Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with Pacific island states on climate change adaptation.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are on the frontline of climate change and Pacific Island leaders have made it clear that building climate resilience is their priority. UK support for climate adaptation sits at the heart of HMG ministerial engagement with Pacific Island counterparts. At COP28 we co-hosted the Third Climate Development Ministerial with Vanuatu. The Minister for the Indo-Pacific discussed climate change with a range of ministers at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in November 2023 and the former Foreign Secretary discussed it with the leaders and ministers he met during his visit to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in April 2023.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the discussions ahead of COP28 on the World Bank potentially hosting the Loss and Damage fund for an interim period, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the World Bank (a) meets the needs of communities most affected by loss and damage and (b) is accessible for local organisations and actors during this interim period.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Government recognises that it is the most vulnerable who face the harshest realities of climate change, and too little climate finance reaches the local level. We will deploy our position and funding to work with the World Bank and others to ensure effective targeting of funding, including in line with our White Paper commitments to localisation. The UK will continue to champion a significant minimum allocation floor for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States within the Fund, as agreed in the text adopted by COP28 on Day 1.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the position adopted in the Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change-related Sea-Level Rise, published in August 2021 by the Pacific Islands Forum, including that no state should lose territory of any kind as a result of human-caused climate change.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We acknowledge that sea level rise poses challenges with respect to the stability of maritime boundaries and we recognise that this is a significant concern for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other coastal countries including the UK. We have taken careful note of the Pacific Islands Forum declaration on this topic and are considering it in detail. The UK acknowledges that this is a matter of considerable importance to (SIDS) who are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. We continue to work with SIDS to drive global ambition of emissions reductions, and support adaptation and resilience in SIDS including through accessing finance. The UK Government has a number of programmes which will support SIDS and which aim to strengthen resilience against climate change, such as the global £500 million Blue Planet Fund.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to ensure that states currently at risk from sea-level rise will not lose their current territory and other entitlements under international law.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We acknowledge that sea level rise poses challenges with respect to the stability of maritime boundaries and we recognise that this is a significant concern for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other coastal countries including the UK. We have taken careful note of the Pacific Islands Forum declaration on this topic and are considering it in detail. The UK acknowledges that this is a matter of considerable importance to (SIDS) who are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. We continue to work with SIDS to drive global ambition of emissions reductions, and support adaptation and resilience in SIDS including through accessing finance. The UK Government has a number of programmes which will support SIDS and which aim to strengthen resilience against climate change, such as the global £500 million Blue Planet Fund.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) economic, (2) logistical and (3) technological support they are providing to ensure that sea-level rise does not endanger the continued existence of Small Island States.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Building resilience to the impacts of climate change, economic shocks and natural disasters is at the heart of the UK vision for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Our £11.6 billion commitment for climate finance and our role as a major contributor to global climate funds has enabled the UK to support SIDS resilience. We will provide $2 billion to the Green Climate Fund's (GCF) second replenishment (2024-27). This equates to £1.623 billion and is the biggest single funding commitment the UK has made to help the world tackle climate change. We provide approximately £200 million of aid annually to SIDS, including:
• the £36 million Sustainable Blue Economies (SBE) programme supporting development of prosperous ocean-based economies while protecting nature and increasing climate resilience.
• £40 million 'Small Island Developing State Capacity and Resilience' (SIDAR) programme, supporting better access to funding and building state resilience.
• The UK's £350 million Caribbean Infrastructure Fund supports resilient infrastructure for states acutely vulnerable to natural disasters as does our £10 million contribution to the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS) facility (announced at COP26 by PM Modi and PM Johnson). We are also providing further support to SIDS through other global Blue Planet Fund programmes, including being part of Defra's Ocean Country Partnership Programme (£65 million), the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (£33 million), and Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (£13.9 million).
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) economic, and (2) technological support they are providing, alongside the foreign aid budget, to ensure that Small Island States, particularly those that are Commonwealth members, are equipped to deal with any loss or damage that may arise due to sea-level rise.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) play a leading role on climate action due to their unique moral voice and climate vulnerability. The UK has aimed to drive support on their climate adaptation and mitigation priorities. The SIDS4 conference in May 2024 will be a once-in-a-decade opportunity for transformational action and the UK is working to drive momentum for an ambitious offer on climate action. The UK recognises some SIDS face existential threats from climate change and is committed to ensuring the package of recommendations of the new loss and damage fund and funding arrangements, as developed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)'s Transitional Committee, is agreed at COP28.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the foreign aid budget for Small Island States at risk from climate change; and to make commitments within that budget to combat the effects of sea-level rise.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The PM reaffirmed at COP27 that we are delivering on our commitment to spend £11.6 billion International Climate Finance (ICF), which includes £3 billion for nature. To ensure ICF supports the most vulnerable experiencing the worst impacts of climate change, we will triple our funding for adaptation from £500 million in 2019 to £1.5 billion in 2025, in addition to ensuring a balance between mitigation and adaptation spend. We will ensure continued support to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to improve their climate resilience.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many personnel his Department plans to employ in the Small Island Developing States hub.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
FCDO has launched the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Hub to provide a strategic global lead on cross-cutting SIDS issues, working in partnership with our regional and country teams. The Hub now has seven staff and we have no immediate plans to increase this staffing level.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK Small Island Developing States strategy 2022 to 2026, published on 27 February 2023, when the Small Island Developing States Envoy will be appointed.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Special Envoy for the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Rebecca Fabrizi, was appointed in April 2022.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he had discussions with his counterparts in (a) Australia, (b) New Zealand and (c) France on the UK's Small Island Developing States strategy in the Indo-Pacific region when preparing the policy paper entitled UK Small Island Developing States strategy 2022 to 2026, published on 27 February 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Prior to the publication of the paper, discussions have been held on the UK's approach to the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Hub's issues at official level with Australia, New Zealand and France. Within the Indo-Pacific region, discussions with partners take place at all levels including through the Partners in the Blue Pacific initiative of which Australia and New Zealand are members and France has participated in discussions.