Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports by the World Health Organisation that there has been a significant decline in the global vaccination of children against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough in the first four months of this year, what urgent action they are taking (1) to reverse this decline, (2) to minimise the disruption of immunisation programmes in adversely impacted areas, and (3) to prevent further deterioration in vaccine coverage.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
COVID-19 lockdown measures have disrupted routine immunisation services in the poorest countries with the weakest health systems, reducing access to vaccines for vulnerable children. The World Health Organisation estimates that coverage of the third dose of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis may have declined by 25-50% in May 2020 in Gavi-supported countries as compared to baseline levels.
Routine immunisation is the strongest shield against outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases. The UK is Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance's largest donor. Through UK support, Gavi, UNICEF and the World Health Organisation are working closely with countries to maintain and restore coverage levels, through catch up immunisation campaigns and strengthened routine immunisation programmes.
Through our support to Gavi and DFID’s bilateral health programmes, we are advocating for the importance of immunisation within countries’ COVID-19 primary health care recovery plans, with an unrelenting focus on equity at the sub-national level and reaching zero-dose children. The $8.8 billion raised by the UK at the Global Vaccine Summit on 4th June, will enable Gavi to immunise 300 million more children and save up to 8 million lives.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in response to the briefing by Oxfam The hunger virus: how COVID-19 is fuelling hunger in a hungry world, published on 12 July, on potential deaths from hunger globally caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Afghanistan.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK is concerned about food security in 2020. At the end of last year, 135 million people were facing acute food insecurity in 55 countries. This is set to increase, driven partly by COVID-19. We are working with international partners to monitor the situation and have adapted our social protection, agriculture and food security programmes, to support the most vulnerable.
In Yemen, food insecurity is increasing, substantially impacted by COVID-19 and ongoing conflict. Food prices have risen by 15% since the start of the year. In response, UK aid is supporting at least 300,000 vulnerable people each month to help buy food and treat 40,000 children for malnutrition.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, people experiencing acute food insecurity has increased from 15.6 million in 2019, to approximately 19.5 million in 2020. We are at the forefront of the humanitarian response, and our £262 million humanitarian programme will have provided lifesaving assistance to over 3 million people over 3 years.
In Afghanistan, an estimated 12.4 million people are facing ‘crisis’ or ‘emergency’ levels of food insecurity. DFID is working to provide life-saving support through the Multi-year Humanitarian Response Programme and the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, to support the COVID-19 response. This will enable responders to implement the most urgent parts of the WHO plan, and provide vital water, sanitation and food assistance.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the COVID-19 pandemic is progressing in Africa at a slower rate than they expected; and if so, what assessment they have made of why that is the case.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is currently increasing more rapidly in Africa today than many other regions in the world. Currently cases in Africa are growing by approximately 5% each day compared with 3% in Asia and 1% in Europe. Cases continue to rise in Africa and while overall it took 52 days to reach the first 10,000 cases, it took only 11 days to move from 30,000 to 50,000 cases, and Africa now has over 100,000 cases.
However, confirmed cases of COVID-19 are growing at a slower rate than was the case in Europe and Asia at the same stage of their epidemics. This slower growth in Africa may be explained by under-reporting due to low testing rates. For example, as of 7 May, an average of 69 tests were carried out in Africa per 100,000 people compared to over 30 times this rate in Europe. It is possible that the lower mortality to date could be as a result of Africa being the youngest continent demographically, with a lower proportion of older people who are at higher risk of death. It is important to remain vigilant for the potential increase in cases that Africa could see in the coming months. Africa is also likely to see disproportionate indirect impacts of COVID-19 on wider health, economic, and social outcomes, which will be important to mitigate.
So far, the UK has pledged £764 million of UK aid to help end this pandemic as quickly as possible. This includes support to Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to model the future trajectory of the pandemic in low- and middle-income countries. This will help understand how COVID-19 is progressing in Africa and help to inform governments in the region on how best to respond to the pandemic.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they have provided to the Palestinian authorities in Gaza to assist with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular in regard to living conditions, COVID-19 testing and the provision of healthcare; and what discussions they have had with the government of Israel about ensuring that Gaza is able to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has pledged £744 million to support the global humanitarian response to COVID-19. We?have?delivered?additional vital support in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by providing £840,000?to WHO 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 UN assesses that although the current number of detected cases remains relatively low, the capacity of the Palestinian health system to cope with an expected increase in COVID-19 cases is poor. The situation is particularly severe in Gaza, where the health system has shortages in specialised staff, drugs and equipment. The UK is engaging with the Israeli Government on the COVID-19 response, including the response in Gaza. I most recently discussed the situation with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK at the end of April.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what international responses they are initiating with partners in the UN to provide assistance to those states which are the least prepared to address the health and economic crises arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We are using UK aid to its full effect to counter the health, humanitarian, and economic risks and impacts of COVID-19. The UK strongly supports the United Nations Global Humanitarian Response Plan and continues to work with international partners, including the United Nations and its agencies, to ensure aid reaches those most in need.
