§ Mr. SarwarTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Nepal. [80750]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienWe remain extremely concerned about the conflict in Nepal, which has seen a continuing loss of life, a reduction in development and human rights abuses.
We support the Nepalese Government's efforts in combating the Maoist insurgency and we condemn the Maoist's brutal attacks on the Nepalese security forces and her civilians.
The political situation in Nepal remains fragile following the appointment of a caretaker government by the King of Nepal, but we have seen some positive progress by the new Government, including on issues such as anti-corruption measures and economic reform. While we acknowledge that the regrettable security situation has prevented the holding of elections, we believe that the preservation of the constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy are crucial. It is important that free, fair and credible elections are held as soon as the security situation allows.
The UK will continue to provide support for Nepal for security development and peace-building. The UK hosted an international meeting in June, which concluded that an integrated strategy encompassing these strands was required to address the underlying causes of the conflict as well as immediately dealing with the insurgency. We are currently taking forward this strategy through the newly-formed International Support Group, which includes representatives from all the major donor countries and organisations in Kathmandu. I had the privilege to chair the first meeting during my trip to Nepal last month.
Our development programme in Nepal is £22 million this year, and has been restructured, in the light of the conflict, to emphasise the delivery of tangible benefits to poor and excluded groups. An additional £6.7 million has been made available this year through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool.