Sustainable Development Goals Summit

Lord Purvis of Tweed Excerpts

Thursday 21st September 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Mott (Con)]

I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Collins of Highbury, about the need for everyone to take ownership and work in partnership. The word “partnership” has certainly come up in the last few weeks in your Lordships’ House. With regard to the need to press on and leadership, the Prime Minister was recently at the G20 where he talked to international colleagues and partners, and he continues to do so. If I may focus on food security and our humanitarian response for a second, the UK will invest over £370 million in global food security this year, including £130 million in the World Food Programme, and over £17 million of this funding will help to improve the effective use of fertiliser and increase food production in vulnerable countries.

[Lord Purvis of Tweed (LD)]

My Lords, unlike France, which is now meeting its 0.7% commitment and expanding support across all 17 of the SDG targets, the UK is cutting across all 17, including over half of its commitment to water and sanitary health, women’s and girls’ support, and hunger relief. Is our economy far worse than that of France, meaning that we cannot afford it, or is that a political choice by the Conservative Government?

[Lord Mott (Con)]

The noble Lord makes a powerful point. The one thing I would say in response is that we have continued to honour our commitments. We have helped educate more than 8 million of the world’s most vulnerable girls since 2015, and hosted the 2022 Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative Conference, to end conflict-related sexual violence. Our international women and girls strategy commits to at least 80% of the FCDO’s bilateral aid programmes focusing on gender equality by 2030, which is vital for delivering the SDGs.