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13 Mar 2006 : Column 1924W—continued
Afghanistan/Iraq
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which non-governmental organisations the UK funds which operate in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq; and how much funding has been allocated for these activities in each of the last four years. [54763]
Hilary Benn: DFID is currently funding non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Iraq through two principal mechanisms: the Political Participation Fund and the Civil Society Fund.
The £5 million Iraq Civil Society Fund (CSF) supports projects that strengthen the capacity of Iraqi civil society organisations through partnerships with international NGOs. Projects funded include building women's leadership capacity, training for Iraqi trade union leaders, developing child rights, social work training and education about the risks of mines.
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Support has been given to Christian Aid, Save the Children (UK), Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Help Age International, Women for Women International, Salvation Army, International Centre for Trade Union Rights, UNISON and the Women's National Commission. These partners have, in turn, supported a range of Iraqi partner organisations.
The £7.5 million Political Participation Fund (PPF) provides grants to grass-roots Iraqi civil society organisations to enable potentially marginalised groups to participate in the political process. Projects funded include an NGO conference, human rights conference attended by Ann Clwyd MP, campaign to encourage women to register for the elections, media, elections training, and campaigns and workshops on the constitution and referendum. Under the PPF, the international NGOs we have supported are AMAR, Arab Gulf Studies Centre, Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), and the Irish Human Rights Network.
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We are also providing funding directly to:
Prior to 2004, DFID provided long term project support to AMAR, ACORN, CARE, Christian Aid, and Save the Children (UK) for their work in Iraq. Immediately after the conflict in April 2003, we provided emergency humanitarian support through ACTED, AMAR, CARE, 4RS, GOAL, Help Age International, International Medical Corps (IMC), MedAir, Merlin, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Muslim Hands, People in Need Foundation, Save the Children (UK), Solidarities, and War Child. We also contributed £28.5 million to the International Red Cross for their humanitarian appeals during 2003–05.
The following table shows our disbursements to NGOs in Iraq during the last four financial years:
(23) To date.
DFID are funding the following NGOs which operate in Afghanistan:
The following table provides figures for bilateral funding provided by DFID to non-governmental organisations working in Afghanistan in each year since 2001.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 22.5 |
| 2002–03 | 5.8 |
| 2003–04 | 2.5 |
| 2004–05 | 5.5 |
| 2005–06 | 5.8 |
DFID also provides multilateral funds to non-governmental organisations through Partnership Programme Agreements (PPAs). PPAs are long-term agreements of three to five years with civil society organisations who have a strong track record of work in international development and an ability to make a contribution to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
As PPA funds are unearmarked, we cannot directly attribute funding to specific activities or countries. OXFAM, ActionAid, Christian Aid, and Save the Children UK however all have projects in Afghanistan and have received a total of £26.4 million this financial year through their Partnership Programme Agreements with DFID.
African Union
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the African Union's work on conflict prevention. [57005]
Hilary Benn:
Supporting African leadership on conflict prevention, management, and peace building is the key to long-term success in improving peace and
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security in Africa. The African Union (AU)'s Peace and Security Council (PSC) protocol provides the framework for the African Union's work in this area. The 15-member PSC provides political direction and oversight to the AU's work on peace and security. The AU has agreed a Common Africa Defence and Security Policy and has produced a Strategic Plan and Budget (agreed in July and December 2004 respectively) that sets out the priorities in the peace and security agenda until 2007. Key elements include: establishing a Panel of the Wise (PW) of eminent Africans to engage in preventive diplomacy and mediation; an Africa Standby Force (ASF) to give the PSC the ability to undertake peace support operations; and a Continental Early Warning System (CEWS) to inform and advise the PSC on preventive action. The Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) will support AU member states in setting and applying standards to strengthen the links between development, governance and peace and security. The AU is already playing a key role in addressing conflicts on the continent—as evidenced by
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its work in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Comoros, the Cote d'lvoire, Togo and Sudan.
UK funds and activities have focused on supporting four priority areas essential for putting this system into place—support to the Conflict Management Centre in the Peace and Security Directorate of the AU Commission, help in operationalising the Africa Standby Force, funding and technical support to AU peace support operations, and support to the development of the AU's Continental Early Warning System. We have also provided financial and practical support to the African Union mission in Darfur.
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which 10 countries received most in aid from the UK in each year since 1997; and how much each received. [57213]
Hilary Benn: The following table details the top 10 recipients of bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the UK in each year since 1997 along with the amount each country received:
Source:
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development: Development Assistance Committee Database
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