Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to impose further targeted sanctions and Magnitsky-style penalties on all those who have abused human rights in Darfur.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Government does not speculate on future designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Our immediate priority is to ensure a cessation of violence across Sudan, and secure humanitarian access. All parties to the conflict must uphold their responsibility to protect civilians and ensure humanitarian assistance can be delivered quicky and safely.
We continue to call on both sides to respect International Law and immediately end the violence for the sake of the people of Sudan and the region.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken in response to the UNHCR 2023 Regional Refugee Response Plan to assist South Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries; and what estimate has been made of how many of the refugees are returning to South Sudan through agencies such as the International Organisation for Migration.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is committed to supporting South Sudanese refugees in the region. In financial year 2022/23, the UK Government allocated at least £156 million in humanitarian support to East Africa. Our support is providing essential services and supplies, including food, clean water, nutritional support and healthcare, to millions of people, including South Sudanese refugees. The UNHCR reports that over 500,000 refugees have returned to South Sudan since the signing of the Revitalized Peace Agreement in 2018. A stable, sustained peace in South Sudan will be essential to allow refugees to return home safely - the UK funds peacebuilding programmes and continuously calls on the Government of South Sudan to implement the peace agreement in full, stop the violence and protect its citizens.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current state of food distribution among South Sudanese refugees in Arua district, northern Uganda; and what steps they have taken in response to the latest World Food Programme appeal for that area.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Fifty-seven percent of Uganda's 1.5 million refugees are from South Sudan, accommodated mostly in settlements in the West Nile region, bordering Arua District. The UK is committed to providing life-saving assistance and protection to all refugees in Uganda, including nutrition and cash support for food security and to build self-reliance. In financial year 2022/23, the UK Government provided £9.1 million for refugee support in Uganda. We are working with the World Food Programme and other partners to ensure limited resources are prioritised for the most vulnerable.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government and churches of South Sudan concerning the recent conflict in Abyei; and what steps they will be taking following those discussions.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We are monitoring the ongoing violence in Abyei and urge for those responsible to be held accountable. The churches play a critical role in peace-making and building at the local and national level in South Sudan, including in Abyei. We are engaging with the churches to follow up on the messages delivered during the ecumenical visit to Juba from 3 to 5 February. The UK supports the calls of the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland on the Government of South Sudan to end violence and implement the peace agreement.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the latest agreement between the Army and civilian organisations in Sudan, and (2) whether this agreement will support the development of a democratic government in that country.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Minister for Africa and Development joined the other members of the Quad (KSA, UAE and US) and the Troika (US and Norway), as well as the Friends of Sudan in welcoming the signing of an initial framework agreement on 5 December as an essential first step towards establishing a civilian-led government in Sudan. We urge all Sudanese actors to engage constructively in the ongoing dialogue to secure a democratic transition. The UK supports the role of the tripartite mechanism (UN-AU-IGAD) in facilitating negotiations and calls on parties to do the same. A concerted effort by all parties to reach a final political agreement is crucial to address Sudan's current economic, political and humanitarian challenges.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the international community, including the UK, retain any recognised role in Darfur, Sudan, as a humanitarian shield for the local population; and if not, what protection remains for non-governmental organisations in that country.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK continues to provide support to those affected by the ongoing violence in Darfur and has provided over £250 million in humanitarian assistance to Sudan over the past five years; much of which has been allocated to Darfur. The UK works closely with the UN mission in Sudan (UNITMAS) to support its mandated tasks. This includes assisting the Sudanese authorities to implement the Juba Peace Agreement and their National Plan for the Protection of Civilians to help establish a secure environment and address instability in regions such as Dafur. We have consistently sought to maintain attention on the humanitarian situation in Darfur; by raising this issue at the UN Security Council and advocating for the Sudanese military to allow unfettered humanitarian access to allow support to reach those in need.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are holding with (1) churches, and (2) non-governmental organisations, in South Africa in relation to any UK sponsored work to tackle rural poverty in that country.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
President Ramaphosa's recent State Visit to the UK on 22-23 November highlighted the wide range of work the UK undertakes with South Africa's government to support sustainable economic growth, across both rural and urban communities. As part of the State Visit, we launched new Economic, Infrastructure, and Education and Skills Partnerships, to work with the government and other stakeholders to support South Africa's economic growth agenda. In taking forward all our work, we engage with a range of stakeholders including NGOs and religious leaders.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support new projects to address poverty in South Africa.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK and South Africa agreed new partnerships to support economic growth, education and skills and health system strengthening during President Ramaphosa's State Visit on 22-23 November. These partnerships, as well as ongoing co-operation e.g. through the Just Energy Transition Partnership, cover a range of collaborative activities, including programmes that will help South Africa reduce poverty.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have supported any land redistribution projects in South Africa since the 1994 general election in that country.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
A broad process of land reform has been in progress in South African since Apartheid ended in 1994, and parliamentary processes are ongoing. We have no record of UK Government supporting the implementation of land redistribution projects in South Africa.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support interventions by non-governmental organisations to prevent famine in (1) Ethiopia, (2) Kenya, (3) Somalia, and (4) South Sudan.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) play a central role in delivering UK funded humanitarian support in East Africa. The Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund, which the UK supports, reached 3.2 million people in 2021 with life-saving aid with more than 30 national and international NGOs involved in delivery. In Somalia nine NGOs have responded to critical needs and have taken action to promote long-term resilience under the UK funded Building Resilient Communities in Somalia (BRCiS) consortium. In South Sudan, the UK has delivered financial support, life-saving nutrition supplies as well as activities to address gender-based violence through a consortium of five NGOs. In Kenya humanitarian support is delivered via UN agencies.