Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effect of changing levels of funding for non-conflicting affected states on the level of stability in those countries.
Answered by Rory Stewart
DFID uses a range of criteria to determine allocations to countries, including the need of those countries for development assistance, how effective our assistance is likely to be in those countries, and the strategic fit with UK government priorities.
The 50% commitment is not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do for Britain’s national interest. The commitment ensures that we improve the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world. Poverty is increasingly concentrated in fragile states and regions, and conflict is one of the major challenges to development. Over half of the world’s poor live in fragile states.
Our work in fragile states and regions will help to build stability, prevent conflict and support economic growth in the world’s poorest countries and regions. Without stability, our gains on poverty reduction risk being reversed.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when her Department plans to publish the outcomes of the Multilateral and Bilateral Aid Reviews.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Secretary of State is currently considering the outcomes of the Department for International Development’s Multilateral and Bilateral Aid Reviews, and will aim to publish them shortly.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many staff of her Department have been seconded to UN agencies in connection with her Department's work in Burundi.
Answered by Nick Hurd
DFID has provided technical support, in the form of funding of experts, to support UN agencies working on the crisis in Burundi. This currently includes an Information Manager in OCHA to strengthen humanitarian coordination, and an Emergency Coordinator at the International Office of Migration (IOM). Throughout 2015 and 2016, DFID has funded a total of 7 experts in the UN. Additionally, HMG is deploying a Burundi Coordinator to the FCO’s Liaison Office in Bujumbura to enhance the UK’s presence and representation in Burundi, and to manage Conflict, Security and Stability Fund (CSSF) funding.
Our current assessment is of a political and civil crisis rather than humanitarian and the new Burundi Coordinator will continue to assess. We have set aside contingency funding in Burundi and the region should humanitarian indicators deteriorate and further funding be required.
DFID has committed £36.15 million to support Burundian refugees in the region. These resources have been channelled through UN agencies, such as UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP, and to international NGOs. DFID is also providing £3 million support for preparedness and early response within Burundi.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the level of seniority is of staff of her Department who have been seconded to UN agencies in connection with her Department's work in Burundi.
Answered by Nick Hurd
DFID has provided technical support, in the form of funding of experts, to support UN agencies working on the crisis in Burundi. This currently includes an Information Manager in OCHA to strengthen humanitarian coordination, and an Emergency Coordinator at the International Office of Migration (IOM). Throughout 2015 and 2016, DFID has funded a total of 7 experts in the UN. Additionally, HMG is deploying a Burundi Coordinator to the FCO’s Liaison Office in Bujumbura to enhance the UK’s presence and representation in Burundi, and to manage Conflict, Security and Stability Fund (CSSF) funding.
Our current assessment is of a political and civil crisis rather than humanitarian and the new Burundi Coordinator will continue to assess. We have set aside contingency funding in Burundi and the region should humanitarian indicators deteriorate and further funding be required.
DFID has committed £36.15 million to support Burundian refugees in the region. These resources have been channelled through UN agencies, such as UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP, and to international NGOs. DFID is also providing £3 million support for preparedness and early response within Burundi.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, to which UN agencies staff of her Department have been seconded in connection with her Department's work in Burundi.
Answered by Nick Hurd
DFID has provided technical support, in the form of funding of experts, to support UN agencies working on the crisis in Burundi. This currently includes an Information Manager in OCHA to strengthen humanitarian coordination, and an Emergency Coordinator at the International Office of Migration (IOM). Throughout 2015 and 2016, DFID has funded a total of 7 experts in the UN. Additionally, HMG is deploying a Burundi Coordinator to the FCO’s Liaison Office in Bujumbura to enhance the UK’s presence and representation in Burundi, and to manage Conflict, Security and Stability Fund (CSSF) funding.
Our current assessment is of a political and civil crisis rather than humanitarian and the new Burundi Coordinator will continue to assess. We have set aside contingency funding in Burundi and the region should humanitarian indicators deteriorate and further funding be required.
DFID has committed £36.15 million to support Burundian refugees in the region. These resources have been channelled through UN agencies, such as UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP, and to international NGOs. DFID is also providing £3 million support for preparedness and early response within Burundi.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when her Department plans to deploy additional funding and resources to Burundi.
Answered by Nick Hurd
DFID has provided technical support, in the form of funding of experts, to support UN agencies working on the crisis in Burundi. This currently includes an Information Manager in OCHA to strengthen humanitarian coordination, and an Emergency Coordinator at the International Office of Migration (IOM). Throughout 2015 and 2016, DFID has funded a total of 7 experts in the UN. Additionally, HMG is deploying a Burundi Coordinator to the FCO’s Liaison Office in Bujumbura to enhance the UK’s presence and representation in Burundi, and to manage Conflict, Security and Stability Fund (CSSF) funding.
Our current assessment is of a political and civil crisis rather than humanitarian and the new Burundi Coordinator will continue to assess. We have set aside contingency funding in Burundi and the region should humanitarian indicators deteriorate and further funding be required.
DFID has committed £36.15 million to support Burundian refugees in the region. These resources have been channelled through UN agencies, such as UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP, and to international NGOs. DFID is also providing £3 million support for preparedness and early response within Burundi.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, under what circumstances it is her Department's policy to enact its action plan for Burundi.
Answered by Nick Hurd
DFID has provided technical support, in the form of funding of experts, to support UN agencies working on the crisis in Burundi. This currently includes an Information Manager in OCHA to strengthen humanitarian coordination, and an Emergency Coordinator at the International Office of Migration (IOM). Throughout 2015 and 2016, DFID has funded a total of 7 experts in the UN. Additionally, HMG is deploying a Burundi Coordinator to the FCO’s Liaison Office in Bujumbura to enhance the UK’s presence and representation in Burundi, and to manage Conflict, Security and Stability Fund (CSSF) funding.
Our current assessment is of a political and civil crisis rather than humanitarian and the new Burundi Coordinator will continue to assess. We have set aside contingency funding in Burundi and the region should humanitarian indicators deteriorate and further funding be required.
DFID has committed £36.15 million to support Burundian refugees in the region. These resources have been channelled through UN agencies, such as UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP, and to international NGOs. DFID is also providing £3 million support for preparedness and early response within Burundi.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of an escalation of border clashes between Eritrea and Ethiopia on refugees in that region.
Answered by Nick Hurd
We are concerned over recent reports of fighting between Ethiopian and Eritrean forces along the border near Tsorena. My colleague the Minister for Africa, Mr Duddridge, has called on both countries to exercise restraint and said that they should engage in meaningful political discourse to seek a resolution to the ongoing border issues.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has confirmed to DFID that the recent border clashes between Eritrea and Ethiopia have had no discernible impact on refugees in the border region. Services for refugees in the camps in Tigray region (which borders Eritrea) have not been disrupted by the clashes.
Refugees have continued to cross from Eritrea to Ethiopia at a rate of around 2,000-3,000 per month in 2016 and there has been no change to this pattern.
According to its global policy, UNHCR sites refugee camps ‘at a reasonable distance’ from international borders. The closest refugee camp to the Eritrean border is around 25 km away. Others are further away from the border.