§ Mrs. ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the United Nations development programme about aid to Cambodia; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe staff of the British mission in Phnom Penh and in the ODA's regional office in Bangkok are in regular contact with UNDP officials about aid priorities in Cambodia. We attend the regular donor co-ordination meetings convened by the UNDP in Phnom Penh to underpin the efforts of the UN aid co-ordinator, Mr. Bernander; we have welcomed the UNDP's role in providing technical support to the Supreme National Council; and through a seconded ODA official we have contributed to the UNDP's "Comprehensive Paper on Rehabilitation Needs of Cambodia". The UNDP is one of ODA's partners in co-financing a health planning project in Phnom Penh and other possibilities for co-operation have been discussed.
§ Mrs. ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assistance in personnel and aid has been given to Cambodia in each year since 1979; and what assistance is planned for the current year;
353W(2) if he will list the ODA personnel currently serving in Cambodia.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe table shows disbursements of United Kingdom gross bilateral aid to Cambodia for the years 1979 to 1990.
Gross bilateral aid to Cambodia 1979–90 (£'000) Financial Aid (including debt relief) Technical co-operation Total 1979 703 — 703 1980 486 — 486 1981 110 — 110 1982 18 — 18 1983 693 — 693 1984 18 — 18 1985 18 — 18 1986 18 — 18 1987 18 — 18 1988 18 100 118 1989 18 283 302 1990 — 110 110 In addition, during this period £1.25 million was allocated to support programmes in Cambodia carried out by the United Nations Children Fund, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organisation; and nearly £15 million has been committed for assistance for refugees on the Thai-Cambodian border.
Firm expenditure figures are not yet available for 1991 and 1992, but, since the signing of the Paris peace accords in October 1991, the United Kingdom has granted an additional £750,000 to the World Food Programme for food pre-positioning for returnees and for the internally displaced; made payments of £2 million to the UNHCR in support of the repatriation programme; and has met a further £180,000 of the cost of bridge strengthening and provision along the repatriation route. Since January 1991 some £950,000 has been spent on the joint funding scheme in support of non-governmental organisations in Cambodia in the health, education, water supply and other priority sectors.
In the current financial year, further support for non-governmental organisations activity is planned and we are developing a significant programme of bilateral country assistance focused on health, water supply, English language training and some essential infrastructural improvements.
Between 1979 and the Paris peace accords, assistance with personnel was provided indirectly through our support for NGOs and the multilateral agencies.
Two permanent members of ODA's staff are currently on secondment in Cambodia. One is the deputy head of the British mission, with special responsibility for development matters. The other is ODA's senior health and population adviser. She is seconded to the World Health Organisation and is leading a health planning and management team in the Ministry of Health in Phnom Penh.
In addition, we expect more than 20 technical experts financed by the ODA to be undertaking short and long-term assignments in Cambodia during the course of this year in the fields of English language training, water use and development, inland fisheries, urban planning and support to small scale industry. We are also fully funding a repatriation adviser working with the International Federation of the Red Cross in support of the UNHCR repatriation effort.
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§ Mrs. ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with(a) the Government of Thailand and (b) the Governments of other countries about deforestation in Cambodia.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydUnder the co-ordination arrangements between donors, the United Kingdom's main focus in Cambodia is on health, water use and development, English language training, and bridge repair to assist repatriation. Forestry is not a sector of concentration for the United Kingdom in Cambodia. However, deforestation and other environmental dangers are critical issues for the development of Cambodia; and ODA officials in Phnom Penh have participated in discussions with the Supreme National Council and other country representatives, including Thai officials, at which these issues have been raised. We have urged EC officials to tackle forestry and environmental protection problems in the next tranche of EC assistance. We expect environmental concerns to play a prominent part in the forthcoming co-ordination meeting in Tokyo on 22 and 23 June at which the United Kingdom will be represented at ministerial level.
§ Mrs. ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of health needs in Cambodia.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydMalaria is considered the major health problem in Cambodia, with some 500,000 cases per year resulting in between 5,000 and 10,000 deaths. Other serious problems are tuberculosis; diarrhoeal and other childhood communicable diseases; undernutrition and micronutrient deficiency; pregnancy-related problems; and trauma.
In the short term, the immediate needs are adequate supplies of potable water, food and essential medicines and equipment; a programme of child immunisation; and the transfer of basic health skills. In the longer term, it will be essential to rebuild and strengthen the health service system.
In response to these needs, the United Kingdom is co-funding the WHO's three year anti-malaria programme in-country; ODA has seconded a senior health and population adviser to a two-year WHO assignment in the Cambodian Ministry of Health; and assistance to the water sector is a priority in the United Kingdom bilateral programme to Cambodia.