Written question asked by John McAllion (Labour) on Wednesday, 20 January 1999, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 3 February 1999. It was answered by Clare Short (Labour) on Wednesday, 3 February 1999 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, What recent discussions she has had with voluntary organisations in relation to the reduction of the debt burden on developing countries. (Failed OPQ).

Answer: Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with voluntary organisations in relation to the reduction of the debt burden on developing countries. [67518] Clare Short: In December, I met the directors of the voluntary organisations which comprise the British Overseas Aid Group (BOAG)--ActionAid, Oxfam, the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development (CAFOD), Christian Aid and Save the Children Fund. Also in December, I met BOND--which represents the smaller NGOs. They agreed with the need to develop and strengthen the link between debt relief and poverty reduction and welcomed the fact that we are pressing for this issue to be considered during the forthcoming comprehensive review of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative, and for civil society in developing countries to be involved in the review.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 67518; 324 c636W
Session: 1998-99
Question not reached: Yes
Subjects: Debts Developing countries Voluntary organisations Non-governmental organisations