Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the G7 Conferences in Berlin on 25 October and Paris on 13 and 14 December, on what date the international donor and recovery conference for Ukraine will take place in London.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK will host, jointly with Ukraine, the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference on 21-22 June in London. The date and location of the conference was announced at the G7 Leaders virtual meeting on Monday 12 December.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how (1) the Council of Europe, (2) the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and (3) their respective national parliamentary delegations, might support the international donor and recovery conference for Ukraine taking place in London and its outcome.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK will host, jointly with Ukraine, the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference on 21-22 June in London. Plans for the URC23 are under development, and the size, scope, participants and objectives of the conference are under discussion but it will be a major, high-profile event attended by senior representatives from G7 and other international and multilateral partners, International Finance Institutions, the private sector and Civil Society.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the education programmes provided by the Council of Europe, particularly those of the Ocean group; what Council of Europe education programmes they consider the most useful; and what plans, if any, they have to support their deployment internationally.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
While we have not made a formal assessment of education programmes provided by the Ocean group, the Department for Education actively participates in the Council of Europe education programme through its seat on the Council of Europe Education Steering Committee. The Government aims to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe and to foster respect for other people and for difference. A high quality citizenship education provides a very effective pathway for schools to prepare pupils to play a full and active part in society. As with other areas of the curriculum, the Government does not prescribe how citizenship should be taught, but we expect schools to develop a curriculum that meets the need of their pupils, drawing on the expertise and support of subject associations and other organisations that produce and quality assure resources. This includes important content about human rights, the UK legal system and international law.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to form partnerships to support the delivery of global education programmes.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The new International Development Strategy and the 2021 Girls' Education Action Plan set out the FCDO's approach to achieving our global targets of 40 million more girls in school, and 20 million more girls reading by age ten, by 2026. This includes using our diplomatic network to scale up efforts to get girls into school and learning; maximising the effectiveness and accountability of international education funds; and delivering high-quality bilateral education programmes. In 2021, as G7 President and hosts of the Global Education Summit and COP26, we led the world in prioritising girls' education in the global COVID recovery.
This year we launched the Girls' Education Skills Partnership with the private sector to provide one million adolescent girls and young women with skills and training. We will use the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda in June to encourage more countries to sign the Heads of State declaration on education finance. We are working closely with partners ahead of the UN Secretary General's Transforming Education Summit in September to galvanise action for those most in need. We are building a new Coalition on Learning with like-minded partners to prioritise foundational learning for all as part of COVID recovery, and beyond.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to improve global access to education.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The new International Development Strategy and the 2021 Girls' Education Action Plan set out the FCDO's approach to achieving our global targets of 40 million more girls in school, and 20 million more girls reading by age ten, by 2026. This includes using our diplomatic network to scale up efforts to get girls into school and learning; maximising the effectiveness and accountability of international education funds; and delivering high-quality bilateral education programmes. In 2021, as G7 President and hosts of the Global Education Summit and COP26, we led the world in prioritising girls' education in the global COVID recovery.
This year we launched the Girls' Education Skills Partnership with the private sector to provide one million adolescent girls and young women with skills and training. We will use the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda in June to encourage more countries to sign the Heads of State declaration on education finance. We are working closely with partners ahead of the UN Secretary General's Transforming Education Summit in September to galvanise action for those most in need. We are building a new Coalition on Learning with like-minded partners to prioritise foundational learning for all as part of COVID recovery, and beyond.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential of online learning platforms to improve global access to education; and which platforms they consider most appropriate for international use.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Online learning platforms can certainly support children's learning. There are a wide variety of platforms available, and the best one for any context will depend on the availability of infrastructure and, importantly, student, teacher, and content readiness in each country.
Well-informed use of education technology (EdTech) has the potential to transform education systems for the most marginalised. Its use was particularly important during the COVID pandemic, when children and their teachers were forced to move to online education. However, EdTech is not a silver bullet and many interventions, particularly those focused on buying new hardware, have failed because of poor support to teachers and children beyond the hardware or weak fit with the specific context. More robust research is needed on impact, cost-effectiveness, and the equity implications of EdTech. Together with the World Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the FCDO supports the EdTech Hub with £22 million of UK aid for research to help decision-makers take evidence-based decisions on EdTech. UK research has already helped over 85 million learners.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the work of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts, established by the United Nations Human Rights Council, to conduct an investigation into allegations of violations and abuses committed in Ethiopia.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We remain deeply concerned about reports of human rights abuses and violations in Ethiopia. The Minister for Africa has raised our concerns about ethnically targeted arrests with Minister Redwan in Addis Ababa on 20 January. The protection of all civilians needs to be prioritised, human rights respected and those responsible for human rights abuses and violations held to account. At a special session of the Human Rights Council on 17 December 2021, we backed a resolution that created an International Commission of Experts to investigate allegations of violations in Ethiopia. We urge all parties to engage with this Commission and allow full access to witnesses and sites of concern.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist the International Court of Justice to apply, where necessary, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; in particular, in Ethiopia and the Tigray region of that country.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We remain deeply concerned about reports of human rights abuses and violations in Ethiopia. The Minister for Africa has raised our concerns about ethnically targeted arrests with Minister Redwan in Addis Ababa on 20 January. The protection of all civilians needs to be prioritised, human rights respected and those responsible for human rights abuses and violations held to account. At a special session of the Human Rights Council on 17 December 2021, we backed a resolution that created an International Commission of Experts to investigate allegations of violations in Ethiopia. We urge all parties to engage with this Commission and allow full access to witnesses and sites of concern.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Ethiopia (1) to prevent, and (2) to punish, the vandalism and desecration of cultural heritage in that country.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We are concerned by reports from Tigray on the damage to cultural monuments and artefacts. We have stressed the need for Ethiopia to safeguard its incredible diversity of faith and identity. Respect for cultural heritage is part of this, alongside freedom of expression and freedom of religion and belief.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce and alleviate human suffering in Ethiopia; and in particular, in the Tigray region.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We are deeply concerned by the worsening humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia. The conflict is causing appalling suffering to the civilian population, with over 400,000 people in Tigray now living in famine-like conditions and over 25 million in need of urgent humanitarian assistance across the country. The humanitarian response in Tigray is now at standstill owing to the de facto blockade of the region imposed by the Government of Ethiopia since July 2021 and also due to recent military action by Tigrayan Defence Forces along the Tigray-Afar border.
We are working with our international partners and humanitarian agencies so that in the event that access is granted or when there is an easing of the blockade relief can be delivered to Tigray as quickly as possible. UK funding to the crisis in the north has included support to help strengthen humanitarian logistics, to improve the security of the response and to augment civil-military coordination. All parties to the conflict in the north must agree a ceasefire and allow aid to reach people in need.