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Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of internally displaced people in the eastern area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [180439]

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson) of 24 June 2004, Official Report, column 1483–84W.

GM Food

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) whether his Department provides funding to GM-related initiatives under the auspices of the (a) World Food Programme and (b) UN Food and Agriculture Organisation; [180264]

(2) what his Department's policy is on genetically modified food aid for developing countries; [180260]

(3) from which African Governments he has received representations (a) supporting and (b) opposing (i) GM food aid, (ii) genetically modified organisms and (iii) GM crops; [180262]

(4) what representations he has received in the past year (a) supporting and (b) opposing the use of GM technology as a means of helping to meet UN Millennium Development Goal number 1 Target 2, to halve between 1990 and 2015 the proportion of people who suffer from hunger, broken down by type of representation; [180265]

(5) which African Governments receiving UK development aid have signed the Biosafety Protocol; [180263]

(6) what representations he has received from (a) the Zambian Government, (b) non-governmental organisations operating in Zambia, (c) private corporations, (d) the World Food Programme, (e) the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and (f) other stakeholders concerning (i) GM food aid and (ii) GM crops for developing countries in the past three years. [180261]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: As the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development, I regularly receive representations about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and developing countries. Some representations, in the form of letters from the public, letters from non-government organisations or letters from Members of Parliament on behalf of constituents, discuss the role of GMOs in eliminating world hunger. GM technology will not in itself solve the problem of world hunger. But when managed responsibly, used safely and effectively, and applied to the crops important for poor people, it can be used to promote development and reduce poverty.

The UK Government supports the implementation of international legislation to rigorously assess and manage the risks involved in the use of GMOs and GM technology. The Department for International Development (DFID) has worked with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and other Government Departments to achieve a successful conclusion to negotiations to the Biosafety Protocol. This will help both developed and developing countries
 
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make informed decisions on the transboundary movement (including import and export) of GMOs. With its strong precautionary approach, the Protocol will help to ensure that developing countries are not disadvantaged by the development of GM technologies. 23 African Governments receiving UK development aid have signed the Protocol. The top three African bilateral aid recipients in 2002–03 were Uganda (£55 million), Malawi (£52 million) and Kenya (£45 million). These countries signed the Protocol in May 2000.

DFID's approach to food aid is guided by the following principles:

Recipient Governments should be given adequate information on the type of food they receive and its characteristics, including whether genetically modified;

Recipient Governments should be allowed to decide on its acceptability; and

Donors should accept the decisions of recipients and accommodate them as far as possible. For example, if milled cereals are preferred to whole grain (to avoid the risk of GM grain being used as seed), then this should be arranged for.

The issue of GM technology arises regularly in discussions on food, agriculture and trade in Africa, to which DFID is party. Some Governments, such as Zambia and Angola, are opposed to GMOs. Others, such as South Africa and Uganda, have approved GM crops for planting and consumption. The New Partnership for African Development (Nepad) and Africa Union have both issued statements supporting the use of GM technology to promote agriculture and reduce hunger.

In 2002, DFID's offices in Malawi and Zambia were involved in discussions with the World Food Programme and the respective Governments about the acceptance of food aid containing genetically modified material. In Malawi, the Government proposed that GM maize be milled before distribution. DFID and other donors discussed how to do this with minimum delay in distribution. In Zimbabwe DFID officials supported the World Food Programme in negotiations with the Government over the acceptance of such food aid but had no direct contact with the Government. The former Secretary of State for International Development, Clare Short, spoke and wrote to President Mwanawasa of Zambia on this issue, and DFID hosted a fact finding visit for Zambian scientists to the UK on 23 and 24 September 2002 to meet representatives from Government, the private sector and civil society. The Zambian scientists recommended to the Zambian Government that it should reject GM food aid and the planting of GM crops in Zambia.

In Zambia, DFID has had representations from a number of non-government organisations operating there. They have expressed a range of views about (i) GM food aid, and (ii) the wider issue of GM crops. The main organisations were the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR), CARE and CAFOD. JCTR published a report on (ii). The remaining representations were informal and concerned humanitarian supplies, but did not take a public position on either (i) or (ii) in Zambia. All representations upheld the key principle that Governments and their people should be supported to make informed decisions on both issues. This principle continues to inform the approach of DFID. The UK Government has received no representations on GM
 
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food aid or GM crops from the World Food Programme (WFP) nor the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The World Food Programme does not conduct GM-related initiatives. The World Food Programme does, however, receive significant in-kind contributions of food aid containing GM materials. It maintains a neutral position on the matter of GM food donations, and strictly respects the decision of potential recipient Governments whether or not to receive food that may contain GM materials. It is not possible to obtain precise data on the extent to which in-kind donations to the World Food Programme are GM. In part this is because testing for GM content is not called for under any existing Codex Alimentarius or other international agreement, nor is there any agreement on the GM content below which a shipment may be classified as GM-free. UK cash contributions to the World Food Programme operations have inevitably supported the delivery of GM foods to willing recipient Governments, but it is not possible to identify to what extent.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) uses the resources made available through its Regular Budget, which include the financial contribution from the UK and the rich technical expertise and experience of UK nationals in scientific and technical advancements and related institutional and policy issues, to promote sustainable agriculture for eliminating hunger and poverty. In relation to GMOs, its initiatives are directed at collecting, analysing and disseminating information. Examples include the ecological and human health effects of GM crops and GM food; providing a neutral forum through which its member countries can agree international standards (for example, the Codex Alimentarius Commission adopted principles of risk analysis and guidelines for food safety assessment of GM food in 2003, and the International Plant Protection Convention recently adopted guidelines for determining if a living modified organism poses a hazard to plants); and, on request, and technical capacities for GMO detection, biosafety and risk assessment. The Food and Agriculture Organisation does not provide financial assistance to countries for the development of GMOs.

Haiti

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development who will be representing the British Government at the International Donors' Conference for Haiti in July. [180359]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK will finalise its attendance at the International Donors' Conference in Washington DC on 19–20 July when the official invitation and agenda papers are received. These are expected shortly.

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what policies the United Kingdom will be advocating at the July International Donors' Conference for Haiti. [180360]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The donor conference on Haiti, due to take place in Washington DC on 19–20 July, will consider the Interim Co-operation Framework recently completed under the leadership of the Interim Government of Haiti. This sets out a detailed
 
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assessment of Haiti's development needs. The United Kingdom will take a keen interest in the response of the development agencies to the Framework, and in particular how the needs of the large number of poor Haitians are addressed. DFID will also want to be assured that there is a clearly defined process leading from this initial needs assessment, to the production of a comprehensive Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to urge the World Bank to support the Haitian Government in implementing economic policies that benefit poor rural communities. [180361]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: As a significant shareholder, the UK takes a keen interest in the policies and programmes of the World Bank, including for countries in the Caribbean. On Haiti, DFID has had a number of policy discussions with Bank staff about its future.

DFID understands that the Bank senior management will very shortly be asked to agree grant finance for Haiti from a Trust Fund. The Bank is also designing a programme of substantial confessional lending to Haiti. DFID welcomes this indication of the Bank's commitment to supporting development in the country.

The World Bank will be a key participant in (and co-host of) the forthcoming international donor conference in Washington DC on 19–20 July, which will consider the Interim Government of Haiti's Interim Co-operation Framework. The UK will attend the Conference, and will continue to engage with the World Bank and other agencies to promote policies and programmes that will help poor communities in Haiti.

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