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Tribal Peoples (Brazil)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what assessment her Department has made of the (a) impact and (b) cost to UK companies of the 1998 Brazilian Government decree recognizing and officially demarcating the lands of the Marubo, Matis, Matses, Kanamari, Kulina and Korobo peoples in the Javari valley in Western Amazonia as an indigenous area; and if she will make a statement; [136935]

(2) what assessment her Department has made of the (a) impact on and (b) cost to UK companies of the 1998 reclamation by the native Guarany; peoples of the Jarara, Sucuiy, Lima Ry and Potrero Guacu communities in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil; and if she will make a statement. [136936]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: None, since no representations have been made to this department on this issue.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Angola

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government are taking to combat poverty in Angola. [136767]

Hilary Benn: Following the 2002 cease-fire between the Government and UNITA, which ended the civil war, there is now opportunity for Angola to achieve

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sustainable peace and democracy, economic growth and poverty reduction. This is why we have increased DFID's post-conflict Country Programme for Angola from £4.7 million in 2001–02 to £9 million this year to help achieve these objectives.

We are working closely with other international donors to consolidate the peace in Angola and prevent future conflicts; help secure a political system which allows people to influence state policy and practice; and working to influence a basic change in the Government of Angola's approach in the areas of transparency, economic governance and the development of policies to tackle poverty.

In the short term, we will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to meet the immediate needs of destitute people and to contribute towards de-mining to facilitate resettlement and economic and social recovery. We will continue to provide assistance in these areas for as long as this is needed.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) financial and (b) other assistance his Department (i) is providing and (ii) plans to provide to the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement. [136860]

Hilary Benn: So long as the transition process remains on track, DFID is planning a significant increase in support to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the period 2003–06, with a view to helping DRC make progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

We have recently informed the Transitional National Government (TNG) of the DRC, and made public, a significant increase in our programme for DRC to £23 million for 2003–04, following the installation of the TNG this summer. The UK is working with other bilateral donors and multi-lateral agencies to ensure a coordinated response to the needs of the DRC. In 2002–03, in addition to £16 million in bilateral assistance, the UK contributed approximately £9 million through the EU, £26 million through the World Bank and £36 million through the UN agencies (including the United Nations Mission to DRC).

Ensuring a successful transition process, including the successful embedding of the TNG, is crucial to our overall goal of ensuring peace and poverty reduction in the DRC and through that, the region as a whole. As a member of the Kinshasa-based International Committee for Support to the Transition, we are pressing for a well developed and shared understanding between donors and government of the transition process, as well as strong day-to-day co-ordination of donor support.

We are providing direct support for the basic infrastructure needs of the Transition Institutions, which include the Offices of the President and the four Vice Presidents, Government, Parliament, Senate, Supreme Court and the five Democracy Support Commissions (Elections, Human Rights, Truth and Reconciliation, Anti-Corruption and Media). We have provided technical assistance for the drawing up of a national

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Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) strategy, and have offered similar support on the Security Sector Reform (SSR) strategy and the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). We are also looking at providing some civil service capacity building support to the Government with UNDP and other donors.

It is crucial for DRC and the wider Great Lakes region that the transition process remains on track. We are therefore making continued efforts to strengthen and consolidate peace, which include humanitarian support, disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants, army, police and justice sector reform, and grassroots peace-building.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions his Department has had with the Governments of (a) the Democratic Republic of Congo, (b) Rwanda and (c) Uganda regarding the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement. [136861]

Hilary Benn: The UK is seeking to help resolve conflict and establish conditions for genuine development in the whole of the Great Lakes region. We have maintained a close dialogue with the former Government and now the Transitional National Government (TNG) in Kinshasa and with the Governments of Rwanda and Uganda on the need for good neighbourly relations as the basis for national and regional stability. We continue to do so.

Both Rwanda and Uganda have taken positive steps recently to normalise their relations with the TNG in DRC, including mutual ministerial visits and the signing in New York on 25 September 2003 of a Good Neighbourly Pact, which included commitments that all support for armed groups should end and that there should be no illegal exploitation of natural resources of the DRC.

Development Assistance

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the UK's combined net public and private investment and development assistance to the developing world was in each year since 1995 in terms of percentage of GDP. [137506]

Hilary Benn: The information requested is given in the following table. Note that such flows are usually expressed as a percentage of gross national income (GNI) rather than GDP.

