§ 24. Mr. GapesTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on her Department's contribution to conflict resolution. [132205]
§ Clare ShortWe are contributing to efforts to support conflict prevention, reduction and management worldwide, both through our development and humanitarian assistance programmes, and through our support to international institutions, most notably the UN and the EC.
We recognise that a reduction in armed conflict is an essential precondition for the achievement of sustainable development. We are pursuing a number of targeted strategies for conflict reduction and the promotion of sustainable peace in post conflict countries.
Arrangements are also in hand for the implementation of two new interdepartmental initiatives on Conflict Prevention to enhance collaboration between my Department, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence. One will be for Africa—to be managed by a Ministerial Committee headed by myself; and the second for the Rest of the World—to be managed by a Ministerial Committee headed by the Foreign Secretary.