Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Paragraph: 68
A failure to adequately resource the response to this crisis increases the risk of a...
Conclusion
A failure to adequately resource the response to this crisis increases the risk of a ripple effect of instability throughout the region. The failure to support the communities of Tigray, combined with the lack of an inclusive political settlement, compromises hard-won development gains in Ethiopia, and has the potential to jeopardise the broader development and stability gains funded through UK aid programmes throughout the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.
Paragraph Reference:
68
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The FCDO has well established methods of identifying, analysing and responding to sources of regional conflict and instability, and the department continues to push for improvements. The newly established conflict centre will bolster existing capabilities and bring additional skills to increase the impact and effectiveness of the UK’s conflict stabilisation and resolution efforts. Reporting from embassies provides local insights into conflict and political dynamics and this is combined to inform policy making with research and regional analysis from conflict experts in London who specialise in a specific region or country. The FCDO also seeks views of external analysts to inform this process, most recently on Ethiopia and East African regional conflict dynamics. There are formal, senior-level policy strategy groups in place to ensure that collaboration between post and HQ, and across Government is standard practise (e.g. the regional National Security Strategy Implementation Groups), and it is these groups who are responsible for directing resourcing and effort to match priorities. The newly established conflict centre is already contributing to this effort. Its advisers work alongside embassies and policy teams on a daily basis applying lessons from past interventions and providing conflict and security expertise to inform longer term planning, e.g. through regional analysis of how serious and organised crime intersects with conflict in East Africa.