The UK supports multilateral institutions by providing both core and non-core project funding to help tackle complex governance challenges in developing countries. For example, we provide funding to UN agencies, including UNDP, to promote inclusive, effective and accountable governance. The UK funds the World Bank, IMF and OECD to deliver capacity building on tax and public financial management, including supporting the flagship "Tax Inspectors Without Borders" partnership between the OECD and the UN. Last month the UK announced £2 million new funding to World Bank and IMF Trust funds focused on supporting developing countries build stronger systems to tackle corruption and illicit finance issues. The UK has consistently championed delivering good governance outcomes across the multilateral system, including by playing a leading role to champion and shape SDG 16 that provides the overarching international framework for this.

The UK believes that the economic reforms agreed to by the Zimbabwean Government as part of the arrears clearance dialogue remain essential for improving Zimbabwe's long term economic trajectory. The UK is therefore engaging constructively on the Zimbabwe arrears clearance dialogue led by African Development Bank President Adesina and former Mozambican President Chissano. I (Deputy Foreign Minister) recently met Zimbabwe Finance Minister Ncube at the World Bank Spring Meetings to discuss the dialogue. I also regularly speak to a range of ministers and experts across Southern Africa on the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe and in Southern Africa, where we continue to provide support following the recent declaration of drought, including through Africa Risk Capacity, a UK-supported African Union-led disaster risk insurance mechanism.

Attacks by extremists on aid convoys en route to Gaza are appalling. Gazans are at risk of famine and in desperate need of supplies. Israel must facilitate immediate, uninterrupted humanitarian access in Gaza, and hold attackers to account. Aid will not make a difference unless it can be properly and safely distributed. Guaranteed deconfliction for aid convoys and other humanitarian work is essential. The Foreign Secretary raised his concerns with Israeli Minister Gantz on 16 May.

Current humanitarian access into and within Sudan remains highly constrained. Our top humanitarian priority remains securing immediate humanitarian access and operational security guarantees for humanitarian agencies. The UK continues to speak out publicly and vigorously to press the warring parties to facilitate unhindered, crossline & cross-border humanitarian access. On 20 March, the UK highlighted at the Security Council the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) White Note's clear warning that obstruction of humanitarian access by the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces is resulting in people in Sudan starving. On 8 March, the UK led the Security Council to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire for Ramadan and for urgent humanitarian access.

The FCDO accepted ICAI's recommendation in their 2022 Review into Aid Transparency that our clear and ambitious standards for transparency should be applied to Arm's-Length Bodies. The FCDO publishes information on ODA allocated to its Arm's-Length Bodies and is developing a new automated process to ensure this is done as efficiently as possible, reducing the administrative burden on FCDO teams. Furthermore, following the rollout of this new automated process, the FCDO will work with its ALBs to support improvements in aid publishing practice.

Aid Transparency remains a high priority for my department. The FCDO has returned to monthly publication of aid programme data and documents, following global best practice. Furthermore, we have delivered our ambitious Open Government Partnership National Action Plan 5 commitments and a new plan for the current year has been co-created with Civil Society. Additionally, ICAI's recent follow-up to their Review into Aid Transparency judges that adequate progress has been made against each of their four recommendations. FCDO also advocates for greater transparency in the aid spending of other donors, recently attending the 2024 International Aid Transparency Initiative's Members' Assembly.

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) rules state that activities to support routine civil policing functions with the overall goal of promoting economic development and welfare of developing countries are ODA-eligible. Robust processes are in place, including Overseas Security and Justice Assistance Guidance, to ensure ODA spend on civilian policing meets these requirements. The FCDO continually keeps under review its guidance on support for security sector reform. There is no specific plan to issue new guidance on the use of ODA to fund civilian policing tasks.

FCDO partners including the UN World Food Programme, International Organisation for Migration, and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) are on the ground providing a response to the recent flooding in Afghanistan, and we have communicated that our partners can use our funds flexibly for flood response. We build such no-notice and climate-induced events into our planning with partners, and they are responding accordingly, while keeping us closely posted on their assessments of damage and impacts.

Post-conflict recovery and reconstruction must be led by Palestinians, but the international community will also need to play a major collective role in this effort. We are progressing our thinking on all aspects of recovery and reconstruction. We have begun discussions with multilateral and bilateral partners on the financing and coordination of reconstruction.

The UK is supporting Lebanon's caretaker government's efforts to implement much-needed reforms. This is the only way to rebuild the confidence of the international community, stop more Lebanese falling into poverty and set the country on a path to sustainable economic progress. During the Foreign Secretary's visit to Lebanon in February, he reaffirmed the UK's commitment to Lebanon's stability. Since 2013 we have provided over £680 million in humanitarian and development assistance. Our funding addresses basic humanitarian needs, including access to healthcare, water, sanitation and shelter. We also support coordination of partners to optimise delivery, including in the conflict-affected south.

FCDO Ministers regularly meet NGOs. The Deputy Foreign Secretary met the Director-General of Geneva Call in March which included discussions on Afghanistan. Last month, he co-hosted a biannual meeting with the CEOs of BOND member NGOs, many of whom work in Afghanistan. UK officials regularly meet NGO partners to discuss the operating context in Afghanistan and to ensure our support is as effective as possible. This includes a regular meeting with NGOs chaired by our Special Representative for Afghanistan as well as meetings organised by the FCDO in the region.

