Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many native trees her Department has supported the planting of in each of the last three years as part of climate mitigation efforts; how much her Department has spent on supporting native tree planting in each of those years; how much carbon her Department estimates has been sequestered as a result of those programmes in that time period; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by James Duddridge
Improving the management of forests is a priority for DFID’s work to tackle climate change and protect the environment and biodiversity. DFID supports a range of interventions, including working with governments, businesses and community groups to strengthen governance of the forest sector and address the illegal timber trade, as well as public-private partnerships that promote sustainable investment in agriculture, by integrating measures to protect and restore forests.
This support does not directly target the replanting of native trees, and so data is not collected on the number of trees planted. Improved management and protection however creates the conditions needed for regeneration of native trees to take place naturally. For example, through DFID support, 18.7 million hectares of forest in Indonesia are protected under a national scheme backed by an international timber trade agreement, and this agreement includes protections that create the conditions under which natural regeneration can take place.
DFID’s has invested £57.2 million (2017-18), £53.1 million (2018-19) and £50.8 million (2019-20) in bilateral forest programmes over the past three years.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how she plans to build on the UK’s leadership at the Global Vaccine Summit to help ensure a globally co-ordinated response to the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK is proud to have raised $8.8 billion for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance at the Global Vaccine Summit on 4 June. The UK pledged £1.65 billion to Gavi for 2021 to 2025. The funding raised by all donors at the Global Vaccine Summit will enable Gavi to immunise 300 million more children and save up to 8 million lives by 2025. The UK has also reallocated $60 million for Gavi’s Covax AMC, to ensure access in the poorest countries to any COVID-19 vaccine.
As Gavi’s lead donor, the UK is using our leadership at the Summit, to strengthen global coordination on the COVID-19 response. The Gavi Alliance, which includes the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF, will play a vital role in maintaining essential services, including routine immunisation, throughout the pandemic. Routine immunisation is the strongest shield against secondary outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases. The UK is working closely with Alliance Partners, to ensure that routine immunisation is prioritised within countries’ primary health care recoveries.
The UK is a key donor to the WHO and has already contributed £75 million to help the organisation lead international efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 and end the pandemic. This includes: global coordination; planning for country level preparedness and response; global procurement and supply; the science and research and development agenda; and communications.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will allocate an adequate level of funding to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to provide for stronger health systems.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK is proud to be hosting the Gavi Replenishment Conference on 3-4th June, to secure Gavi the funds it needs to immunise 300 million more children and save at least 7 million lives between 2021 and 2025.
We recognise the importance of the UK’s funding to Gavi; our £1.44 billion of support to Gavi between 2016-2020 has saved 1.4 million lives from vaccine-preventable diseases in 68 of the world’s poorest countries. The UK’s commitment to Gavi is also central to our work to end preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children by 2030.
Gavi’s next strategic period is critically important for the UK as we work together to improve intra-country equity and coverage. Immunisation is often a child’s first point of contact with their health service. By extending routine immunisation to reach the underserved, particularly zero-dose children who have never been vaccinated, Gavi is building a foundation for stronger national health systems. The UK will also prioritise ensuring our investment in Gavi is sustainable by supporting countries to effectively transition from Gavi support to increased domestic funding.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on ensuring that universal health coverage is central to the replenishment period and strategy review with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) is a UK priority and an overarching goal for DFID’s contribution to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The UK’s £1.44 billion of support to Gavi between 2016-2020 has saved 1.4 million lives from vaccine-preventable diseases in 68 of the world’s poorest countries.
The UK is proud to be hosting the Gavi Replenishment Conference on 3-4th June, to secure Gavi the funds it needs to immunise 300 million more children and save at least 7 million lives between 2021 and 2025. The UK’s commitment to Gavi is central to our work to end preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children by 2030.
In its next strategic period, Gavi is committed to reaching every child with essential vaccines, to improve intra-country equity and coverage. Immunisation is often a child’s first point of contact with their health service. By extending routine immunisation to reach the underserved, particularly zero-dose children who have never been vaccinated, Gavi is building a foundation for UHC.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effect of funding replenishment for (a) Gavi, (b) the Vaccine Alliance and (c) Nutrition for Growth on ending preventable child deaths by 2030.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK’s ambition to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children by 2030 is supported by our commitment to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and addressing malnutrition through Nutrition for Growth.
