Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the whole aid portfolio delivered in conflict affected countries is sensitive to the conflict dynamics around them.
Conflict sensitivity is an essential part of UK aid programming. At a minimum, all our aid-funded programmes must ensure they minimize the risk of doing harm in conflict-affected countries. The UK government regularly conducts analyses of evolving conflict dynamics to inform our interventions, and our conflict sensitivity tools and guidance are widely used. Moreover, we have used UK aid to fund resources and technical support on conflict sensitivity open to other donors and implementing partners.
The Integrated Review calls for the government to take a more integrated approach to addressing the long-term drivers of conflict. As part of this, FCDO will continue to ensure our aid-funded work, where appropriate, addresses drivers of conflict and supports stability building and conflict prevention. This will be key to achieving our commitment to reduce the frequency and intensity of conflict and instability to alleviate suffering, harnessing the full range of government capabilities.