Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4129):
Questions by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 April (HL Deb col 624GC–643GC), whether a percentage of aid to Pakistan will be allocated to improving the living conditions of people from religious minorities, including the provision of fresh running water and electricity, and the creation of primary schools. (HL4129)
Tabled on: 29 April 2024
This question was grouped with the following question(s) for answer:
- To ask His Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 April (HL Deb col 640GC–641GC), whether a percentage of the increased official development assistance for Pakistan will be allocated to education for destitute girls from the country’s minorities. (HL4126)
Tabled on: 29 April 2024 - To ask His Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 April (HL Deb col 640GC–641GC), whether a percentage of development aid to Pakistan will be allocated to education for destitute girls for young people from Pakistan’s minorities. (HL4127)
Tabled on: 29 April 2024 - To ask His Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 April (HL Deb col 641GC), whether religious minorities in Pakistan will be included in the list of marginalized communities prioritised for UK aid. (HL4128)
Tabled on: 29 April 2024
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
The UK’s targeted aid programmes are working to alleviate the issues facing minorities in Pakistan. Our £46.7 million Aawaz II programme is tackling social intolerance and exclusion by supporting systemic reforms and promoting interfaith dialogue. Our £130 million Girls and Out of School Action for Learning programme is improving education outcomes for marginalised children, including those from religious minorities; by 2027, the programme will support 250,000 children from marginalised sections of society. Our £4.2 million Hate Speech and Disinformation Programme is helping to protect vulnerable groups, with a focus on making digital spaces safer for women and religious minorities. These programmes tackle broad issues which impact across a variety of vulnerable demographics. We assess that this is the most effective way of helping vulnerable populations.
Date and time of answer: 14 May 2024 at 16:25.
