§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held recently with his EU counterparts regarding the future of UNIDO. [11892]
§ Dr. Liam FoxOfficials from EU missions met last week in Vienna in order to make a preliminary assessment of UNIDO's core activities. The conclusions of the group will be considered by the EU working group on the UN in Brussels on 23 January.
§ Mr. LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons he commissioned an Overseas Development Administration report on UNIDO in 1996; and what was the cost of that report. [11894]
§ Dr. FoxWe commissioned an external assessment of UNIDO's policies and performance in order to help us reach a view on its continued relevance and value as a development agency. The assessment cost £75,500.
§ Mr. LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received regarding UNIDO. [11891]
§ Dr. FoxFollowing the announcement on 9 December of our intention to withdraw from UNIDO, we have received communications from the chair of the G77 and China in New York, the representative of the British staff in UNIDO and the Federation of International Civil Servants' Associations. Four letters from hon. Members of this House have also been received.
§ Mr. LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the value of the work of UNIDO. [11893]
§ Dr. FoxAs we made clear in our letter of withdrawal to the Secretary-General of the UN, and in a parallel letter to the Director-General of UNIDO, we recognise the value of some of the work of UNIDO but have concluded that there is no longer a case for a separate UN institution for industrial development. We believe this work should be carried out in a more broadly based UN development agency.