Total UK net flows (amounts extended less amounts received) to developing countries 1995–2002£ million

	Official flows	Private flows	Total	As a percentage of GNI
1995	2,164	5,968	8,132	1.15
1996	2,102	11,590	13,692	1.83
1997	2,027	9,046	11,073	1.39
1998	2,299	4,301	6,600	0.83
1999	2,103	7,353	9,456	1.05
2000	2,927	1,737	4,664	0.50
2001	3,181	3,453	6,634	0.67
2002	3,272	9,264	12,536	1.18

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Iraq

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what impact he estimates the security situation in Iraq will have on promotion of (a) democracy and (b) reconstruction of Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [136559]

Hilary Benn: Today there are over 40,000 police on duty in Iraq, the first battalion of the new Iraqi Army has graduated and is on active duty, a major police recruitment and training exercise is under way, and a new police academy has opened in Basra. Over 30 countries (in addition to the UK and US) have a total of 16,000 troops on the ground in Iraq, as part of the international stabilisation effort.

Although the security situation has restricted the activities of the international staff of aid agencies, politicians, coalition officials and Iraqi citizens are able to go about their business. Progress is being made in promoting democracy and undertaking reconstruction. Political parties are forming, the Iraqi media is now free and many newspapers are appearing, and civil society organisations are emerging. Ministries are functioning and plans are being formed to modernise the civil service. In addition, Iraqi business is beginning to grow, infrastructure is being restored and service delivery is improving. Donors have also been undertaking needs assessments and are making arrangements for funding following the successful Madrid Conference.

Nutrition Levels

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the average nutrition levels are (a) globally, (b) for each continent, (c) in each of the EU member states, (d) in each of the ex-Soviet Union states, (e) in each country in Africa and (f) in West Darfur; and if he will make a statement. [136643]

Hilary Benn: Worldwide, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimated that 840 million people were undernourished in 1998–2000. These figures include 11 million in the industrialised countries, 30 million in countries in transition and 799 million in the developing world. There is no single measure of nutrition levels: different indicators measure different aspects of nutrition. The attached table, based on data in the World Bank's 2003 World Development Indicators, gives figures for three of these indicators where they are available.

Recent reports from West Darfur, Sudan, using rapid assessment techniques indicate very high levels of malnutrition among people displaced by conflict. Relief agencies are seeking, as a matter of urgency, to investigate further using standard assessment methodologies.

The Department for International Development (DFID) is concerned about the situation in all parts of Darfur. DFID has recently provided Save the Children UK with £500,000 for a humanitarian intervention. DFID has also agreed to provide £1 million to UNHCR for Sudanese from Darfur who have sought refuge in Chad. DFID is planning an additional £1 million contribution to the 2003 International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Appeal for Sudan and a £2 million contribution to the World Food Programme Emergency Operation in Sudan, in response to the situation in

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Darfur. Other interventions, through international NGOs and United Nations agencies in Darfur, are being considered.

Indicators of nutritional level⁽⁶⁾

	Proportion of population undernourished	Proportion of children under five underweight	Proportion of children under five stunted
(a) Global	18	—	—
(b) Region
Sub-Saharan Africa	33	—	—
Middle East and North Africa	8	15	—
L America and Caribbean	12	9	19
East Asia and Pacific	11	15	14
South Asia	25	53	47
(c) EU states	No comparable figures available
(d) Ex-Soviet(7)
Azerbaijan	—	17	20
Georgia	—	3	12
Kazakhstan	—	4	10
Kyrgyz Rep	—	11	25
Russian Fed	—	3	13
Tajikistan	—	—	31
Turkmenistan	—	12	22
Ukraine	—	3	16
Uzbekistan	—	19	31
(e) Africa
Algeria	6	6	18
Angola	50	41	53
Benin	13	23	31
Botswana	25	13	29
Burkina Faso	23	34	37
Burundi	69	45	—
Cameroon	25	22	29
CAR	44	23	28
Chad	32	28	29
Congo DR	73	34	45
Congo Rep	32	—	—
Cote d'Ivoire	15	21	25
Egypt	4	4	19
Eritrea	58	44	38
Ethiopia	44	47	52
Gabon	8	12	21
Gambia	21	17	30
Ghana	12	25	26
Guinea	32	33	41
Guinea-Bissau	—	25	—
Kenya	44	22	33
Lesotho	26	18	44
Liberia	39	—	—
Libya	—	5	15
Madagascar	40	40	48
Malawi	33	25	49
Mali	20	27	49
Mauritania	12	32	35
Morocco	7	—	—
Mozambique	55	26	36
Namibia	9	—	—
Niger	36	40	40
Nigeria	7	31	34
Rwanda	40	24	43
Senegal	25	18	23
Sierra Leone	47	27	—
Somalia	71	26	23
S Africa	—	9	23
Sudan	21	11	34
Swaziland	12	10	—
Tanzania	47	29	44
Togo	23	25	22
Tunisia	—	4	8
Uganda	21	23	39
Zambia	50	24	42
Zimbabwe	38	13	27

⁽⁶⁾ Taken from 2003 World Development Indicators—most recent figures available.

⁽⁷⁾ Where figures are available.

Note:

Where no figure is shown the World Bank has chosen not to estimate or publish a figure. The World Bank takes into consideration the coverage, date and quality of data available.

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