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28 Apr 2004 : Column 1082W—continued
HIV/AIDS (Rwanda)
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to support rape victims living with HIV/AIDS in Rwanda; and if he will make a statement. [169145]
Hilary Benn: HIV/AIDS is a serious problem in Rwanda. Rwanda does not yet have the health infrastructure required to effectively deliver anti-retroviral therapy (ART) countrywide. But the Government have produced a comprehensive Strategic Framework for HIV/AIDS Control and all the major donors, including the Clinton Foundation, the Global Fund and the World Bank, who have committed to support it. This framework includes the progressive provision of ART to all who need it, through a strengthened network of health centres. Through a partnership between the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and five of the leading multinational pharmaceutical companies (including the Accelerating Access to HIV/AIDS Care, Treatment And Support Initiative), Rwanda is one of the countries that have reached agreement with manufacturers to significantly reduce drug prices in the context of its national HIV care and treatment plans.
The UK has committed £25 million through the International Partnership Against AIDS in Africa Programme (IPAA) to increase capacity in certain National HIV/AIDS Commissions, including Rwanda. DFID is currently considering whether we can build on this engagement, to ensure that Rwanda has the capacity to manage and direct the various programmes of support.
DFID is also providing direct assistance to the survivors of the genocide through the Government's Survivors Fund (FARG). This assistance is currently running at some £200,000 per annum, and planned
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additional support up to £850,000 will enable FARG to broaden the services it provides to include advice and counselling on issues around HIV/AIDS.
I have had specific concern over the inequity in access to Anti-Retroviral Treatment between the defendants and the witnesses at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which is considering crimes committed during the genocide. While defendants have access to health care including ART, witnesses generally do not. I wrote to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, asking how the United Nations and the international community could work to resolve this inequity. The UN Secretary General replied, reporting that UNAIDS/WHO were identifying suitable health care providers, but seeking assistance from the UK to fund ART treatment for witnesses. I have responded positively and offered DFID assistance up to £200,000 for health care (including ART) to be provided in Kigali for ICTR witnesses and others called by the tribunal.
Iraq
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures his Department have taken since the end of the war in Iraq to restore (a) drinking water supplies, (b) sewerage infrastructure and (c) electricity supplies. [166870]
Hilary Benn: The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in conjunction with the various Iraqi Ministries, the UN, bilateral donors and civil society have been engaged in significant efforts that have led to improvements in drinking water, sewerage and electricity provision across the whole of Iraq. The CPA website www.cpa-iraq.org gives weekly updates on developments in electricity supply and other essential services.
The UK is contributing £17.2 million to the Emergency Infrastructure Programme in southern Iraq, which is focused on reinstating essential infrastructure in the power, fuel and water sectors. DFID has also provided £500,000 to CARE UK for their Integrated Water and Health Relief Project, which has improved the quantity and quality of drinking water to about 100,000 people in Najaf Governorate, 170 km south of Baghdad. More information on CARE UK's work in Iraq can be found at: www.careinternational.org.uk
Particularly significant in the water, sewerage and electricity sectors have been the efforts of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and UNICEF. Details of their interventions can be found on the following websites:
www.usaid-gov/iraq
www.iq.undp.org
www.unicef.org/index.html
The UN and World Bank undertook a comprehensive needs assessment in conjunction with the Iraqi authorities, which formed the basis for the pledges offered by the international community at the Madrid conference. The international community is now seeking to take forward this further reconstruction effort and the International Reconstruction Financing
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Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) has been established. The UK has made an early contribution to the IRFFI of £70 million.
Maldives
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much grant-in-aid the United Kingdom gave to the Maldives in each year since 1997. [167273]
Hilary Benn [holding answer 23 April 2004]: UK bilateral aid to the Maldives in each financial year since 1997–98 has been:
| Technical cooperation | Grants and other aid in kind | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–1998 | 88 | 204 | 292 |
| 1998–1999 | 70 | 240 | 310 |
| 1999–2000 | 44 | 248 | 292 |
| 2000–2001 | 69 | 217 | 286 |
| 2001–2002 | 17 | 66 | 83 |
| 2002–2003 | 16 | 180 | 195 |
Source:
Statistics for International Development
Data for 2003–04 are not yet published.
The EU did not make any development assistance grants to the Maldives, which could be attributable to the UK, in the period 1997–2001. Figures for 2002 are not yet published.
Nigeria
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department is providing to people displaced by violence against Christians in Nigeria. [166917]
Hilary Benn: DFID Nigeria provides limited humanitarian assistance to Nigerians displaced by violence. In 2002 assistance was provided (approx. £233,000) through the Red Cross to victims of communal violence in Benue state. DFID Nigeria has recently approved support (£100,000) to Save the Children Fund Nigeria (SCF) to train Nigeria's emergency response organizations to ensure children are protected and their needs addressed in an emergency (including violent conflict). The Africa Conflict Prevention Pool supports Coventry Cathedral's International Centre for Reconciliation's work (£300,000 over three years) to prevent religious conflict throughout Nigeria.
Population Initiatives
Mr. David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money has been given to (a) the UN Population Fund and (b) the International Planned Parenthood Federation in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [168171]
Hilary Benn
[holding answer 23 April 2004]: DFID spending is as follows, for the last five financial years (1999–2000 to 2003–2004):
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| £ million | |
|---|---|
| Total for period | 106.263 |
| 1999–2000 | 15.0 |
| 2000–2001 | 40.050 |
| 2001–2002 | 24.213 |
| 2002–2003 | 9.0 |
| 2003–2004 | 18.0 |
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| Total for period | 30.5 |
| 1999–2000 | 5.5 |
| 2000–2001 | 5.5 |
| 2001–2002 | 4.5 |
| 2002–2003 | 4.5 |
| 2003–2004(29) | 10.5 |
Notes:
(29) £4.5 million in 2003 and £6.0 in 2004
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in which countries the Government are supporting programmes run by (a) the UN Population Fund and (b) the International Planned Parenthood Federation. [168172]
Hilary Benn [holding answer 23 April 2004]: The Government provide core contributions to both the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) in support of their global activities. UNFPA currently operates in 140 countries, supporting women, men and young people to promote reproductive health issues as well as combating violence against women. IPPF, the world's largest voluntary organisation in sexual and reproductive health and rights, has a network of almost 150 civil society organisations in over 164 countries, all committed to promoting the rights of women and men to decide freely, the number and spacing of their children and the right to the highest possible level of sexual and reproductive health.
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