'We want to be the world leader in terms of making a real impact in this absolutely vital area.' The words of Henry Bellingham MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, speaking for the UK government during the House of Commons Westminster Hall debate on 21 June 2011.

Report by Eddy Canfor-Dumas

Co-Chair of the APPG on Conflict Issues Simon Hughes MP led the 90-minute debate, only the second-ever in Parliament devoted to conflict prevention, and was praised by the minister:

'I'd like to congratulate him on the work he's done with the All-Party Group [on Conflict Issues] and the honourable colleagues who have been supportive of that group, which I think is one of the most important groups in Parliament.'

The key points and commitments made by the minister in response to the debate include:

• Programme resources in the Conflict Pool will rise from £229m to £309m by 2014-15
• The Stabilisation Unit will be refocused to give more attention to upstream conflict prevention
• By 2014-15 Her Majesty's Government (HMG) will increase to 30% the proportion of UK overseas development assistance that supports conflict-affected and fragile states
• HMG will seek to improve its early-warning and early-response capabilities
• HMG will seek to improve its cooperation on conflict prevention with partner countries and organisations
• HMG supports the suggestion to convene a ministerial seminar on conflict prevention that involves a wide range of stakeholders

A full recording of the debate can be watched here. The Hansard report can be read here.

Briefing material is available on the Resources page of the APPG on Conflict Issues website.