Britain still not giving aid directly to Zimbabwe government

Britain is still not channelling its aid to Zimbabwe through the government though the European Union normalised its relations with Harare on 1 November 2014, enabling it for the first time since 2002 to work directly with the Zimbabwe government.

Baroness Northover told the House of Lords last week that British aid was being channeled through multilateral institutions such as United Nations agencies, international non-governmental organisations and the private sector.

“No UK aid goes directly through GoZ systems. UK aid is instead channelled through multilateral institutions such as United Nations Agencies, most notably the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as international Non-Governmental Organisations and the private sector,” she said.

The European Union, of which Britain is a member, lifted most of its remaining sanctions on Zimbabwe in February last year leaving on President Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace, and the Zimbabwe Defence Industries. It normalised relations on 1 November.

In a statement to mark the normalisation of relations the EU said it was preparing a €234 million National Indicative Programme covering the period 2014-2020, aimed at helping Zimbabwe become a more democratic and prosperous country.

“These €234 million allocated to Zimbabwe will focus on the sectors of health, agriculture-based economic development and governance and institution building. Implementation modalities will be defined jointly with Zimbabwe and with EU member states,” the EU said in its statement.

The EU will review the sanctions on Mugabe and his wife next month.

Q &A:

Lord Luce (Crossbench)– To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current assessment of the situation in Zimbabwe; and what level of aid the United Kingdom is providing to that country.

Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat)- The United Kingdom continues to closely monitor events in Zimbabwe, including the recent changes within the ruling party. We remain committed to supporting the aspirations of the Zimbabwean people for a more democratic, stable and prosperous future.

In 2013/14 we provided £106 million in aid to Zimbabwe. This aid focused on helping the country’s poorest people, including providing healthcare, water, sanitation, and access to markets needed for people to earn enough money to meet their basic needs.

No UK aid goes directly through GoZ systems. UK aid is instead channelled through multilateral institutions such as United Nations Agencies, most notably the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as international Non-Governmental Organisations and the private sector.

The most up to date figures of DFID spend can be found in DFID’s Annual Report.

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