HC Deb 14 March 2001 vol 364 cc662-3W
29. Mr. Luff

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on Government assistance to Mongolia. [152237]

Clare Short

An appeal for $11.8 million has been launched by the Government of Mongolia through the United Nations in response to the current winter disaster or 'Dzud'. We have offered £1 million for the provision of emergency relief under the framework of the UN appeal to be channelled through humanitarian agencies working in Mongolia. The appeal aims to target vulnerable groups in the most severely affected provinces and seeks to fulfil unmet relief needs. It focuses on building the disaster management of the Mongolian State Emergency Commission and other relevant national partners to enhance preparedness and future response.

In 2000, we contributed nearly £200,000 to an IFRC appeal aimed at 35,000 of the most vulnerable Mongolian herders.

We also provide a Small Grants Scheme allocation (currently £225,000) to Mongolia. Activities funded through multilateral channels to which we contribute include support to the World bank's sustainable livelihoods programme and to the UN programme supporting national development priorities such as reproductive health care, distance learning and institutional capacity building. DFID also participles in the thematic donor meetings in Mongolia and will continue to work to ensure that the multilateral donor agencies remain poverty-focused in Mongolia.