Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) locally-led mutual aid networks and (b) civil society on funding for peacebuilding programmes.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers meet regularly with mutual assistance networks during their visits to countries facing humanitarian needs. During his visit to the Chad-Sudan border in January 2025, the Foreign Secretary announced £20 million in additional funding to support people in Sudan and Chad, including support to mutual aid groups, such as the Emergency Response Rooms. The previous Minister for Development also met with these networks during recent visits to both Sudan and Ethiopia where they are involved in both relief and peacebuilding, and where we have allocated UK Official Development Assistance to peacebuilding programmes in Tigray. A major purpose of the Integrated Security Fund is to provide support to civil society actors in conflict environments. Similarly, the UK continues to invest in the Peacebuilding Fund, the UN's primary mechanism supporting conflict prevention and peacebuilding activity in over 40 countries including Sudan, South Sudan, West Africa, and the Sahel. The FCDO engages regularly with civil society working on conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding, including on funding for programmes.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking diplomatic steps to encourage conflict parties in Sudan to remove (a) travel permits, (b) internal travel notifications for humanitarian staff, (c) unpredictable visa procedures and (d) other bureaucratic barriers to humanitarian access.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to raise the critical issue of humanitarian access and the bureaucratic impediments placed by the warring parties on relief agencies. At the UN Security Council in December 2024 and again in January this year, we called for the warring parties to lift bureaucratic impediments and let aid get to those who need it. The former Minister for Development also engaged directly with the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, on the UN response and the bureaucratic obstacles it faces. In recent bilateral engagements with the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, General Burhan, the UK lobbied against impediments including lengthy delays in the provision of visas for international humanitarian personnel.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help ensure that conflict parties in Sudan facilitate consistent humanitarian access through (a) cross-border and (b) crossline routes.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is playing a leading role in response to the crisis in Sudan, including efforts to facilitate more consistent humanitarian access. Through a commitment of £226.5 million we are delivering lifesaving aid to over one million people. In April, the Foreign Secretary will convene Foreign Ministers in London to host an event marking the two year anniversary of the conflict. The event aims to increase international attention to the human cost of the conflict and to help deliver a more effective and scaled-up humanitarian response, including more consistent cross-border and crossline access. In February, the former Minister for Development also convened a meeting with her counterparts which sought to strengthen the UN-led international humanitarian response and improve aid access.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which (a) sectors and (b) regions he plans to prioritise following changes to Official Development Assistance.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what consultations he plans to hold with (a) humanitarian and (b) international development (i) partners and (ii) stakeholders on changes to Official Development Assistance.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government remains fully committed to the UK playing a globally significant role on development; it is both in our national interest and in the interest of our partners across the globe.
We are currently working through the details of the Prime Minister's announcement, including engagement with a range of stakeholders. We will continue to work with British International Investment to focus and maximise the impact of its work in line with our missions and the wider geopolitical situation.