§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department has taken to provide assistance for women in Nicaragua since Hurricane Mitch. [102818]
§ Clare ShortOur post-hurricane emergency assistance to Nicaragua was in the health, education and water sectors. It is our policy to ensure all emergency assistance takes account of the needs of women and does not leave them marginalised.
Women's NGOs in Nicaragua form a strong voice within civil society and we have supported their roles through our capacity building fund with the Inter American Development Bank and also in post Mitch reconstruction activities and decision making through the Joint Funding Scheme. The funds have gone to supporting a number of projects with non-governmental organisations, including Christian Aid and Oxfam, that are aimed specifically at women particularly in the fields of health and training.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what debts(a) Honduras and (b) Nicaragua have paid to the (i) World Bank and (ii) IMF (A) before and (B) since Hurricane Mitch. [102816]
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§ Clare ShortThe levels of debt service payments (principal and others) by Honduras and Nicaragua to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are shown in the tables.
Year World Bank 1 in Us$ millions International monetary fund in SDR2 millions Honduras 1996 94.1 27.31 1997 77.8 7.05 1998 73.5 1.51 1999 63.7 5.08 Nicaragua 1996 25.9 6.68 1997 23.4 0.1 1998 14.9 0.29 1999 10.9 2.3 1The World Bank figures include International Board for Reconstruction and International Development Association. 2SDR-Special Drawing Rights Note:
The figures are based on calendar years
In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, the UK proposed a Central American Trust Fund in order to help Honduras and Nicaragua cover their debt service payments to the International Financial Institutions. In the period December 1998 to November 1999, Honduras received US$ 71.8 million and Nicaragua received US$ 41.3 million. The UK contributed US$ 16.3 million to the Central American Emergency Trust Fund.