Written questions by Heylings.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with its allies to help uphold human rights in Cameroon.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 24 November 2025 to Question 91527 following elections in Cameroon. Further to this, the UK continues to work with international partners, including through the UN and G7, to encourage the Government of Cameroon to uphold human rights. Through our British High Commission in Yaoundé, we regularly raise concerns and urge stronger democratic governance and engagement with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian situation in Sudan.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November 2025, and to the most recent Urgent Question debate on 15 December 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian situation in (a) Gaza and (b) the West Bank.

I refer the Hon Member to my statement on 5 January.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international partners to (a) anticipate and (b) pre-emptively mitigate humanitarian crises.

In the set of questions submitted by the Hon Member on 12 January (UIN 105089-91 and 105093-95), she mentioned a number of important elements of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO's) humanitarian and development programmes, all of which are key priorities for the Government, including our work on conflict prevention and resolution, crisis resilience, support for children in conflict zones, and the fights against global malnutrition and climate change.We provide regular updates to the House on the work we are doing in different regions towards these goals, as well as our joint international efforts through the United Nations and other multilateral organisations. The Hon Member can also find a copy of the FCDO's current humanitarian framework at the link below, which gives a good overview of our approach in all these areas: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-humanitarian-framework/uk-humanitarian-framework.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to promote the rights and well-being of children in conflict zones.

In the set of questions submitted by the Hon Member on 12 January (UIN 105089-91 and 105093-95), she mentioned a number of important elements of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO's) humanitarian and development programmes, all of which are key priorities for the Government, including our work on conflict prevention and resolution, crisis resilience, support for children in conflict zones, and the fights against global malnutrition and climate change.We provide regular updates to the House on the work we are doing in different regions towards these goals, as well as our joint international efforts through the United Nations and other multilateral organisations. The Hon Member can also find a copy of the FCDO's current humanitarian framework at the link below, which gives a good overview of our approach in all these areas: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-humanitarian-framework/uk-humanitarian-framework.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK Official Development Assistance reaches those most in need.

In the set of questions submitted by the Hon Member on 12 January (UIN 105089-91 and 105093-95), she mentioned a number of important elements of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO's) humanitarian and development programmes, all of which are key priorities for the Government, including our work on conflict prevention and resolution, crisis resilience, support for children in conflict zones, and the fights against global malnutrition and climate change.We provide regular updates to the House on the work we are doing in different regions towards these goals, as well as our joint international efforts through the United Nations and other multilateral organisations. The Hon Member can also find a copy of the FCDO's current humanitarian framework at the link below, which gives a good overview of our approach in all these areas: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-humanitarian-framework/uk-humanitarian-framework.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support international peacekeeping efforts.

In the set of questions submitted by the Hon Member on 12 January (UIN 105089-91 and 105093-95), she mentioned a number of important elements of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO's) humanitarian and development programmes, all of which are key priorities for the Government, including our work on conflict prevention and resolution, crisis resilience, support for children in conflict zones, and the fights against global malnutrition and climate change.We provide regular updates to the House on the work we are doing in different regions towards these goals, as well as our joint international efforts through the United Nations and other multilateral organisations. The Hon Member can also find a copy of the FCDO's current humanitarian framework at the link below, which gives a good overview of our approach in all these areas: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-humanitarian-framework/uk-humanitarian-framework.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle global malnutrition.

In the set of questions submitted by the Hon Member on 12 January (UIN 105089-91 and 105093-95), she mentioned a number of important elements of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO's) humanitarian and development programmes, all of which are key priorities for the Government, including our work on conflict prevention and resolution, crisis resilience, support for children in conflict zones, and the fights against global malnutrition and climate change.We provide regular updates to the House on the work we are doing in different regions towards these goals, as well as our joint international efforts through the United Nations and other multilateral organisations. The Hon Member can also find a copy of the FCDO's current humanitarian framework at the link below, which gives a good overview of our approach in all these areas: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-humanitarian-framework/uk-humanitarian-framework.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the continued delivery of aid in (a) Gaza and (b) the West Bank.

I refer the Hon Member to my statement on 5 January.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to address humanitarian crises (a) caused and (b) exacerbated by climate change.

In the set of questions submitted by the Hon Member on 12 January (UIN 105089-91 and 105093-95), she mentioned a number of important elements of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO's) humanitarian and development programmes, all of which are key priorities for the Government, including our work on conflict prevention and resolution, crisis resilience, support for children in conflict zones, and the fights against global malnutrition and climate change.We provide regular updates to the House on the work we are doing in different regions towards these goals, as well as our joint international efforts through the United Nations and other multilateral organisations. The Hon Member can also find a copy of the FCDO's current humanitarian framework at the link below, which gives a good overview of our approach in all these areas: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-humanitarian-framework/uk-humanitarian-framework.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help secure the release of Peter and Barbie Reynolds from detention in Afghanistan.

We are supporting the family of two British nationals who are detained in Afghanistan. I have met their family and am closely monitoring this case. We are unable to provide comment on the detail of individual consular cases in line with relevant UK data protection legislation: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-development-office/about/personal-information-charter.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the use of co-operatives in supporting the Government's international development objectives.

The Government recognises the important contribution cooperatives make in serving local communities around the world. Cooperatives are a tried-and-tested model in international development, that can enable citizens and producers to access services or markets and strengthen their voice in local processes. Cooperatives can enable sustainable and inclusive development centred on self-help, democratic ownership, and concern for the community. The UK has supported cooperatives and producer organisations in developing countries, including, for example in agriculture through funding to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), which supports producer organisations, and the Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness Programme (CASA), which partners with cooperatives and small agribusinesses in low-income countries to improve smallholder farmers' access to markets.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has for the funding of global vaccination programmes, in the context of the reduction in Official Development Assistance spending.

The UK is one of the largest donors to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. We have committed £1.65 billion to the current strategic period covering 2021-2025. The UK is working to ensure a successful replenishment of Gavi through our diplomatic and development network. Following the difficult decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5 per cent of GNI to 0.3 per cent by 2027 we are taking a rigorous approach to ensure all ODA delivers value for money. Announcements on individual investments will be made following the completion of the Spending Review process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to include older women in international development (a) policies and (b) commitments.

The UK Government is committed to equality and opportunity for all, with a particular focus on those most likely to be marginalised and discriminated against, including on the grounds of their age. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) focuses on those with intersecting forms of disadvantage, like women and girls with disabilities, and we include age as a dimension in our efforts to ensure inclusion and our approach to leaving no one behind.The FCDO recognises that meaningful engagement on ageing is impossible without good quality data. Our Inclusive Data Action Plan details our approach to ensure that data is disaggregated by age, disability, sex and geography. At a multilateral level, the UK has engaged closely with the work of the UN's Open Ended Working Group on Ageing and has supported UN resolutions on the human rights of older people.