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20 Oct 2004 : Column 741W—continued
International Finance Facility
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2004, Official Report, column 626W, from the Economic Secretary on the International Finance Facility (IFF), if he will list the 37 countries which have made statements of endorsement for the IFF. [190904]
Mr. Timms: I have been asked to reply.
The following 37 countries have made statements of endorsement for the IFF, either at the spring meetings of the World Bank and IMF or at the Paris Ministerial Forum on Financing for Development, both of which were held in April 2004:
Algeria
Angola
Argentina
Benin
Botswana
Brazil
China
Colombia
Congo Brazzaville
Cote D'lvoire
DRC
Ethiopia
Egypt
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guatemala
Kenya
India
Iran
Lebanon
Madagascar
Mali
Mexico
Mozambique
Nigeria
Pakistan
Peru
Philippines
Senegal
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Syria
Trinidad & Tobago
Rwanda
Uganda
Venezuela
In addition, France has been a firm supporter of the IFF among the G7 and all Nordic countries supported the IFF's potential role in providing additional finance for development.
Iraq
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance is being provided to Iraq (a) to clean up areas of Iraq contaminated by used weapons and equipment deployed by coalition forces, (b) to clean up urban areas contaminated by depleted uranium shells used by coalition forces and (c) for training Iraqi scientists and engineers to decontaminate land despoiled by military activities; and what communications his Department has had with Iraq's environment Minister on environmental clean up in Iraq. [190759]
Hilary Benn: The Government are supporting the Iraqi Interim Government in the clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO) as part of post-conflict reconstruction in Iraq. De-mining organisations part-funded by DFID (the UN Mine Action Service and the Mines Advisory Group) are working with local organisations and the UK military to plot the locations of UXO and carry out disposals. DFID is also contributing to mine risk education programmes through UNICEF, and DFID funding is available for de-mining activities through the United Nations trust fund for Iraq.
UK armed forces personnel have been carrying out ordnance disposal activities and removing surface-lying depleted uranium (DU) fragments from battlefield areas. They have also been exchanging information with humanitarian and commercial organisations involved in ordnance disposal work, and warning Iraqis through signs and leaflets that they should not go near or touch battlefield debris. The Ministry of Defence has offered advice to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Post Conflict Assessment Unit on carrying out risk assessments on DU within urban areas and on long-term monitoring of DU in the environment.
DFID is providing financial support to UNEP for post-conflict environmental assessment work in Iraq, which includes technical assistance and capacity building for the Iraqi Environment Ministry. UNEP is also receiving significant funding from other donors through the UN trust fund for Iraq. UNEP has worked with Iraqi institutions to develop a contaminated sites database and a plan for the remediation of environmental "hotspots". The sites include industrial facilities, landfills, and sewage treatment plants as well as battlefield areas. UNEP has provided training for approximately 300 Iraqi officials and scientists in areas including contaminated sites assessment, environmental inspections, laboratory analysis and environmental impact assessment. Two training programmes on depleted uranium are scheduled for the third and final quarters of this year.
20 Oct 2004 : Column 743W
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many re-construction programmes there are in Iraq funded by (a) the UK and (b) the EU, broken down by type. [190999]
Hilary Benn: DFID has committed over £331 million for humanitarian and reconstruction assistance in Iraq since the conflict in 2003. This includes:
£84.8 million to UN agencies in response to 2003 emergency appeals;
£32 million to the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement;
£78.8 million for reconstruction and capacity-building projects in southern Iraq;
£19 million for advisory support to central Government, the justice sector, independent media, civil society and political participation;
£28 million for secondments and consultants for the Coalition Provisional Authority (up to June 2004) and related security costs;
£70 million to the World Bank and UN International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq—IRFFI—trust funds;
£11.7 million through the IMF and the International Finance Corporation for economic governance support and small business development; and
£7.4 million through NGOs.
A full list of DFID-funded projects can be found at: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/news/files/dfidiraqprojectlistsep04 .pdf
In 2003 and 2004, the European Community (EC) has provided €100 million in humanitarian assistance through UN agencies and NGOs, plus €202 million towards reconstruction as set out in the following table. The UK currently provides 19 per cent. of EC funding for Iraq.
| Sector | Committed (€ million) | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | ||
| UNDP Thematic Trust Fund for Crisis Prevention and Recovery | Education, health, water and sanitation, income generating activities | 29 |
| Human rights, civil society, support to electoral process | 3 | |
| Mine action | 2 | |
| United Nations Trust Fund | Political process, transitional justice | 5 |
| World Bank Trust Fund | Capacity building | 3 |
| Total 2003 | 42 | |
| 2004 | ||
| United Nations Trust Fund | Education, health, water and sanitation, agriculture and environment, poverty reduction and human development, governance and civil society, and electoral support | 80 |
| World Bank Trust Fund | Education, community based regeneration projects and capacity building | 80 |
| Total 2004 | 160 | |
| Grand total | 202 |
Most other EU member states are also providing assistance to Iraq individually. The following pledges were made for 2004–07 at the Madrid Conference in October 2003:
| US$ million | |
|---|---|
| Austria | 5.48 |
| Belgium | 5.89 |
| Cyprus | 0.12 |
| Czech Republic | 14.66 |
| Denmark | 26.95 |
| Estonia | 0.08 |
| Finland | 5.89 |
| Greece | 3.53 |
| Hungary | 1.24 |
| Ireland | 3.53 |
| Italy | 235.62 |
| Luxembourg | 2.36 |
| Malta | 0.27 |
| Netherlands | 9.42 |
| Slovenia | 0.42 |
| Spain | 220 |
| Sweden | 33 |
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission regarding aid to Iraq. [191582]
Hilary Benn: DFID officials are in frequent contact with European Commission (EC) colleagues to discuss aid to Iraq. The EC has spent over €300 million on support to Iraq: €100 million for humanitarian activities in 2003, and a further €200 million for reconstruction through the United Nations and World Bank trust funds for Iraq. DFID is also working alongside other Government Departments to facilitate dialogue between European officials and Iraqi Ministers in order to help identify areas for future EU engagement with Iraq.
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