§ Lord Alton of Liverpoolasked Her Majesty's Government:
What funding they have made available for wildlife projects in Burma; and how this money is being spent.[HL2837]
§ Baroness Amos:The UK's environmental work consists of ensuring we contribute to improve the quality of the global environment in areas set out by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg last year, such as sanitation and water, renewable energy, bio-diversity and oceans. Currently in Burma, the UK (the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) provides funding through carefully selected agencies to protect and conserve biological and cultural diversity. These include projects on wildlife and forest conservation and creating capacity within local communities. In the current financial year 2003–04 our assistance in these areas will amount to around £122,000.
§ Lord Alton of Liverpoolasked Her Majesty's Government:
What funds are currently available to assist internally displaced people in Burma and to provide education for Burmese refugees in refugee camps on the Burma border. [HL2838]
§ Baroness Amos:DfID assistance for refugees in camps on the Thai-Burma border has focused mainly on meeting food needs and on UN HCR's protection role.We are not currently supporting programmes 89WA focused exclusively on meeting the needs of displaced people inside Burma.
Financial assistance last year amounted to just under £2 million. DfID is also providing support to refugees through the European Commission. In 2002, the European Commission allocated 3.5 million euros (£2.5 million) for these purposes, 20 per cent of which is attributable to the UK Government.
For the financial year 2003–04, DfID's overall allocation for bilateral programmes for Burma is currently £4 million. Additional support will continue to be made available for Burmese refugees outside the country.