Overseas Aid
House of Lords

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Liberal Democrat)

To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of United Kingdom official development assistance has gone to states they consider to be "fragile" every year for the last five years, and to which countries; and whether they are on track to reach their 30% target.

Baroness Northover (Whip, House of Lords; Liberal Democrat)

The UK Government committed in the Building Stability Overseas Strategy (2011) to focus on those fragile and conflict-affected countries or regions where the risks are high, our interests are most at stake and where we know we can have an impact. This means that DfID will in future years focus our assistance in fewer countries. Of the 28 countries in which DfID will focus bilateral assistance, 21 are considered fragile or conflict affected countries. These countries are:

Afghanistan; Bangladesh; Burma; DR Congo; Ethiopia; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Nepal; Nigeria; Occupied Palestinian Territories; Pakistan; Rwanda; Sierra Leone; Somalia; Sudan (since July 2011, also South Sudan) ; Tajikistan; Uganda; Yemen and Zimbabwe.

DfID has set out the results that will be delivered in each of these countries and planned bilateral assistance in its operational plans. On the basis of these projections, we are confident that we are on track to meet the 30% target in 2014-15. Further details of all DfID operational plans can be found at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/What-we-do/Publications.

The table below shows for each of the past five years the percentage of United Kingdom official development assistance (ODA) provided to fragile or conflict affected states. Figures for 2011 are provisional and do not yet fully reflect country specific expenditure.

^* Official Development Assistance

Details of recipient countries for UK aid for the past five years are available in our annual Statistics on International Development publication (http://www. DfID. gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/Aid -Statistics/Statistics-on-International-Development-2011). DfID classifies countries as fragile if they scored 3.2 or less on the CPIA or appear on failed state index alert listing or are lower income countries appearing in Uppsala list of countries recently affected by conflict.