Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she is having with UN agencies to ensure that funding for the covid-19 response is allocated urgently to organisations operating at community level.

My officials continue to liaise with UN partners on all aspects of its COVID-19 response, including their work with NGOs and civil society organisations.

DFID welcomes the vital role that NGOs and civil society organisations will continue to play in service delivery through multilaterals. UN agencies have undertaken a review of their existing procedures related to partnership management and issued additional internal guidance to simplify and expedite collaboration where appropriate. We will be working with the UN and DFID’s country offices.