Speeches by Mathew.

“Thank you. Ms Joya, looking at civil society more broadly, what opportunities are there for the UK to support groups working in Afghanistan, be they on human rights, humanitarian relief or development issues?”

“Before I go into my questions, I am intrigued to know whether this is a shortwave-based system or—”

“The next question is a horror, but I think it is worth asking what would be lost if this were to finish?”

“How much of the country are you able to reach?”

“The hon. Member mentioned multilaterals. We have seen massive cuts to aid. As many people will know, I worked for 30 years in the WASH sector, which had been cut by 85% before the recent aid cuts, and is so important in changing people’s lives. Does the hon. Member agree that, given the movement to multilateralism and …”

“If we could break it down, on human rights it is very difficult to do anything. What about humanitarian relief?”

“What is the vision for the “Dars” programme?”

“A quick question: is this whole “Dars” experience being written up academically? Is it being researched? It sounds incredible.”

“The question I have here is, “What will be needed to see this become a reality?” but it is a reality—it is happening.”

“This is tolerated by the Taliban?”

“How should the Government be utilising their position to push for multilateral reform?”

“What are the transparency, governance and accountability risks of routing more climate finance through multilateral channels?”

“Quite, but given that we are paying for some of that work, how do we exert greater influence on it to ensure that it is of a high standard?”

“What specific risks has FCDO identified on the potential loss of capability and capacity that FCDO 2030 poses to the climate finance programming effectiveness and value for money?”

“Written evidence suggests that the 2023 climate finance strategy has not sufficiently provided direction on prioritisation decisions, criteria for resource allocation or programme selection across the portfolio. In what way does the latest iteration of the strategy address those past concerns?”

“For many of the poorest in the developing world—I speak from some experience, having worked for a long time in Africa and elsewhere—what is happening with the climate is that the rainfall pattern is changing. For example, if you plant your crop, you might find that you then have a dry spell and you have to replant it, …”

“What are the transparency, governance and accountability risks of routing more climate finance through multilateral channels?”

“Ian, what impact did the change in the accounting methodology used to calculate the UK’s climate finance spend have on the integrity of its commitments and confidence in the UK as a donor?”

“Quite, but given that we are paying for some of that work, how do we exert greater influence on it to ensure that it is of a high standard?”

“How should the Government be utilising their position to push for multilateral reform?”