Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help support the inclusion of Syrian youth and women in post-conflict reconstruction and decision-making processes including funding for locally-led initiatives and civic empowerment programmes.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long recognised the importance of education for Syria's long-term resilience, stability and prosperity. Since 2022, the UK's Syria Education Programme has trained over 15,000 school staff and provided foundational literacy and numeracy materials to primary school children in Idlib and Aleppo. In the past year, the UK has funded the rehabilitation of 90 schools in Idlib and Aleppo and provided £2.5 million to UNICEF for school rehabilitation across the country.
The UK also places the inclusion of women and girls at the centre of its approach to Syria's recovery. Syria is a priority country under the UK's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and we are supporting agricultural livelihoods, vocational training and entrepreneurship opportunities with a focus on young people, female-headed households and conflict‑affected communities in economically marginalised regions.
The UK's Global Mine Action Programme is supporting mine clearance and livelihoods programming in North East Syria and our Syria Education Programme provides safety information to children in Idlib and Aleppo, promoting safe behaviours and encouraging the reporting of suspicious or hazardous objects.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support employment, vocational training, and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people in Syria, particularly in areas affected by conflict and sanctions.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long recognised the importance of education for Syria's long-term resilience, stability and prosperity. Since 2022, the UK's Syria Education Programme has trained over 15,000 school staff and provided foundational literacy and numeracy materials to primary school children in Idlib and Aleppo. In the past year, the UK has funded the rehabilitation of 90 schools in Idlib and Aleppo and provided £2.5 million to UNICEF for school rehabilitation across the country.
The UK also places the inclusion of women and girls at the centre of its approach to Syria's recovery. Syria is a priority country under the UK's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and we are supporting agricultural livelihoods, vocational training and entrepreneurship opportunities with a focus on young people, female-headed households and conflict‑affected communities in economically marginalised regions.
The UK's Global Mine Action Programme is supporting mine clearance and livelihoods programming in North East Syria and our Syria Education Programme provides safety information to children in Idlib and Aleppo, promoting safe behaviours and encouraging the reporting of suspicious or hazardous objects.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support the rebuilding of schools, the training of teachers, and the provision of learning materials in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long recognised the importance of education for Syria's long-term resilience, stability and prosperity. Since 2022, the UK's Syria Education Programme has trained over 15,000 school staff and provided foundational literacy and numeracy materials to primary school children in Idlib and Aleppo. In the past year, the UK has funded the rehabilitation of 90 schools in Idlib and Aleppo and provided £2.5 million to UNICEF for school rehabilitation across the country.
The UK also places the inclusion of women and girls at the centre of its approach to Syria's recovery. Syria is a priority country under the UK's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and we are supporting agricultural livelihoods, vocational training and entrepreneurship opportunities with a focus on young people, female-headed households and conflict‑affected communities in economically marginalised regions.
The UK's Global Mine Action Programme is supporting mine clearance and livelihoods programming in North East Syria and our Syria Education Programme provides safety information to children in Idlib and Aleppo, promoting safe behaviours and encouraging the reporting of suspicious or hazardous objects.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what action she is taking to support mine clearance, risk education, and safe access to schools, agricultural land, and residential areas in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long recognised the importance of education for Syria's long-term resilience, stability and prosperity. Since 2022, the UK's Syria Education Programme has trained over 15,000 school staff and provided foundational literacy and numeracy materials to primary school children in Idlib and Aleppo. In the past year, the UK has funded the rehabilitation of 90 schools in Idlib and Aleppo and provided £2.5 million to UNICEF for school rehabilitation across the country.
The UK also places the inclusion of women and girls at the centre of its approach to Syria's recovery. Syria is a priority country under the UK's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and we are supporting agricultural livelihoods, vocational training and entrepreneurship opportunities with a focus on young people, female-headed households and conflict‑affected communities in economically marginalised regions.
The UK's Global Mine Action Programme is supporting mine clearance and livelihoods programming in North East Syria and our Syria Education Programme provides safety information to children in Idlib and Aleppo, promoting safe behaviours and encouraging the reporting of suspicious or hazardous objects.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people did her department sponsor Chevening scholarships for from (a) Sudan, (b) Cameroon, (c) Myanmar and (d) Afghanistan in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The table below provides the number of Chevening Scholarships awarded to individuals from Sudan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Afghanistan in the last ten years.
Country | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
Afghanistan | 18 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 23 | 29 | 18 | 21 | 13 | 10 |
Cameroon | 18 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Myanmar | 12 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 14 |
Sudan | 12 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 10 |
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with Israeli ministers about the annexation of Sebastia in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to response given on 24 March to question 120656.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will provide a breakdown of the number people in the UK on Chevening scholarships in each of the last ten years by nationality.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I thank the Hon Member for his question. I will deposit in the library the full requested breakdown of Chevening scholarships by year and by country, but as a summary of the top-line findings, the table below sets out the top 20 countries for scholarships over the period 2015-25.
| Brazil | 611 |
| Indonesia | 598 |
| Mexico | 574 |
| Pakistan | 565 |
| India | 523 |
| Nigeria | 489 |
| Egypt | 486 |
| South Africa | 447 |
| Malaysia | 429 |
| Kenya | 347 |
| Syria | 290 |
| Argentina | 283 |
| Philippines | 282 |
| Vietnam | 255 |
| Thailand | 241 |
| Turkey | 236 |
| Ukraine | 226 |
| Ghana | 210 |
| Bangladesh | 179 |
| Mongolia | 142 |
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of reductions to levels of spending on Official Development Assistance one year-on from when those reductions were announced.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
An Equalities Impact Assessment was published in September 2025 relating to Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations in 2025/26. We will soon publish the multi-year ODA allocations for the period from 2026/27 to 2028/29, informed by internal and external consultation and further impact assessments.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding has been a) allocated to and b) spent in the Northeastern State of Somalia in each of the last five years.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is one of Somalia's closest and longest standing partners, and remains committed to building a safer, freer, and more secure country. The UK has provided more than £500million in humanitarian and development funding to Somalia since 2021 - all UK funding allocations, including where programmes operate, are available on Development Tracker. The British Embassy in Mogadishu and British Office in Hargeisa engage regularly with a wide range of contacts in Somalia, including Somaliland. The UK is closely following events in SSC-Khatumo and continues to advocate for peace and dialogue between all parties.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department collects data on how UK funding is a) allocated and b) spent across Somalia's federal states.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is one of Somalia's closest and longest standing partners, and remains committed to building a safer, freer, and more secure country. The UK has provided more than £500million in humanitarian and development funding to Somalia since 2021 - all UK funding allocations, including where programmes operate, are available on Development Tracker. The British Embassy in Mogadishu and British Office in Hargeisa engage regularly with a wide range of contacts in Somalia, including Somaliland. The UK is closely following events in SSC-Khatumo and continues to advocate for peace and dialogue between all parties.