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Written Question
Palestinians: Textbooks
Monday 27th July 2020

Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress is being made on the George Eckert Institute's interim report on its independent review of Palestinian textbooks.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

Following UK calls for action, our European Partners commissioned the Georg Eckert Institute to conduct an independent review of Palestinian textbooks, which is currently underway.

We understand the report has been delayed due to COVID-19. We have regular discussions with our European Partners on the review and we continue to encourage them to finalise the interim report as soon as possible.

The UK will continue to raise our concerns about incitement in education, as I did most recently with the PA Minister for Education just last month. We welcome the PA's work to revise its textbooks and their intention to publish updated versions for the start of the school year in September.


Written Question
Palestinians: Textbooks
Monday 27th July 2020

Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the recommendations of the George Eckert Institute's interim report on its independent review of Palestinian textbooks are implemented before the start of the new academic year in September 2020.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

Following UK calls for action, our European Partners commissioned the Georg Eckert Institute to conduct an independent review of Palestinian textbooks, which is currently underway.

We understand the report has been delayed due to COVID-19. We have regular discussions with our European Partners on the review and we continue to encourage them to finalise the interim report as soon as possible.

The UK will continue to raise our concerns about incitement in education, as I did most recently with the PA Minister for Education just last month. We welcome the PA's work to revise its textbooks and their intention to publish updated versions for the start of the school year in September.


Written Question
Africa: Coronavirus
Tuesday 28th April 2020

Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to support developing countries in Africa to tackle the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by James Duddridge

The UK is playing a leading role in the global response to COVID-19, working with international partners to slow its spread. We are using UK aid to mitigate new health, humanitarian and economic risks across Africa and have pledged £744 million of UK aid globally to end the pandemic. The UK continues to work with partners, including the United Nations, to ensure aid reaches those most in need. We have provided health experts in key African countries and organisations. This includes a team at the WHO’s AFRO regional office in Brazzaville.

The UK is also providing up to £150 million to the International Monetary Fund’s Catastrophe Containment Relief Trust to help developing countries, including many in Africa, meet their debt repayments so that they can focus available resources on tackling COVID-19. The UK has worked closely with G20 creditors and the Paris Club on a temporary suspension of debt repayments from countries that request relief, further boosting response capacities.

Finally, the UK is urgently redirecting existing programmes right across Africa to respond to COVID-19, prioritising health, humanitarian, growth and trade as well as education and nutrition, recognising that these components are vital for response and longer term recovery.