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Fairtrade Foundation
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the support given to the Fairtrade Foundation over the last four years. [154384]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID have worked closely with the Fairtrade Foundation since 1997. In the last four years:
- Through the Development Awareness Fund, we have provided £120,000 to the media campaigns of the Fairtrade Foundation. These are designed specifically to raise both supermarket and consumer awareness of products carrying the Fairtrade Mark.
- In 2002, the Foundation began to expand the Fairtrade product range. DFID provided £300,000 to the foundation on a project to extend the reach of Fairtrade labelling to new producers in developing countries. This will lead to an increase in the range of products in the shops for consumers. Nuts, rice and wine are examples of types of products likely to be in the first wave.
- In 2002 we gave a grant to support the Fairtrade town/city brand over three years.
- A number of the regional Enabling Effective Support strategies for work in schools also include a focus on Fairtrade Fortnight.
- This year, the Secretary of State will be launching Fairtrade Fortnight. I will also participate in some key events.
Mozambique
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has
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made of the reports of the famine early warning systems relating to the potential for drought in Mozambique; and if he will make a statement. [153342]
Hilary Benn: DFID is closely following events. Early season rainfall was well below normal in much of central and southern Mozambique, raising concerns of a third consecutive drought year. Recent rains may still spark crop recovery in the centre of the country, but many areas of southern Mozambique are likely to experience crop failure. Steep price rises in maize, the main staple food, are also probable in southern areas due to crop failure in South Africa and other neighbouring countries. A national assessment of vulnerability and hunger will be made in March after the first harvests have started, and a full needs assessment will be published by April. This will provide sufficient time for DFID and others to look carefully at the assessment and respond as required.
Nuclear Weapons (Aid)
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is towards giving aid to countries that illegally obtain nuclear weapons. [152851]
Hilary Benn: The prime consideration in allocating aid is the extent to which we are able to make an impact on reducing extreme poverty. Therefore, our development assistance is concentrated on countries where governments are committed to spending their budgets on poverty reduction priorities.
Issues of good governance and levels of military expenditure (including any nuclear-related spending) are among the factors we take into account in determining aid allocations.
Overseas Development Administration
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the Overseas Development Administration's funding was paid to (a) governments and (b) non-governmental organisations in each year between 1974 and 1997. [154251]
Hilary Benn: This information was not compiled at the time and our records do not hold sufficient detail to analysis this retrospectively.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the Overseas Development Administration's total annual budget was in each year between 1974 and 1997. [154265]
Hilary Benn: We hold records of the Overseas Development Administration (ODA) voted budget back to 1983–84. Figures for these years are listed in the table.
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Details of ODA's total expenditure for earlier years are available in Statistics on International Development. Copies can be found in the House Library.
Wildlife and Poverty
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what progress has been made by his Department in implementing the recommendations of the 2002 Wildlife and Poverty Study; [153150]
- (2) if he will discuss wildlife and bushmeat issues with the Governments of (a) Ghana and (b) Cameroon; [153153]
(3) if he will make a statement about the recent policy papers produced by Dr. David Brown of the Overseas Development Institute concerning issues of bushmeat and livelihoods; [153206]
(4) what assessment his Department's country offices in (a) Ghana and (b) Cameroon have made of the implementation of the recommendations of the 2002 Wildlife and Poverty Study; [153209]
(5) what assessment he has made of his Department's response to the recommendations of the 2002 Wildlife and Poverty Study; and what impact these recommendations have had on the work of his Department. [153267]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: The DFID Wildlife and Poverty Study estimated that 150 million very poor people are significantly dependent on wildlife for their food and livelihoods, and that bushmeat is one important part of this. The study drew out implications for donors, governments, the private sector and civil society, but did not make any explicit recommendations to DFID. We have however disseminated the findings of the study widely.
DFID responds directly to the priorities of our partner countries as set out in their own development agendas, known as Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs).
I am unable to comment on the 'recent policy papers' produced by Dr. David Brown of the Overseas Development Institute concerning issues of bushmeat and livelihoods, as I am not sure precisely which policy papers are being referred to. I am, however, aware of the work that Dr. Brown has been doing for the CITES Bushmeat Working Group, with support from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), with whom DFID works closely on bushmeat and livelihoods issues. DFID supports the view that any actions to address bushmeat should take
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the livelihoods of poor people fully into account, and that blanket bans on bushmeat harvesting would not be effective and would hit the poor the hardest.
At the ministerial segment of the Africa Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (AFLEG) Conference, held in Cameroon in October 2003, I discussed bushmeat and forest management issues with Ministers from Ghana, Cameroon and other countries. We would expect to continue discussing these issues in the context of AFLEG implementation, as part of DFID's regular dialogue with the Governments of Ghana and Cameroon.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to discuss with the governments of (a) Cameroon and (b) Ghana their poverty reduction strategies in the next 12 months. [153211]
Hilary Benn: In Ghana the implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy is discussed with Ministries and Agencies of the Government, and I expect to take forward these discussions when I visit Ghana shortly. There will be an opportunity to take a look at progress when the second annual Monitoring and Evaluation report of the Poverty Reduction Strategy is published in April.
In Cameroon our support for the Poverty Reduction Strategy will focus on forestry reform within the framework of the Forestry and Environment Sector Programme. My officials will be participating in an in-country appraisal of this programme in March.
Sustainable Development
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what resources his Department has allocated to support the UN's Decade of Education for Sustainable Development; [154033]
- (2) what activities his Department has planned to mark the beginning of the UN's Decade of Education for Sustainable Development in 2005. [154032]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: The United Nations "Decade of Education for Sustainable Development" aims to promote education as a basis for a more sustainable human society and to integrate sustainable development into education systems at all levels.
The lead agency for promoting the decade, which starts in 2005, is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). DFID is a long-term partner of UNESCO and is currently its fourth largest contributor, providing approximately £12 million in core funding per year. Under this agreement, DFID gives priority to supporting UNESCO's work to achieve Education For All by 2015.
DFID also supports UNESCO's wider education programme which encompasses education for sustainable development. Activities around the UN decade of Education for Sustainable Development are currently being prepared and will be supported at national and school level in a number of countries where DFID has country programmes. For more information on this decade, please refer to the UNESCO website: www.unesco.org
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