Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Rejected
Paragraph: 34
Strengthen FCDO collaboration with BII to ensure complementary investments by March 2024.
Conclusion
The FCDO must work collaboratively with BII throughout its operations to deliver the International Development Strategy’s objective of supporting countries to grow thriving economies by 31 March 2024. It should do this at both country office and regional levels by sharing institutional knowledge and ensuring that BII’s investments complement the FCDO’s bilateral programme. This should be built into the single country plan of each country where BII operates: the plan should outline operational synergies between FCDO and BII staff, identifying where the FCDO’s bilateral programmes complement BII’s investment activity and finding opportunities for further collaboration.
Government response summary AI-generated
The Government already monitors the thematic and geographic split of BII investments through existing policies and reporting frameworks. However, it will not provide BII investment data alongside FCDO's annual ODA expenditure due to potential confusion, instead highlighting where this information can be found on BII's website. The response does not explicitly address the deadline or the mandate for building collaboration into country plans by March 2024.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
34
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government · verbatim extract
Rejected
The Government agrees that delivery on the International Development Strategy’s objective of “supporting countries to grow thriving economies” requires effective collaboration between FCDO and BII. Building effective collaboration between HMG and BII is an explicit aim in BII’s current 2022–26 strategy. The FCDO works closely with BII to ensure complementarity between the UK’s wider ODA portfolio and BII investments, with the FCDO shareholder team Session 2023–24 ensuring that BII’s work is effectively communicated across its network. The FCDO and BII have produced formal collaboration guidance to support overseas posts to effectively engage with BII and seek out synergies related to policy and programming. The Government also agrees that opportunities for collaboration and coordination with BII activities should be integrated into relevant FCDO Country Business Plans to ensure coherence. This practice is most relevant in countries where there are significant opportunities for BII investment. The FCDO shareholder team in London already works with posts to ensure BII’s activities are understood and opportunities for alignment and cooperation identified. This practice is prioritised in countries where there are significant opportunities for BII investment. Ministers will explore opportunities to strengthen this practice, including ensuring opportunities for collaboration are included in country business plans in posts where there is both a UK Government presence and a reasonable likelihood of BII making an investment in this strategy period. There will be some countries where BII operates where opportunities for collaboration are minimal (e.g. where the FCDO has limited presence) and therefore including detail on collaboration in the Country Business Plans would not be proportionate or useful. The FCDO has also developed strategies for British Investment Partnerships focus countries which integrate how BII will contribute to BIP objectives in these countries.
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