Written question asked by Ivan Lewis (Labour) on Tuesday, 27 March 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 16 April 2012. It was answered by Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on Monday, 16 April 2012 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Sahel

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his (a) EU and (b) European counterparts on food insecurity in the Sahel.

Answer: Britain has responded quickly to provide assistance to the areas of the Sahel worst affected by the current food security crisis. It is vital that other donors step forward to carry their share of the international response. To this end, I spoke with Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response on 25 January. Officials from my Department also lobbied a group of officials from Nordic countries on 9 February. On the same day, UK officials also raised the issue of the Sahel at a meeting attended by representatives from all 27 EU member states.In addition, on 28 February, the UK led a round table meeting with senior officials from the European Commission and other donors on European development fund support for African Regional Economic Integration, including pan-African initiatives which could among other things improve food security in the Sahel.We will continue to engage in regular discussions with our counterparts in other governments to help ensure an effective response to the crisis.

Secondary information