§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to assist the preparations for the Rio † 10 conference; what contributions she intends to make at the conference; and if she will make a statement. [159783]
§ Clare ShortI refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment, on 8 May 2001,Official Report, column 38W. DFID is working closely with DETR and other Government Departments to ensure an effective UK contribution to the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
My Department plans to spend some £1.5 million to support the process. The largest contribution will go to the Government of South Africa to help them meet the costs of organising and hosting the Summit. The Department is also assisting the UN Secretariat to prepare for the Summit and 191W to support developing country participation. A DFID-funded expert meeting on strategies for sustainable development is expected to provide recommendations for the preparatory process. My Department will also be a principal supporter of the UN Development Programme/ European Community Poverty and Environment Initiative which is designed to demonstrate the poverty reducing potential of environmental interventions in the run-up to the Summit.
Both the Prime Minister and I spoke at the 6 March World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) conference on the Summit and I am placing a copy of my speech in the Library of the House.