistance in Yemen. Of those, over 6 million people are facing severe food shortages, with households struggling to meet their daily needs. In particular, 1.8 million children are most at risk and require access to life-saving nutrition services. In Hodeidah city alone, UNICEF have warned that 96,000 severely malnourished children are at risk of dying.
The UK is one of the largest donors to the crisis in Yemen and has announced £55 million to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, focused on the most urgent life-saving needs. UK aid will provide emergency shelter, healthcare, water, food and nutrition assistance for at least half a million Yemenis, as well as supporting UN work to co-ordinate the international humanitarian response.
Asked by: Lord Luce (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current assessment of the situation in Zimbabwe; and what level of aid the United Kingdom is providing to that country.
Answered by Baroness Northover
The United Kingdom continues to closely monitor events in Zimbabwe, including the recent changes within the ruling party. We remain committed to supporting the aspirations of the Zimbabwean people for a more democratic, stable and prosperous future.
In 2013/14 we provided £106 million in aid to Zimbabwe. This aid focused on helping the country’s poorest people, including providing healthcare, water, sanitation, and access to markets needed for people to earn enough money to meet their basic needs.
No UK aid goes directly through GoZ systems. UK aid is instead channelled through multilateral institutions such as United Nations Agencies, most notably the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as international Non-Governmental Organisations and the private sector.
The most up to date figures of DFID spend can be found in DFID’s Annual Report.