Speeches by Macdonald.

“I thank my hon. and learned Friend for the excellent speech that he is making. Many of my constituents have contacted me about this issue, and I, too, support the new clauses. Does he recognise that decriminalisation would bring us in line with other countries, including France, Ireland, Canada and Australia?”

“Eva, coming back to you on women, peace and security, straightforwardly, would you say that women, peace and security has remained a priority for the ISF?”

“To go back to the comments of Baroness Chapman last week and the suggestion that, certainly, stand-alone programming for women and girls was less of a priority, what impact would that have on individual rights? There was a UN Women report last week about the impact of USAID funding, particularly on women’s rights organ…”

“Finally for Mike—and I think, Nic, you were nodding your head as well around what happened in Goma—what were the impacts of that decision for the USAID to be withdrawn? Did anything fill the gaps? How did you keep going or did you keep going?”

“This is probably more for Nic. I want to go back to James’s point about what other countries are doing. Obviously, the relationship with the EU is pretty high on the agenda at the moment. What is the EU model that they have around a similar ISF model? Do you think there are more ways that we could be co-operating with …”

“One quick question on Sudan: what was the reason given for the withdrawal?”

“I have one final question on the gender side of things. You mentioned the evidence base in terms of investing in women and girls, and obviously it is 25 years since Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, so this is a national commitment we have as well. You might have to write in follow-up, but what would the ar…”

“I should say I am on the board of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Do you think, in terms of democracy building and democratic processes, that that is an important point? I do not know if the ISF has ever been used for any of those activities at all.”

“I want to ask a quick question on governance, because you said, “As ‘they’ restructure,” and, “As ‘they’ make decisions”. Who is making the ultimate decision on that?”

“I want to ask a quick question on governance, because you said, “As ‘they’ restructure,” and, “As ‘they’ make decisions”. Who is making the ultimate decision on that?”

“I have one follow-up on that, Nic. One of the challenges in making the case for investing in conflict-affected states is how you break the cycle of conflict and investment. Is there an example of a particular country or context you can point to where investment in the things you are talking about has meant sustainable …”

“One quick question on Sudan: what was the reason given for the withdrawal?”

“Finally, Lewis, I have one quick question. Do you think there is a risk that with ODA reductions there will be more of a temptation to focus on quick wins and minimising programmes that are perhaps more riskier and take a longer time?”

“Mike, we have touched on other countries. There are big decisions that have been made in the US when it comes to international aid spending. How do you think the decisions being made in the US context might affect the operating environment and put constraints on the ISF?”

“Eva, coming back to you on women, peace and security, straightforwardly, would you say that women, peace and security has remained a priority for the ISF?”

“Nic, do you have anything to add on that? It is a very big question but, given the global politics and what is happening around the world, do you think models like the ISF are sustainable or do we need to think outside the box and have a totally new model when it comes to addressing some of these issues?”

“To go back to the comments of Baroness Chapman last week and the suggestion that, certainly, stand-alone programming for women and girls was less of a priority, what impact would that have on individual rights? There was a UN Women report last week about the impact of USAID funding, particularly on women’s rights organ…”

“Finally, Lewis, I have one quick question. Do you think there is a risk that with ODA reductions there will be more of a temptation to focus on quick wins and minimising programmes that are perhaps more riskier and take a longer time?”

“I have one final question on the gender side of things. You mentioned the evidence base in terms of investing in women and girls, and obviously it is 25 years since Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, so this is a national commitment we have as well. You might have to write in follow-up, but what would the ar…”

“Finally for Mike—and I think, Nic, you were nodding your head as well around what happened in Goma—what were the impacts of that decision for the USAID to be withdrawn? Did anything fill the gaps? How did you keep going or did you keep going?”