Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6251 on Sudan: Development Aid, if he will break down the £97 million allocated to Sudan by funding to (a) multilaterals, (b) NGOs and (c) national and local organisations.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In addition to the £97 million of UK ODA to Sudan so far this year, and £16.5 million to support neighbouring countries hosting people displaced by the conflict, on 17 November, the UK announced a further £113 million of aid to support over a million people affected by the violence in Sudan, and displaced across the region including to South Sudan, Chad and Uganda. With this announcement, the UK has doubled our aid in response to the conflict in Sudan this year to £226.5 million. Our funding supports UN and NGO partners, providing food, cash, shelter, medical assistance, water and sanitation. Education Cannot Wait will also receive £10 million of this funding to provide safe learning spaces and psychosocial for 200,000 vulnerable children in refugee and host communities in Chad, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Uganda. UK ODA continues to support the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) which is supporting local and national responders, including Emergency Response Rooms and a consortium of INGOs.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report entitled State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, published by the UN on 24 July 2024, what steps his Department plans to take to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goal 2.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are committed to addressing the causes of global food insecurity and malnutrition. The UK is leveraging expertise and investment to build greater resilience to shocks. The UK is also helping to transform agrifood systems for greener, inclusive growth and nutritious and sustainable foods and support smallholder farmer livelihoods. Our support to the Child Nutrition Fund and CGIAR, the world's leading agricultural science and innovation organisation, is helping to tackle malnutrition.
At the G20 Development Ministers Meeting in July, I announced the UK would join the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty to work in partnership to lift ambition and finance for long-term solutions.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Development in response to the question from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, during the Urgent Question on Sudan of 3 September 2024, Official Report, column 161, how much and what proportion of the £97 million funding announced for Sudan this financial year has been disbursed; and what his planned timetable is for the disbursement of remaining funds.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As of the end of September 2024, £70 million had been disbursed. The rest of the UK's funding to Sudan this year - which now stands at £97 million following further UK support since March - will be distributed by the end of the financial year.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his planned timetable is for the audit of the UK-China bilateral relationship; and what topics that audit will consider.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government will bring a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, driven by the national interest. We will co-operate where we can, including on global net zero, health and trade; compete where we have different interests; and challenge where we must, to protect our national security and values. An audit of the UK's relationship with China will improve the UK's capability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities. A timeline for the audit is to be determined.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking as penholder on Sudan to support the development of options for the deployment of a civilian protection mission for that country in coordination with the (a) African Union, (b) UN and (c) Intergovernmental Authority on Development.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have used our position as penholder at the UN Security Council to call meetings to call for a ceasefire, and for all warring parties to protect civilians in Sudan. On 13 June, the UNSC adopted a UK-led resolution 2736 demanding a halt to the Rapid Support Forces' siege of El Fasher and requesting the Secretary-General to provide recommendations on the protection of civilians. The UK is engaging closely with the UN on the development of those recommendations which will be released in October ahead of the next 120-day meeting on Sudan. I met with the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa to discuss pathways to ceasefire negotiations and we will continue to work alongside our international partners, including those in the region such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the AU, to urge the warring parties to engage constructively to secure a ceasefire.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the closure of (a) UNITAD in September 2024 and (b) camps for internally displaced people in the Kurdistan region of Iraq on the safety and security of the Yazidi community in Iraq.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK will work to ensure a smooth closure of UNITAD as its mandate ends on 17 September 2024. We have supported Iraq to develop capacity for Daesh accountability through UNITAD and international efforts to deliver justice will continue.
The UK remains committed to the safety and security of Iraq's Yazidi community. We continue to collaborate with the Iraqi and Kurdish governments, international agencies such as UNHCR, and the broader humanitarian community to resolve displacement-related issues. We want to ensure that any camp closures are supported by relevant UN agencies and that durable solutions ensure the safe reintegration of residents of IDP camps, including Yazidis, to their locations of settlement.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department plans to offer to the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty launched by the G20 Brazilian Presidency.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
At the G20 Development Ministers Meeting in July, I announced the UK would join the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty when it launches in November, offering UK expertise support to the secretariat, to join the Board of Champions, and to galvanise our networks to support the Alliance, including the UK development community, civil society and academia. We so far supported the Alliance's taskforce with expertise, co-financing a technical report on resource mobilisation delivered by the Overseas Development Institute. As we join, the UK will bring to bear our investments and expertise in food security, nutrition, social protection and more.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that overseas development aid to (a) Sudan, (b) Ethiopia and (c) other East African countries reaches (i) local and (ii) national non-governmental (A) youth, (B) women-led and (C) faith-based organisations.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Local and national organisations - including youth, women-led and faith-based organisations - play a vital role in delivering UK-funded development work across East Africa, where the UK plans to invest almost £750 million in ODA in 2024/25. In Sudan, we are providing technical assistance to the UN to develop a strategy for partnering with local organisations and using our seat on the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) advisory board to encourage a greater portion of assistance to be channelled to local, community-led organisations. The recent International Development White Paper is also clear on this priority and commits the UK to publish a strategy on partnering with national relief actors.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how much and what proportion of funding announced at the pledging conferences for (a) Sudan and (b) Ethiopia is new; and how will that funding be released.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
On 15 April Lord Benyon attended the Sudan Humanitarian Pledging Conference in Paris where the UK re-affirmed our funding for Sudan this financial year of £89 million. We are still in the process of allocating funding in Sudan for 2024/25, but part of it includes funding to UNICEF which will provide emergency and life-saving food assistance to support people in hard-to reach areas in Sudan, including nutrition, water and hygiene services for 500,000 children under 5. At the high-level pledging conference for Ethiopia which took place in April, I announced £100 million in UK funding. This support had not been previously announced. This included £30 million to treat acute malnutrition for those in greatest need.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help secure the release of Ms Elizabeth Tsurkov who was kidnapped in Iraq in March 2023.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK is concerned over the kidnapping of Israeli-Russian dual national Elizabeth Tsurkov. The Government of Iraq opened an investigation into her kidnapping last year and we await the findings. Those suspected of criminal responsibility for her kidnapping should be brought to justice in fair trials. However, as Elizabeth Tsurkov is not a British citizen, we are not in a position to offer direct consular assistance.