Select committee: International Development Committee
Recommendation 94
Second Report - Global Britain in demand: UK climate action and international development around COP26
Published 26 Oct 2021
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
International Development Committee Climate change, development and COP26 All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Having heard of the challenges vulnerable countries and communities face and the measures taken by the Government, we would see value in the introduction of a Climate and Development Minister in the FCDO with a focus on adaptation and resilience. 183 Bond and Climate Action Network UK (CAN-UK) (CDC0045) 184 International Committee of the Red Cross (CDC0024) 185 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (CDC0016) 186 BRC/CDC0028 187 International Development Committee, UK aid for combating climate change (HC 1432), Paragraph 39, 8 May 2019 188 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (CDC0016) 189 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (CDC0016) 190 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (CDC0016) Global Britain in demand: UK climate action and international development around COP26 31
From: International Development Committee, Second Report - Global Britain in demand: UK climate action and international development around COP26 (HC 99), 26 October 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 14 January 2022 (deadline 26 December 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response to the Committee's report is mostly 'Partially agree', with 'Agree' on two recommendations, while declining the Committee's 31 January 2022 deadline for a locally-led adaptation pathway.
- On locally-led adaptation, it says it "agree[s] that locally led adaptation is critical" but is "not able to agree" to submit a pathway by 31 January 2022, citing the need to work with others, in particular Egypt as incoming COP27 Presidency. It "will report on progress by 31 March".
- On climate finance access, it agrees and says it is working to update the International Climate Finance Strategy and "aim to publish this by April 2022". It is not "proposing a simplification of the criteria for LDCs and SIDS per se", but a streamlined accreditation approach.
- On fossil fuel exemptions, it partially agrees, stating the exemptions are for "a small number of situations" and are "necessary to make this policy work in the real world". BII is developing a carbon budget and "will share this information with the Committee in due course".
- On a Climate and Development Minister, it partially agrees, stating there is "already strong ministerial oversight for this policy area", with Lord Goldsmith holding responsibility for climate and environment.