§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what(a) action is being taken and (b) aid is planned to be offered by the United Kingdom Government to help Rwanda reach the targets set in the memorandum of understanding; and what aid is being offered from other western countries, with particular reference to the United States of America. [177665]
§ Hilary BennDFID's programme of support to Rwanda is set out in the Rwanda Country Assistance Plan. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) complements this, providing the political framework in which the Country Assistance Plan is set.
The United Kingdom Government is committed to helping Rwanda reach the targets set out in these documents. Officials from DFID work closely with colleagues in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and with other donor Governments, to ensure our approach is consistent and focused on helping the poor of Rwanda.
804WThe UK/Rwanda MoU was first signed in 1999 and is renewed on an annual basis. It underpins the UK/ Rwanda bilateral relationship, and provides a sound basis for constructive dialogue and assessment of progress on political developments.
The UK Government maintains a regular dialogue with the Government of Rwanda and has gained their trust and respect. The UK's strong relationship with the Government of Rwanda enables us to have open and frank discussions on a range of issues, including performance against targets set out in the Memorandum of Understanding.
The UK Government remains committed to reducing poverty in Rwanda and to the targets set out in the Government of Rwanda's Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). The MoU sets out Rwanda's commitment to this and reaffirms the UK Government's long-term commitment to poverty reduction in Rwanda.
DFID has committed £42 million for poverty reduction in 2004–05 and £47 million in 2005–06. Two thirds of the money—equating approximately to all the salaries for all the teachers in Rwanda—is given direct to the Government of Rwanda in the form of Poverty Reduction Budget Support.
The United States of America, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has committed $46 million (£25 million) to Rwanda through both bilateral $36 million/£19.5 million) and non-bilateral programmes ($10 million/£5.5 million). Over half of the US programme ($29 million/£16 million) is committed to Health and HIV/AIDS programmes, $13.5 million (£7 million) to agriculture, food security and economic growth and $3.5 million (£2 million) to democracy and governance programmes.
Other bilateral donors active in Rwanda include Switzerland, Sweden, Holland, Germany, Belgium, France and Canada. Together they have committed an estimated £61.5 million to Rwanda in 2004. This makes the UK the largest bilateral donor in Rwanda. Multilateral donors, notably the European Union to which the UK provides an annual contribution, are also present in Rwanda. The EU has committed approximately £74.7 million to Rwanda in 2004.
To ensure that aid given to Rwanda is used in the most effective way, all bilateral and multilateral donors are working to harmonise their approaches and develop complementary programmes.