UK House of Commons – Written Answers – 28 October 2013

Zimbabwe

Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid was given to Zimbabwe in the latest year for which figures are available; and what conditions were attached to such aid. [172547]

Lynne Featherstone: In the financial year 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013, DFID granted £82 million to support the poorest people in Zimbabwe. DFID has not given any funding directly to the Government of Zimbabwe for over a decade (due to a lack of commitment to the UK’s partnership principles including human rights, anti-corruption and domestic accountability) and has no plans to do so.

Instead, DFID Zimbabwe grants UK Aid primarily through multilateral organisations, notably United Nations (UN) agencies, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector to deliver projects in a co-ordinated way with the rest of the international system. We expect all our implementing partners to meet high standards of financial management and accounting to achieve strong expected results, at best value for money.

Zimbabwe

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment has been made of the human rights record of the Zimbabwe government. [172474]

Mark Simmonds: Despite some longstanding concerns, the overall human rights situation in Zimbabwe has remained stable in recent months. Where human rights violations have occurred, they have included harassment of civil society organisations (CSOs), human rights defenders and opposition political activists. We also remain concerned about the repressive legislation and limited media freedom which affect all Zimbabweans.

We welcome the peaceful and calm manner in which the elections on 31 July were held, despite intimidation and the threat of violence during the lead up to polling day. We remain concerned, however, that the conduct of the elections was seriously flawed, with clear evidence of voting irregularities. We have made clear to international partners and the Zimbabwean Government our concerns over the credibility of the process.

The UK government will continue to monitor the human rights issues in Zimbabwe closely. We call regularly, both bilaterally and in partnership with other EU member states, for an end to all such abuses. We expect the new Government to restore internationally accepted human rights standards and to honour its obligations, and ensure the protection and promotion of fundamental freedoms for all Zimbabweans.