§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what mechanisms exist to establish a forum at United Nations level facilitating dialogue between aid representatives and representatives of governments. [160737]
§ Mr. RammellThe United Nations organises many fora where aid representatives and representatives of government can hold a dialogue. We do not believe there is a need to establish new fora. Various UN funds and programmes and specialised agencies work in the development area; the regular meetings of their governing bodies allow a dialogue between the organisations concerned and member states. The General Assembly and Economic and Social Council of the UN frequently discuss development issues. At a country level, regular exchanges between aid representatives and donor governments take place on a bilateral and multilateral basis.