Written question asked by Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 28 July 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 11 August 2020. It was answered by Baroness Sugg (Conservative) on Thursday, 6 August 2020 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Haiti: Development Aid

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Department for International Development’s involvement in Haiti, given reports by the community and international agencies of the continuing levels of poverty, unrest, sexual exploitation and abuse.

Answer: While the UK does not have a bilateral development programme in Haiti, we support Haiti through our contributions to agencies such as the United Nations, European Union and the World Bank Group who have a strong presence on the ground. Our contributions are helping to make sure reconstruction reduces future disaster risks, health facilities are more climate resilient and the economy is better managed and supported. DFID holds itself to the highest standards and UK Aid must be delivered at all times in ways which do no harm. We will not fund any organisation that does not meet our high standards on safeguarding. Evidence suggests that sexual exploitation and abuse increase during crises and we must never be complacent. This is a long-term agenda and DFID continues to drive work to tackle sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment. We are making good progress with initiatives that root out perpetrators and improve support to survivors and victims.

Secondary information