§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the progress of the work of the United Nations Development Programme in HIV/AIDS. [64979]
§ Clare ShortUNDP, as one of the co-sponsoring organisations of the joint UN programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), plays an important role in helping create enabling policy, legislative and resource environments for an effective multisectoral response to the epidemic. UNDP's key areas for action lie in supporting developing countries to take effective leadership, in developing capacity for action, promoting a rights-based approach and in impact mitigation.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the progress of the work of the United Nations Development Programme in energy and the environment. [64977]
§ Clare ShortDFID is providing support to UNDP's Poverty and Environment initiative, which aims to ensure that `win-win' options for reducing poverty while improving the environment are reflected in the strategies and practices of developing country Governments and their international partners. We are supportive of the work of UNDP as an implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility and of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. We are also supportive of UNDP's co-sponsorship of Energy Sector Management Programme (ESMAP) and their work in the Global Village Energy Partnership.
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§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the United Nations Development Programme about the progress of its work on poverty reduction. [64687]
§ Clare ShortI met UNDP's Administrator, Mark Malloch Brown, in Monterrey in March. We discussed a range of issues, including UNDP's work to promote the Millennium Development Goals for poverty reduction.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the United Nations Development Programme about the progress of its work on democratic governance. [64695]
§ Clare ShortDemocratic Governance is one of UNDP's six priority action areas, and an area that DFID also prioritises in its work. I last had discussions with UNDP's administrator, Mark Malloch Brown, on this and other issues at the UN's Conference on Financing for Development (FfD) in Monterrey in March 2002.
My officials work closely with UNDP colleagues on democratic governance programmes in a number of partner countries. There is also regular contact between headquarters staff. For example, last month DFID's Chief Governance Adviser and other governance advisers met with the resident experts working at UNDP's newly established Thematic Facility on Governance, based in Oslo, Norway.
I have also accepted an invitation from UNDP to speak at the launch in July of their 2002 Human Development Report which has as its main theme the examination of the challenges of democratic governance and development.