§ 19. Mr. Ian BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is giving to Mongolia. [115448]
§ Clare ShortMost UK aid to Mongolia is channelled through multilateral agencies, in particular the European Commission, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The UK contributes around £5.7 million through these agencies and this figure is set to rise slightly over the next two to three years.
We also support UK non-governmental Organisations' work in Mongolia, focusing on activities which benefit the poorest. Our bilateral development assistance totalled £470,000 in 1998–99 and a similar figure is expected for the current year.
In response to the recent severe weather crisis, we are contributing to the purchase of essential relief supplies in Mongolia. To date, the UK Government have contributed around £50,300 to the relief effort.