Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on UK aid to east andcentral Africa. [14158]Clare Short: The purpose of UK development assistance is to help the countries of the region to reduce poverty and achieve theMillennium Development Goals. Where possible we support countries' own poverty reduction strategies, for example by financing workto help them to design and implement pro-poor economic and social policies, improve the quality of governance and tackle HIV/AIDS.In countries affected by conflict we support initiatives to reduce the threat and impact of conflict, and provide emergency andrehabilitation assistance. Totally UK assistance to the region in 2000-01 amounted to £516 million. Figures for the UK share ofmultilateral assistance are not yet available, but in 1999 this totalled £75 million.