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Dept for International Development

Answer

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution his Department has made to the United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and what use he expects to make of the Assessment once it is published; and if he will make a statement. [218905] Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development (DFID) welcomes the forthcoming publication of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), the first public release of which will be at the end of March. We will look for opportunities to publicise the launch of this report internally to DFID staff. The MA focuses on ecosystem services and how changes in ecosystem services affect human well-being. Building on this, the MA will identify policy, institutional, or technological changes that could not only improve the management of ecosystems, but also contribute to development and to long-term sustainability. DFID has been involved in consultations with a number of MA working groups, providing comments and suggestions on the draft stages of the report. DFID also funded two co-ordinating lead authors through the provision of financial support to the International Institute for Environment and Development. One of the main financial contributors to the MA process has been the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to which the UK is currently contributing £103 million over four years from 2002. The UK is the fourth largest donor to the GEF. DFID uses the results and recommendations of reports such as the MA to inform thinking on issues of poverty-environment linkages and the continual development and improvement of tools to support work to integrate environmental considerations into development co-operation. DFID is particularly interested in the findings of the MA that seek to highlight effective policies and interventions that respond to environmental challenges while bringing financial and livelihood benefits to the poor. Examples of these options include payment for ecosystem services such as catchment management and forest certification schemes. DFID will also be encouraging those agencies involved in commissioning the report, including the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Secretariats of the Conventions (in particular the Convention on Biodiversity and the Framework Convention on Climate Change), to use the analyses and results of this major study to inform their future policy and implementation work.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

218905; 431 c1453-4W;431 c1447-8W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Environment protection Environment International assistance Management United Nations

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk