Written question asked by Lord Hylton (Crossbench) on Tuesday, 22 March 2016, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 7 April 2016. It was answered by Baroness Verma (Conservative) on Thursday, 7 April 2016 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Disasters

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the present conditions of (1) the Gaza Strip, and (2) the Mosul Dam in Iraq, are suitable candidates for examinations under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reductions; and if so, what action they plan to take.

Answer: The UK is deeply concerned by the conditions in Gaza and the risk of the Mosul Dam failing in Iraq. The Sendai Framework is a non-binding framework that covers natural disasters and therefore is not the most appropriate tool for Gaza and Mosul. The UK is a strong advocate for the framework’s aims. We remain committed to supporting the most vulnerable countries and communities to better withstand and recover from the impact of disasters. The framework reflects fully a number of longstanding priorities and areas of expertise which are already being taken forward by DFID to support developing countries to help them to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risks and build resilience, through its support to multilaterals and through its country programmes.

Secondary information