Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department will take to support the prevention of Obstetric fistula globally in 2022-2023; and how much funding will be allocated to programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa to this end..

The UK is well aware of the lasting trauma caused by obstetric fistula globally - the stigmatisation that results and the ultimate ruin of many women's lives. The condition affects up to 100,000 women each year, largely in low income countries. The UK's work is mainly on the prevention of obstetric fistula. Key factors include delaying the age of first pregnancy and ensuring access to timely quality obstetric care. The UK supports family planning, adolescent sexual reproductive health and rights and maternal health through a combination of central and country programmes, such as the £260 million Women's Integrated Sexual Health programme (2018-2023), which now works across 17 African countries. We recently published a paper outlining our approach to Ending the Preventable Deaths of Mothers, Babies and Children by 2030.

We cannot comment on plans for specific countries or regions until ongoing business planning is finalised.