Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Deferred
Detail interim private finance investments to plug ODA gap and safeguard UK conflict expertise.
Recommendation
It should also detail what interim investments it has made for private finance to plug the Official Development Assistance gap. This includes investment in civilian-led conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding. UK expertise, much of it currently concentrated in the Migration and Conflict Department, Integrated Security Fund and FCDO cadre of conflict advisors deployed in various diplomatic posts, is essential to sustaining global credibility and leadership, and must be safeguarded. We also welcome further clarity on how the Government will share its expertise with host countries to develop their expertise on preventing, resolving and reducing conflict in a manner which is reciprocal and mutually beneficial and allows them to develop such capacities over the long-term. The Government must work closely with its European allies to share responsibilities rather than duplicating efforts, to bring about a singular and coordinated response in the prevention and resolution of conflict. Although beyond the scope of this inquiry, a forward-looking whole of government peace and conflict strategy would bring much-needed clarity and ensure that diplomatic, security and development investments are aligned for maximum impact. (Recommendation, Paragraph 68) The UK’s role as penholder at the United Nations Security Council
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response discusses its agreement with UN peacekeeping reform and its efforts within the UN80 process to advocate for efficiencies and a whole-of-UN approach to peacekeeping. It does not detail investments in private finance for ODA, safeguarding UK expertise, sharing expertise with host countries, or working with European allies on conflict prevention.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
27. Unlocking as much investment as possible at scale for countries’ needs is central to HMG’s ‘reset approach’ to international development. HMG is moving from donor to investor partnering with countries to unlock growth, jobs and trade through innovative finance and private sector investment. Part of this is working with partners to mobilise private capital. The UK also continues to urge IFIs to redouble efforts to build resilience in fragile, conflict and violence-affected contexts. Development Finance Institutions like British International Investment (BII) are vital. BII deploys patient capital to stimulate private sector growth in developing economies, balancing financial returns with development impact. In the past decade, BII has returned £1.2 billion to the UK which has been reinvested to create a development impact many times over, including in countries such as Sudan. Alongside support to reform the global financial system and help countries grow fairer, more resilient economies, this will end the need for aid in the long term. 28. We continue to invest ODA in UN peacebuilding, including the UN Peacebuilding Fund of which the UK remains a top 10 donor. We judge the UN has the network and scale to have impact in UK priority settings, offering strong value for money and assess that mobilising greater IFI investment in fragile contexts and conflict prevention is an effective mid to long term goal to significantly scale up the finance needed. Our continued investment in the UN-IFI Partnership Facility is designed to catalysis this, given the Facility’s proven track record of generating UN-IFI synergies on peacebuilding and conflict prevention in field settings. 29. HMG agrees that maintaining and building UK conflict expertise, credibility and leadership is essential. The FCDO’s Conflict Resources Hub provides HMG with access to policy expertise, training, peer engagement, and evidence-based practice and is supplemented by targeted training courses and events. Peer networks, including the Conflict Cadre, help foster collaboration and knowledge exchange across geographies and thematic areas. 30. The UK builds platforms and partnerships to exchange knowledge and capabilities on conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding. For example, the FCDO maintains a world-leading programme of publicly accessible conflict research and takes a partnership approach to bilateral capacity-building, including through aligning the UK’s mediation expertise with partner countries’ local or regional insights. The UK also supports the UN’s Complex Risk Analytics Fund to strengthen global risk foresight capabilities. Investing in multilateral organisations is an effective way for the FCDO to scale up input and impact and demonstrate global leadership on this topic. 31. Across the multilateral system the UK works with European and wider like-minded partners to coordinate and burden share on international peace and security.
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