§ 18. Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the development aid she is providing to Ethiopia. [69890]
§ Clare ShortWe are building up a development partnership with Ethiopia which will support the Ethiopian Government's Poverty Reduction Strategy. We understand that the Government of Ethiopia hope to produce a final version of the strategy in the next few weeks. Excluding humanitarian support our initial aid framework for 2002–03 was £9 million. There are also additional funds for a three-year input to help tackle HIV/AIDS.
Current and planned support includes assistance in the road sector, water, food security including rural transportation, pastoralism and tax reform. We are currently developing a strategy for future years when the programme will expand. The strategy will address which sectors will be focus areas for DFID support. There will be full consultation during the strategy process. Initial discussions with the Ethiopian Government suggest that our focus should be on education, food security and capacity building across sectors. We shall continue to bear in mind political developments in Ethiopia while drawing up our plans.