Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to assist Middle East countries in learning lessons from Tunisia in overcoming political instability.

As Tunisia continues to demonstrate, long-term stability can only be achieved through peaceful dialogue and building legitimate and inclusive institutions. We are using our diplomatic influence, practical programming assistance, training and capacity building to support other countries in the region to do this. Through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund (CSSF), we are working to tackle conflict and support reforms to build more open and inclusive government. Middle East and North Africa’s £136m allocation (for FY 15-16) supports projects in areas such as conflict management, security sector reform and civil society capacity building. Our £6m (for FY 15-16) Arab Partnership Fund for Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia supports the development of legitimate and inclusive institutions, including civil society, parliaments, media and judiciaries. The UK also works with international partners through the EU’s Neighbourhood Policy and the Deauville Partnership to support political and economic development programmes in Arab Countries in Transition, aimed at fostering longer term prosperity and stability.