The UK’s £1.44 billion of support to Gavi between 2016-2020 has saved 1.4 million lives from vaccine-preventable diseases in 68 of the world’s poorest countries. The UK-hosted pledging conference for Gavi on 3-4th June 2020 is an opportunity for the UK to use its global leadership to secure Gavi the funds it needs to immunise 300 million more children and save at least 7 million lives between 2021 and 2025.
The 2020 Nutrition for Growth Summit will be an important opportunity to secure new commitments to nutrition, to set the world on a better track to achieve the Global Goals and to help achieve our ambition of ending preventable deaths by 2030.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to increase Official Development Assistance spending on education.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Between 2009 and 2018 DFID’s spend on education doubled from almost £500 million to nearly £1 billion. The Prime Minister has publicly stated that education, particularly girls’ education, is a priority for the UK. He announced £90 million for education in emergencies and protracted crisis including £85 million to Education Cannot Wait at the G7 Summit, and last week the UK announced a £515 million package of support for education, including a £300 million pledge for the new International Finance Facility for Education. In total, these announcements will support 6.3 million girls. Alongside our commitment to the Global Partnership for Education, the UK is now the leading bilateral donor to all three major multilateral education funds and continues to be one of the leading bilateral donors to basic education. At the UN General Assembly last week, the UK has been calling for others to step up and follow our lead.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the conclusions of the report published on 23 September by Save the Children entitled Transformative Aid: How UK aid can transform global development and children’s futures.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
DFID has reviewed the report and welcomes its focus on long-term, systemic change which is central to DFID’s approach. Women and girls’ health and education are a top priority for DFID. At the UN General Assembly the Secretary of State announced £600 million in new funding for family planning supplies for women and girls in the world’s poorest countries. This week the UK announced a £515 million package of support for education. DFID is committed to generational transformation for the world’s poorest and already spends 57% of its bilateral budget on fragile and conflict affected states. The UK will host the Vaccine Alliance pledging conference next year to help create a healthier world. I welcome the report acknowledging DFID’s high standards of transparency and effectiveness. Other departments are making good progress and DFID continues to support.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make it a condition of Official Development Assistance for the health sector that developing countries allocate five percent of their GDP to that sector.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
If we are to meet the ambition of SDG 3 and ensure no-one is left behind, countries need to invest more public resources in health. The UK strongly supports the commitments in the United Nations Political Declaration on Universal Health Coverage. This calls on countries to increase public spending, with an emphasis on primary health care, noting World Health Organisation recommendations of an additional 1% of GDP or more. Evidence shows that the best way to achieve these financing increases is to secure political commitment rather than aid conditionality measures.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department’s priorities are for the replenishment period and strategy review with Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK is delighted to be hosting the Gavi Replenishment in 2020. Gavi has immunised over 700 million children, saving 10 million lives from preventable diseases. The UK is proud to have played a significant role in delivering these extraordinary results.
As hosts of the Replenishment Conference, our priority will be to help Gavi secure the funding it needs to further deliver its life-saving work. The replenishment period is also a terrific opportunity to demonstrate the impact of the UK’s contribution to Gavi for the world’s poorest and to recognise the extraordinary work done by British innovators, academics and health advocates to support Gavi’s mission.
The next strategic period for Gavi is critically important and the UK will continue to press for further improvements. This includes promoting equitable coverage of immunisation to leave no-one behind and ensure vaccines are available for the most vulnerable. The UK will also prioritise ensuring our investment in Gavi is sustainable and delivers maximum value for money by supporting countries to effectively transition from Gavi support to increased domestic funding.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to provide marginalised children with access to vaccines.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK believes all children should have access to lifesaving vaccines, no matter where they live. Equitable vaccine coverage is therefore a key priority for the UK’s support for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. This investment provides immunisation to the poorest children in 68 of the world’s poorest countries. Gavi will vaccinate an additional 76 million children by 2020, preventing 1.4 million deaths from vaccine preventable diseases.
As well as providing support to strengthen the overall health system, Gavi focuses on improving access and equity by identifying the populations and geographical areas most likely to be under immunised and at risk of outbreaks. Gavi have also adapted their model to include a Fragility, Emergency and Refugees policy which provides a more quick and flexible response in fragile countries. This has helped reach unimmunised children in places like Syria and in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.
As a Gavi Board member, the UK advocates for equitable coverage as a core priority both now and in the future strategy.