Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they, and international fora, have (1) to address climate change and pollution, and (2) to prevent violent conflict and communicable diseases.

Tackling climate change is a priority issue for the UK, which is why we bid to host COP 26 in partnership with Italy. We have committed to doubling the UK's International Climate Finance funding to at least £11.6 billion between 2021/22 and 2025/26. To ensure ambitious climate action across the world, the UK has around 180 diplomats engaged globally on climate issues, and the Climate and Energy Attaché Network expanded by 50 local staff in FY19/20 to help deliver COP26. The FCO has also recently appointed four Regional Ambassadors to support global engagement.

The UK takes a holistic, coordinated approach to preventing violent conflict bilaterally and in international fora. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the UK takes its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and the prevention of violent conflict seriously and is active in preventive diplomacy, peacebuilding, and peacekeeping. In addition to ongoing defence, diplomatic and development engagement in key fragile and conflict affected areas, we are monitoring the increased risks as a result of Covid-19.

The Prime Minister hosted the Global Vaccine Summit on 4 June, raising $8.8 billion to support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance's work to immunise a further 300 million children and save up to 8 million lives from vaccine preventable diseases by 2025. In June 2019 the UK pledged up to £1.4 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria for 2020-22 to contribute to the distribution of 92 million mosquito nets, treat over 2 million people suffering from TB and provide life-saving anti-retroviral therapy for more than 3.3 million people with HIV. In 2019, the UK announced a £400m commitment to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to continue efforts towards eradicating the disease. The UK Government will continue to work with all our international partners in global efforts against communicable diseases.