Up to £744 million of UK aid funding has been committed so far to support the global efforts to combat COVID-19. Of that, £145 million is for United Nations appeals, including:
The UK is also providing up to £150 million of UK aid funding which will go the International Monetary Fund’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.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the humanitarian situation in Idlib province during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) the risks of that situation worsening due to the further spread of the virus in Syria.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are immense humanitarian needs in North West Syria, including Idlib province; these are further increased by COVID-19. Of almost 1 million people displaced in North West Syria since 1 December 2019, some 135,000 people have returned to their areas of origin or previous displacement. The most urgent needs continue to be shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, food, and protection.
To date, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in North West Syria. We assess that secondary effects of the pandemic will intensify needs and hinder response efforts. The UN’s response plan in the North West is now estimated at $162 million, with efforts focusing on preparedness and planning to minimise the potential impact of the virus on communities in addition to the existing crisis response. The World Health Organisation has warned of an impending ‘explosion’ of cases in Syria and we expect a significant outbreak that will be difficult for the health system to manage after years of conflict. Some of the highest risks are in IDP camps and conflict areas, including Idlib province.
The UK is monitoring the situation closely and DFID is working with the UN and our humanitarian partners in Syria to ensure we are able to actively respond to the outbreak and sustain life-saving services during this pandemic.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what practical assistance they have offered the government of Iran to help it to manage the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK, jointly with E3 partners, have offered Iran a comprehensive package of both material and financial support to combat the rapid spread of the disease. This includes financial support of up to €5 million through the WHO or other UN agencies to fight the COVID-19 epidemic affecting Iran, and equipment for laboratory tests, as well as other equipment, including protective body suits and gloves.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have on the current humanitarian situation in Idlib province.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We are gravely concerned about escalating Syrian Regime and Russian military action and its humanitarian impact in Idlib. As of 6 February, the UN reports that 586,000 people have been displaced since 1 December 2019, and many more are at risk of imminent further displacement. This financial year DFID has already allocated £103 million to organisations delivering aid cross border from Turkey primarily into North West Syria, including Idlib. This has helped to provide hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people with food, clean water, shelter, and healthcare including psychosocial support.
Given the rapidly deteriorating conditions in North West Syria, we have put options in place to increase our funding further to address the pressing needs of those displaced by the conflict. We have provided funding to response partners including the UN to preposition essential supplies to support innocent families and civilians displaced by conflict and we are supporting all our partners to respond to this humanitarian crisis. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa visited Turkey on 5-6 February and discussed the crisis in North West Syria with UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs, as well as with Turkish authorities. DFID partners on the ground are working tirelessly to provide aid to those affected by the military offensive.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to improve the situation of Rohingya refugees in camps in Bangladesh who have little prospect of returning to Myanmar in the immediate future; what representations they have made to the government of Bangladesh about its ban on formal education in those camps; and what funding they have provided, and intend to provide, to assist with the costs of such education.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK government is committed to improving the situation of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, so that they can lead more fulfilling and meaningful lives, both now and in the future. We have provided £129m in funding since August 2017 to all essential sectors: food security and nutrition, shelter, health, protection, water, hygiene promotion and sanitation.
It has also included support to education. This has primarily been as part of our contribution to UNICEF, which has so far totalled £13.43m; and indirectly through our contributions to Education Cannot Wait and the Global Partnership for Education. Together these have provided funding of $26m of which the UK has contributed nearly £3m. Education will remain a priority for future UK funding.
The Development Secretary discussed the Rohingya crisis with the Bangladesh Government in Dhaka in February, including the need to improve refugees’ access to education, skills and livelihoods. The FCO Minister for Asia and the Pacific held similar discussions with the Government during his visit in April. My officials also regularly discuss the issue with their counterparts in government.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking with international partners to help contain the current outbreak of Ebola in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK Government continues to take the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) extremely seriously. It is the largest in the country’s history, the first in an active conflict zone and the second largest on record. We have been one of the leading supporters of the response in the DRC from the very start – through both funding and technical expertise to the World Health Organisation and others – and are actively pushing for international partners to do more. We are also the leading donor for regional preparedness. With case numbers continuing to rise and the outbreak not yet under control, the UK is looking to ensure that the response adapts to meet the needs of a deteriorating situation, including by strengthening community engagement. We are also looking to other donors to step up in terms of funding and support. Preventing the spread of deadly diseases saves lives and money, and is therefore firmly in the UK’s national interest.