Committee publication · Correspondence · 9 June 2026
Correspondence from the Minister for Development and Africa relating to Follow-up on the Committee’s report The Government’s efforts to achieve SDG2: Zero Hunger, 1 June 2026
Summary
Baroness Chapman responds to the International Development Committee's follow-up queries on UK efforts to achieve SDG2 (Zero Hunger). The letter details the Government's restructuring under FCDO2030, including creation of a Resilience and Food Department, cross-departmental coordination mechanisms, alignment of multilateral contributions to food security organisations, and private investment mobilisation through blended finance. The Government confirms it has elevated food security as a strategic foreign policy priority with reporting expectations for Heads of Mission.
Key findings
- FCDO establishing new Resilience and Food Directorate within Humanitarian Directorate, with Food Facility in development to coordinate expertise across multiple Communities of Expertise rather than a single CoE.
- Cross-government coordination on food security led through FCDO-DEFRA International Food Task Force; coordination on Developing Countries Trading Scheme managed through FCDO-DBT engagement; active participation in Middle East Response Committee on Strait of Hormuz food security impacts.
- UK has prioritised and protected multilateral contributions to FAO, IFAD, WFP, UNICEF, World Bank and other multilateral development banks; Rome-Based Agencies representation integrated into new Directorate with planned secondments to World Bank and IFAD.
- Private investment mobilisation uses catalytic public finance and blended finance for agricultural SMEs, including Financing for Agri SMEs in Africa (FASA) and Graduation Fund for Agri-SMEs; BII partnership central to this approach, particularly through CASA Plus facility.
- Food security established as core foreign policy issue with clear expectations set for Heads of Mission to treat it as such and reflect in diplomatic engagement; Nutrition Policy Marker introduced to track bilateral programme performance.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Baroness Chapman of Darlington, Sarah Champion MP, Foreign Secretary, FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office), DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), DBT (Department for Business and Trade), British International Investment (BII), UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Notable line
“Food security is increasingly an issue of strategic importance and geopolitical significance.”
Key Quotes
“Under the FCDO2030 restructure process, we are creating a new Resilience and Food Department (RFD) within the Humanitarian Directorate which brings together a full range of policy and delivery functions on food security and nutrition.”
“Food security is increasingly an issue of strategic importance and geopolitical significance. Recent disruptions, including in the Strait of Hormuz, have underscored structural risks to supply chains and their direct impact on agricultural productivity and global food security.”
“We have set clear expectations for Heads of Mission and Posts to treat food security as a core foreign policy issue, to be reflected in diplomatic engagement and partnerships.”
“The UK uses catalytic public finance to mobilise and steer private investment towards sustainable agriculture and food systems priorities, particularly in underserved, climate- vulnerable markets.”
“I have been clear we must invest in ways that reduce risk and build resilience over time, not just respond after each crisis hits.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