Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support the Government has given to help provide (a) water, (b) hygiene supplies and (c) sanitation to the poorest countries in the world since the start of the covid-19 pandemic.

Hand hygiene is critically important to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This is why the UK Government has partnered with Unilever to establish the Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition, with an investment of £50 million. Unilever has provided a matching contribution, which includes the supply of over 20 million hygiene products. The programme is on track to reach 1 billion people in 37 developing countries, with messaging that promotes hand and surface hygiene. Interventions target vulnerable people, for example, those living in urban slums or refugee centres, as well as many schools and health care facilities. Where needed, activities have also included the provision of hand washing stations, ensuring people have access to the water they need to wash their hands.

More broadly, in August 2020 we reported that we had helped 62.6 million people gain access to safe water and sanitation since 2016, exceeding our target of 60 million people.