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10 Jan 2005 : Column 58W—continued
Sudan
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the Government is providing to (a) the government of Sudan and (b) non-governmental organisations operating in Sudan, broken down by (i) the amount and (ii) the use to which funds are being put; and if he will make a statement. [206075]
Hilary Benn: DFID currently provides no support directly to the Government of Sudan.
The table sets out our allocations for this financial year 2004–2005 to non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) working in Sudan.
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The UN has recently launched its Workplan for 2005 for Sudan, totalling $1.48 billion.
The UK has committed 100 million for Sudan for 2005, provisional upon signature of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement. DFID will continue to work through NGOs, as well as other partners to meet the enormous needs.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support he is giving to the provision of donkeys to internally displaced people in Darfur. [205625]
Hilary Benn: The UK is a leading donor of humanitarian assistance for internally displaced people (IDP) in Darfur. DFiD's priority is to support the UN and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to meet the emergency needs of the displaced people through the most appropriate help.
Donkeys are an important asset, as part of people's livelihoods. One part of our support to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) deals with feed
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and health care to donkeys both in camps and outside. DFID support includes £1 million to the FAO, whose priority is to provide veterinarian support for donkeys and livestock.
We are now thinking about how we can support livelihoods in the medium and long-term if and when conditions improve. It is important that UN agencies receive up front funding so they can plan ahead. Part of this support will go to the FAO, who will be the lead agency in terms of rehabilitation of livelihoods, including help with livestock and animal health.
Taskforces
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by his Department in each year since 1997 on taskforces and similar bodies. [204883]
Hilary Benn [holding answer 16 December 2004]: Since 1997, the Department for International Development (DFID) has been responsible for 11 non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), task forces and advisory bodies. Expenditure for each is as follows:
Note:
The majority of costs listed relate to administrative charges and the reimbursement of travelling expenses. Where '0' is shown, this signifies costs of less than £1,000.
DFID provides funding to support the Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships Plan which is administered by the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission in the UK, an NDPB. The Plan provides scholarships and fellowships for students from Commonwealth countries to study either in the UK or, increasingly, through distance learning in country. Since 1997, DFID has provided a total of £62.5 million to the overall costs of the plan; of this £747,545 was the total cost for the operation of the Commission.
Uzbekistan
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has
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made to the Government of Uzbekistan about the restrictions placed on non-governmental organisations operating in the country. [205275]
Mr. Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
We continue to be concerned by the restrictions imposed upon and the harassment suffered by the NGO community in Uzbekistan.
In February 2004 the EU wrote to the Minister of Justice stressing the importance of the contribution made to society by NGOs and raised the issue again with the Deputy Minister of Justice in March.
We were very concerned to learn of the refusal of the Ministry of Justice to re-register the Open Society Institute in April. The EU raised this with the Uzbek Government at senior ministerial level in a demarche, which was delivered by the UK as acting Presidency in Tashkent. We are still pressing for an official response.
In November we received reports that the Uzbek authorities might not renew the visa of the Director of Human Rights Watch in Uzbekistan, Allison Gill. We joined EU partners in bringing the issue to the attention of Foreign Minister Safayev in a meeting on 11 November. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary followed this with a letter to Mr. Safayev pressing for the renewal of Ms Gill's visa, in which he said that:
"the activities of civil society groups such as Human Rights Watch are an essential part of a healthy democracy."
An extension has been granted until 31 December, We will continue to press for a full renewal.
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