Recommendation 3

HM Government Accepted

We agree with the need to take a strategic approach to tackling covid-19, and to think medium- and long-term about how best to respond to the impacts (both direct and indirect) that we have seen to date, particularly for the poorest and most vulnerable people. Our strategic approach since the crisis first began was to mobilise quickly—taking a “no regrets” approach to our response—and to work with and through the international system in order to achieve the scale of action and coordination needed to overcome this global crisis. Thanks to UK leadership in recent replenishments, the multilateral development banks were already well prepared and resourced to step up their support in response to this crisis and have since made over $200 billion available to developing counties to bolster their response. Of the £1.3 billion new UK ODA for tackling covid-19, nearly 90% has been committed to multilateral institutions, including £145 million to a number of UN agencies to support the global health and humanitarian effort and £150 million to the IMF’s Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust to support the economic response. In addition, to meet our commitment on global equitable access to vaccines, the UK is a founder of, and one of the largest bilateral donors to the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment, which is the international structure supporting the provision of covid-19 vaccines to developing countries. Alongside working at scale and at pace through the international system, we have utilised our bilateral resources strategically in support of vulnerable countries and populations most affected by the pandemic. FCDO has flexed more than 300 existing bilateral programmes to support communities affected by covid-19; modified country portfolios by pausing or delaying some programmes in order to re-direct resources; and identified centrally managed programmes which could be used to channel resources to the response. This demonstrates FCDO’s ability to react quickly and adapt to a crisis of almost unprecedented complexity and uncertainty, which is critical to an effective response. In addition to our funding and programming, the UK has demonstrated global leadership by working across the international system to ensure that there is a coordinated and coherent response, that quickly and effectively channels resources to where the needs are greatest and builds long term resilience to future shocks. We have played a leading role in securing agreement for an ambitious G20 Finance Action Plan and setting up and extending the G20 Debt Suspension Service Initiative. We have utilised our significant influence to help shape the responses of the World Bank, the World Health Organisation and other key institutions; and used our role in global governance structures like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to champion vaccine multilateralism. We will continue to play a leadership role going forward. We recognise that a unified global response is the only way to bring this pandemic under control and build back better from it. Our G7 and COP26 Presidencies this year present a unique opportunity to foster greater international cooperation on a number of issues including ensuring global covid-19 vaccine supply, strengthening global health security and future pandemic preparedness, and driving a green, fair and inclusive economic recovery; and we are fully committed to their success. Eighth Special Report of Session 2019–21 5 Through the creation of the FCDO—uniting our world class diplomacy and development expertise—the Strategic Framework for ODA and the changes we are making through the Integrated Review, the Government is bringing to bear all our international efforts on its priorities including covid-19. As such, there are no plans for a separate covid-19 strategy.