The FCDO continues to support higher education for Afghans, currently offering Afghan candidates resident outside of Afghanistan in ODA-eligible third countries the opportunity to apply for a Chevening scholarship.

Under the Chevening Scholarship programme, 15 Afghan women were offered scholarships for academic year 2023/24. 12 women accepted the offer and are currently studying in the UK, out of a total cohort of 21.

The UK is a leading donor to the Rohingya response. We have provided over £45 million in humanitarian assistance in Myanmar and £391 million in Bangladesh to the Rohingya since 2017. We are the largest donor of water, hygiene, and sanitation facilities in the Internally Displaced Persons camps in central Rakhine State. Despite escalating conflict and ongoing access challenges, we are supporting those most in need through agile local partners. Minister Trevelyan announced a further £12 million and discussed education, training, and employment for the Rohingya with Prime Minister Hasina during her recent visit to Bangladesh on 7-8 May.

I regularly discuss food security in East Africa with the UK's international partners. Tens of millions of people face 'crisis' levels of food insecurity with needs in Ethiopia and Sudan particularly grave. The UK is leading efforts to address this issue. On 16 April I co-hosted a humanitarian pledging event for Ethiopia and announced a UK package lifesaving assistance budgeted at £100 million. The UK will also deliver £89 million of aid to Sudan in 2024/25, up from nearly £50 million in 2023/24. Throughout East Africa UK aid is saving lives and making a difference.

UN experts assess that 17,000 Palestinian children are believed to have been orphaned since October 2023. UNHCR has no mandate to act in the Occupied Palestinian Territories but the UK is supporting a number of agencies who are targeting funding to respond to the needs of these children. The UK's funding to the Red Cross Movement, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Pooled Fund has supported their work to identify unaccompanied minors, provide care options, and in some cases reunited children with family members.

We are working with international partners, including the G7, to ensure continued support for aid and reconstruction in Ukraine. The UK is a leading bilateral donor - £4.7 billion in humanitarian and economic support. During his recent visit, the Foreign Secretary reiterated that Ukraine remains a top priority and launched negotiations with Ukraine on a 100 Year Partnership - a new agreement that will build enduring links between the UK and Ukraine across the spectrum of trade, security and defence cooperation, science and tech, education and culture. The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in June will be a key political moment to signal international solidarity and drive progress on Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction, where we will build on the success of the London URC in June 2023, which saw over $60 billion raised for Ukraine's recovery.

Since February 2022, the UK Government has committed £357 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region. This includes work with Ukrainian partners, sustaining vital humanitarian assistance across Ukraine. The UK has provided £31 million to the UN OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, with over 31% of UHF funding going directly to Ukrainian organisations, and have supported projects with Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Mercy Corps and Non-Violent Peace Force to support Ukrainian humanitarian civil society to deliver assistance to communities affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Tackling corruption is a critical part of Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction efforts. The UK's Good Governance Fund Ukraine, a £38 million three-year technical assistance programme, has been supporting anti-corruption, judicial and institutional reforms in Ukraine. This includes the development of the new, comprehensive Digital Reconstruction Management System, which will allow oversight over reconstruction projects and the relaunch of the High Council of Justice and High Qualification Commission of Judges, institutions critical to a judiciary free from unlawful interference. Alongside our US colleagues, we are jointly strengthening the capacity of Ukraine's national and local anti-corruption bodies, working with sub-national administrations that will be at the forefront of reconstruction.

Having a competitive fixed telecoms market has been integral to the government’s strategy to deliver nationwide coverage of gigabit-capable broadband. Competition keeps prices low and standards high for consumers, whilst encouraging companies to build quickly. In the 2018 Future Telecoms Infrastructure review and our 2019 Statement of Strategic Priorities to Ofcom, we brought forward proposals to make it easier for new firms to enter the market, such as granting competitors access to Openreach’s national duct and poles network.

Ofcom is responsible for regulating competition in the broadband market. In 2021, Ofcom published its Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review (WFTMR), which set out its decisions for regulation of the fixed telecoms market until 2026. The WFTMR makes explicit mention of the Government’s desire to support market entry and expansion by alternative network operators and is fulfilling this by, for example, providing competitors with effective access to Openreach’s ducts and poles.

Thanks to these measures to incentivise competition, there are now over 80 companies investing over £40bn to connect premises all over the UK. Gigabit coverage in Wigan constituency is currently at 92% (Think Broadband), which is up from just 1% in December 2019.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion, the FCDO has extensively used third party monitoring in Ukraine to deliver seven rounds of monitoring, using in-person field-visits and remote phone-surveys for its ODA programming. For loan guarantees, the FCDO uses its Contingent Liability Risk Management Framework to actively monitor and assess risks across its guarantee portfolio, which is regularly reviewed, including drawing from external audits. Going forward, FCDO has plans to expand third party monitoring and other assurance processes in Ukraine, which will be covered in the department's response to the Independent Commission for Aid Impact's rapid review of UK aid to Ukraine.