Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she plans to take to ensure that gender equality is integral to the International Development Strategy.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Foreign Secretary has publicly committed to put women and girls at the heart of foreign and development policy and this is evident in the newly published International Development Strategy. Our new approach is framed around three Es and will be set out in full in the UK's 2022 Women and Girls Strategy. We will: Educate girls, standing up for the right of every girl to 12 years of quality education; Empower women and girls, unlocking the social, economic and political agency of all people; and End Violence, driving international action to end all forms of gender-based violence. We will mainstream action on gender which means addressing the root causes of gender inequality in all our work. As referenced in the International Development Strategy, the UK International Development Act (Gender Equality) 2014 makes it a legal requirement for the UK to consider gender equality in all its Official Development Assistance work.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what additional details her Department’s Women and Girls Strategy will provide that were not included in the International Development Strategy.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The FCDO will publish a new 'Women and Girls Strategy' in autumn 2022. The Strategy will set out our new, longer-term strategic priorities and our commitments to 2030 on women and girls. It will build on the recently published International Development Strategy and showcase how the UK will take full advantage of our diplomatic and development levers to deliver on the 3Es (Educating girls, Empowering women and girls, and Ending violence against women and girls).
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the International Development Strategy, what her planned timetable is for publishing the UK's 2022 Women and Girls Strategy.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The FCDO will publish a new 'Women and Girls Strategy' in autumn 2022. The Strategy will set out our new, longer-term strategic priorities and our commitments to 2030 on women and girls. It will build on the recently published International Development Strategy and showcase how the UK will take full advantage of our diplomatic and development levers to deliver on the 3Es (Educating girls, Empowering women and girls, and Ending violence against women and girls).
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to meet the goal set out in the Government's strategy for international development, published on 16 May 2022, to end the practice of female genital mutilation.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK continues to be a global leader in supporting the Africa-led movement to accelerate progress towards ending female genital mutilation (FGM). Through our first phase of support to the movement, the UK has supported over 10,000 communities pledge to abandon FGM (2013-2018).
Our second phase of support works with activists and local communities to lead change and hold governments to account. This involves using communication campaigns to stop the silence around FGM, promote open discussion and amplify changing social attitudes. Phase two includes support to the UN Joint Programme to strengthen laws, policies and systems to end FGM in 17 countries in Africa; and to the World Health Organization to strengthen healthcare systems and support doctors, midwives and nurses help end FGM and care for survivors. We are also investing to generate improved data collection to better guide interventions and effectively measure change in social attitudes and norms.
In addition, our wider portfolio contributes to ending FGM. For example, in Sudan, UK Aid has driven trailblazing community engagement and national advocacy efforts. This programme contributed to the historic achievement of the law criminalising FGM in Sudan in 2020, Article 141. Other UK programmes to prevent violence against women and girls, such as our investment in the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, also support efforts to end FGM.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she plans to take to minimise the impact of reductions to UK Aid in Syria.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK works closely with our humanitarian partners, including the UN, International and Syrian NGOs, to understand the impact of UK aid spending and will continue to keep this under review. The UK continues to use its position at the UN Security Council to ensure aid access into Syria. In May I [Minister Milling], visited the Turkey-Syria border region and noted the vital work done by the UN and NGOs to support over 4 million people in north west Syria.
The UK remains one of the largest donors to the Syrian crisis, committing over £3.8 billion in UK aid since 2012, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We have supported millions of people, providing food, clean water, healthcare and education across the whole of Syria. Our focus remains on protecting and prioritising the most vulnerable and ensuring our aid is delivered in the most effective and efficient way.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish details of the position of the Climate Finance Delivery Plan as of 21 June 2022; what estimate she has made of when the goal of $100 billion will be reached; through what means that goal will be reached; and what plans the Government has relating to a post-2025 target.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK COP Presidency played a pivotal role in securing ambitious new climate finance commitments at COP26 from 95% of developed countries, with some doubling or even quadrupling their previous pledges. At the COP President's request these commitments were compiled in the $100 billion Delivery Plan and supporting analysis from the OECD, launched in Glasgow. This Plan shows with good confidence that the goal will be met by 2023. The UK in our Presidency year continues to champion delivery of these commitments among climate finance providers. At the request of the UK COP Presidency, Canada and Germany will be leading on a progress report to the $100 billion Delivery Plan, with a focus on progress against its 10 actions. It will include further details on how adaptation finance will be scaled up to meet the Glasgow Climate Pact commitment to double adaptation finance by 2025.
As agreed at COP26, Parties have now initiated their deliberations on the new collective quantified goal on climate finance, which will be determined in 2024 and replace the current $100 billion target from 2025 onwards. This will create space for Parties to move beyond the $100 billion and have a serious and inclusive discussion about how the levels of finance to deliver on Paris can be mobilised, ensuring a legacy for the work the UK Presidency has undertaken on both public and private finance for years to come.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of the announcement in the recent International Development Strategy to reduce multilateral funding from 40 per cent to 25 per cent of Official Development Assistance on (a) UK funding to tackle malaria and (b) the UK’s contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The International Development Strategy (IDS) emphasises that global health will remain a top priority. We will continue to deliver our health commitments on COVID-19; build strong health systems; promote a One Health approach and work towards ending preventable deaths of mothers, babies and children. We will maintain essential partnerships with multilateral organisations to achieve these objectives and tackle global challenges that the UK cannot solve alone. The UK remains committed to tackling malaria, which is closely linked to our ambition to end preventable deaths. The Global Fund remains a key partner for the UK in the shared fight against HIV, TB and malaria. We are reviewing the Global Fund's investment case for the 7th replenishment and deciding our precise contribution in line with delivering the new IDS.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support Commonwealth countries to achieve the Commonwealth’s target of (a) halving malaria by 2023 and (b) working towards ending the epidemic of malaria by 2030.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Nine out of every ten people in the Commonwealth live in a malaria-endemic country. The UK is committed to tackling malaria, which is closely linked to our ambition to end preventable deaths of mothers, babies and newborns. The majority of our malaria investments are through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria; and this funds malaria prevention and treatment in Commonwealth countries. We are reviewing the Global Fund's investment case for the 7th replenishment and deciding our precise contribution in line with delivering the new International Development Strategy. To work towards ending the epidemic of malaria, we also invest in research to develop new tools to prevent, diagnose and treat malaria and support countries to strengthen their health systems.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to monitor UK citizens who travel to Ukraine to volunteer in (a) defence and (b) humanitarian work.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is not supporting British nationals going to Ukraine to fight in the conflict. We advise against travel to Ukraine and anyone who travels to conflict zones to engage in unlawful activity should expect to be investigated upon their return to the UK.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish her Department's (a) plan and (b) schedule for the donation of the remaining committed covid-19 vaccine doses.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As of 23 February 2022, the UK has donated over 33 million doses. 31.5 million doses have been delivered to countries in need, of which 26 million have been delivered via COVAX and 5.5 million doses donated directly. A further 2.1 million doses have been received by COVAX and will shortly be allocated and shipped in line with COVAX's fair allocation model. Doses donated through COVAX arrive with COVAX direct from the manufacturer, with the same shelf-life as they would have if delivered to the UK for domestic use.