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Democratic Republic of Congo
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to assist victims of violence and human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with particular reference to victims of sexual violence. [52203]
Hilary Benn: The continuing high levels of sexual violence and human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reflect the prevailing culture of impunity in the DRC. The UK is working with the international community to deal with the causes and symptoms of this.
We are supporting humanitarian agencies to provide medical assistance to victims of sexual violence, particularly in the Eastern DRC. We have recently started to fund the Norwegian non-governmental organisation (NGO) Christian Relief Network to set up and run a wing in Panzi hospital, South Kivu, treating women suffering from fistula—which is one of the most serious and devastating consequences of sexual violence. Their programme includes psychological support for patients as well as medical treatment. We are also supporting the International Committee of the Red Cross, who have recently launched a gender based violence pilot programme in the East. The UK will be spending approximately £27 million this financial year
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on humanitarian and health service delivery projects in the DRC through the UN and NGOs. Many of these provide assistance to victims of sexual violence and we remain ready to support other appropriate and effective interventions in this area.
It is also vital to tackle the underlying causes of sexual violence and other abuses of human rights. One of the ways to end the cycle of human rights violations in the DRC is to end the conflict in the country and the whole Great Lakes region. Conflict reduction is the major focus of the UK's engagement in the DRC. We have consistently pushed the Congolese transitional government for faster progress in a number of areas that are critical for making the democratic process a success and avoiding a return to conflict, notably preparations for elections, security sector reform, disarming militias and ending corruption.
The UK has also been working with the DRC authorities and non-governmental organisations to try and start reforming the Congolese justice sector and restoring the rule of law, to reduce the culture of impunity that allows sexual violence to happen and
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those responsible to go unpunished. At a local level in the East we are also support NGOs who are promoting dialogue and peacebuilding work between communities previously in conflict.
Ill-disciplined and underpaid members of the Congolese armed forces (FARDC-Forces Armees de la Republique Democratique du Congo) also create insecurity for local communities. The UK and international partners presented a dossier to President Kabila on 23 January this year cataloguing the most serious abuses carried out by FARDC soldiers, urging that the soldiers concerned be brought to justice.
Multilateral Institutions
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) funding and (b) technical support his Department has provided to each multilateral agency that it supported in each of the last three years. [55921]
Hilary Benn: The following table details the funding DFID has provided to each multilateral agency we have supported in the last three years:
(3) This includes only contributions to the FAO which are counted as aid.
(4) This includes only contributions to UNESCO which are counted as aid.
(5) This is the regular programme of food aid. It does not include emergency food aid which is classified as bilateral humanitarian expenditure.
(6) In addition to these core contributions, DFID also channels some bilateral expenditure through UN agencies. The total amount spent through UN organisations is estimated to be in the region of £300 million annually.
Note:
Memo—contributions from DFID funds which are not reportable to DAC and so excluded from within the table:
Food and Agricultural Organisation: (£000)
2002–03—5889
2003–04—6076
2004–05—6603
UNESCO: (£000)
2002–03—9974
2003–04—8594
2004–05—8141
Source:
Statistics on International Development 2005.
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Nigeria
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of levels of corruption in Nigeria; and what steps are being taken by his Department to promote and support good governance there. [52202]
Hilary Benn: As for other countries, DFID's assessment of corruption and governance in Nigeria draws on a range of analysis, including that by the World Bank and by national and international non-governmental organisations. DFID's own Drivers of Change analysis, undertaken in 2004, highlighted Nigeria's history of systematic mismanagement of oil revenues as one of the main constraints to poverty reduction in Nigeria. In 2005, DFID and other development partners supported a national benchmarking of State governments, which measured a range of governance indicators, including what each State has done to address corruption. DFID is currently working with the World Bank to undertake a review of public financial management at Federal and State level, using the internationally agreed Public Expenditure Financial Accountability (PEFA) benchmarks.
Improved governance is one of the three pillars of Nigeria's poverty reduction strategy, the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS). As part of its support to NEEDS, DFID is providing technical support for reforms in public financial management and service delivery systems at both Federal and State level. At the Federal level, DFID supports reforms which are being implemented by a team of Ministers put in place by President Obasanjo following the 2003 elections. Discernible progress has been made on economic reform and on fighting corruption. At State level, DFID is focusing its support on a group of states that have shown, particularly through the benchmarking exercise noted earlier, that they are committed to better governance and transparency.
DFID is also supporting reforms in the police and justice sector, along with support for measures to improve the electoral process in 2003 and 2007. DFID will shortly launch a new programme of assistance to enhance the capacity of the National Assembly.
Nigeria is leading the world in taking forward the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to promote transparency in the use of oil revenue. Complementing the support which DFID has provided for the EITI globally, DFID in Nigeria has provided specific technical and financial support to a unit in the Finance Ministry responsible for coordinating audits of oil and gas revenue.
DFID and the FCO are jointly providing technical support to the work of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of a number of high profile corruption cases in recent months. EFCC investigations have led to the early retirement and subsequent imprisonment of the Inspector General of Police, the removal of the Education Minister and the resignation of the Senate President. Most recently, EFCC provided evidence that led to the impeachment of the former Governor of Bayelsa State, after he jumped bail on money laundering charges in the UK. The former Governor is now being prosecuted in Nigeria.
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The UK's support to EFCC is designed to complement a much larger programme of support from the EC.
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