§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects his Department(a) has initiated, (b) fully directed funds, (c) partially directed funds, (d) funds through EU initiatives and (e) funds through United Nations initiatives in Mongolia; and if he will make a statement on the (i) aims, (ii) structure, (iii) methods and (iv) progress of each. [134456]
611W
Mr. Gareth ThomasDFID has no long-term or current bilateral programme in Mongolia. The British embassy does provide some direct assistance in the form of a Small Grants Scheme (SGS) allocation (currently £200,000 per annum) to support small-scale poverty and human development focused activities. The focus of the SGS in Mongolia is on children, especially with respect to education, social care and protection from exploitation and violence. Key projects will direct funds towards assisting the integration of vulnerable children into pre and primary school education, while also helping to tackle problems that face Mongolia's street children by defining clear standards of care for shelters and increasing the number of children united with their families. The SGS is largely managed by the Save the Children on behalf of the FCO. The Save the Children Fund reports annually on the SGS to the FCO.
DFID has made small contributions for humanitarian aid and relief in previous years., but none in this financial year.
In addition the UK contributes to the development programmes of various multi-lateral agencies. The imputed share of the UK's spend on Mongolia (in 2001, the latest year for which figures are available) through the EU and the UN was £400,000 and £600,000 respectively.
The EU's current Country Strategy for Mongolia runs from 2002–04 and focuses on Rural Development (including providing support for rural enterprises; addressing the social consequences of transition and protection of the environment). Performance against the Country Strategy is due to be reviewed in 2004–05.
A range of specialised UN agencies—such as UNICEF—operate in Mongolia. In addition, the United Nations Development Programme facilitates delivery of programmes under three headings in Mongolia: Democratic Governance, Economic Transition and Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Natural Resource Management.
DFID does not individually monitor the progress of all projects that are funded on a multilateral basis, as this would involve duplication and unnecessarily divert resources. DFID therefore works to ensure that sufficiently robust reporting arrangements are in place within relevant multilateral agencies.