Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled, Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a more contested and volatile world, published on 13 March 2023, and with reference to the focus on East Africa in the 2021 paper, Global Britain in a Competitive Age: the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, for what reason East Africa is not a focus in the refreshed review; and whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the focus on East Africa in the last two years.
Answer
The 2023 Integrated Review Refresh builds on existing policy, including for East Africa as set out in in the Integrated Review 2021 (IR2021). IR2021 provided a comprehensive articulation of the UK's national security and international policy in the context of a world moving towards greater competition and multipolarity. IR2023 sets out the continuing priority the UK places on engagement with our wider neighbourhood, including Africa, where developments have direct consequences for the UK.
The refresh highlights that our approach in Africa will continue to be defined by a greater appreciation of the needs and perspectives of key partners across the continent, focusing on mutually beneficial development, security and defence partnerships and support for clean infrastructure and climate adaptation. The UK's humanitarian support in East Africa, totalling at least £156 million this financial year, is providing millions of people with essential services and supplies. Since 2019, the UK has allocated more than £1 billion towards humanitarian operations in East Africa.