Asked by: Naomi Long (Alliance - Belfast East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which community-based women's organisations in Burma receive funding from her Department to assist victims of sexual violence by the Burmese army.
Answered by Alan Duncan
DFID is providing £500,000 through the United Nation's Population Fund (UNFPA) to strengthen the network and capacity of agencies working on gender-based violence in Rakhine and Kachin those areas.
Asked by: Naomi Long (Alliance - Belfast East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, in what ways her Department's work to give people in developing countries better access to financial services takes account of (a) lack of braille facilities, (b) laws and practices discriminating against people with disabilities and (c) other barriers experienced by people with disabilities.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
Our financial sector development programmes work to strengthen regulation, build infrastructure and improve financial capability to increase the access of poor people, including disadvantaged groups, to financial services that meet their needs.
Asked by: Naomi Long (Alliance - Belfast East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department's country offices are encouraged to seek the views and input of people with disabilities in the design and delivery of their programmes.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
DFID recognises the importance of people with disabilities having influence in the programmes and decisions which affect them. In DFID country offices, stakeholder engagement and participation, including with people with disabilities, is a fundamental part of strategic decision making and programme management.
Asked by: Naomi Long (Alliance - Belfast East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many people with disabilities her Department aims to reach with its development programmes.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
DFID does not disaggregate programme data across our portfolio. Our objective is to integrate disability into wider programming and to influence partners to do more, and so the overall results largely depend on the nature of the social and economic reform programmes of partner governments.
Asked by: Naomi Long (Alliance - Belfast East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the post-2015 development framework includes a sustainable development goal on water and sanitation that includes universal access to sanitation by 2030.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The UK Government is committed to supporting 60 million people to gain access to sustainable water, sanitation and/or hygiene services in the developing world. We are on track to achieve this target.
The UK supports the inclusion of universal access to sanitation as a target under a water related goal. This language is included in the most recent draft goals and targets list released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June.
The final targets in the post-2015 development framework will however be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.
Asked by: Naomi Long (Alliance - Belfast East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the implications of the Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda for the operation of UK aid in (a) the health sector and (b) other sectors in that country.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The UK ended Budget Support to the Ugandan Government following concerns about corruption last year. Our development programme continues to support poverty reduction and growth in Uganda.
DFID is providing £16.3 million over 4 years to support an improved HIV prevention response in Uganda, which will include provision for specifically targeting Most At Risk Populations (MARPS). We also provide support through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. We are working with other donors and the Ministry of Health in Uganda to assess the likely impact of this legislation.
Asked by: Naomi Long (Alliance - Belfast East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of levels of violence against women in Afghanistan.
Answered by Justine Greening
The UK Government shares the widespread concern about attacks and intimidation faced by Afghan women, including those who work to defend the rights and fundamental freedoms of others.
Eliminating violence against women and girls is a strategic priority for DFID's work in Afghanistan and a range of programmes are being implemented to directly tackle women's violence and support women's empowerment.