Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-05-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to develop a bilateral programme of aid for Burundi similar to programmes for Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mr Nick Hurd

There are no plans for DFID to re-open its bilateral aid programme in Burundi, which closed in 2012 following the 2010 Bilateral Aid Review. However, DFID had continued to provide support to Burundi through Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA), an independent agency promoting trade and regional economic integration, given that this is central to Burundi’s growth and prosperity. DFID has provided £10 million for TMEA work in Burundi since 2012. DFID has also supported Centrally Managed Programmes working in Burundi, covering areas such as food security and livelihoods.

The UK is responding to the ongoing political crisis, and was the second largest bilateral donor to the regional refugee appeal in 2015, after the US. £21.15 million was committed by DFID for refugee response in the region, including £14.25 million to support refugees in Tanzania and £6.9 million in Rwanda. Allocations for 2016 are currently being finalised, including for support within Burundi.

Additionally, DFID has provided technical support, in the form of secondment of experts, to support and strengthen the capacity of UN agencies working in Burundi. DFID has deployed a humanitarian adviser to the region in support of the response and to monitor funding provided so far. We continue to work closely with the FCO and international partners to monitor the situation.