Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether UK Ministers and/or officials who represent the UK at the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will (1) participate fully in discussions with the Russian delegation about preparations for the 2023 RevCon, and (2) make representations to the Russian delegation about the invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
UK officials will deliver statements highlighting Russia's illegal war of aggression and condemning the Russian Government's reprehensible actions which are an egregious violation of international law and the UN Charter. The UK will not have bilateral meetings with Russian state representatives but remains open to attending meetings among the five Nuclear Weapon States in order to fulfil our obligations under the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, and reduce risks around miscalculation.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which Minister will represent the Government at the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), scheduled to hold its first session from 31 July to 11 August 2023 at the Vienna International Centre in Austria; and what proposals will the UK present to the PrepCom.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The FCDO Director for Defence and International Security and the UK Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament will represent the UK at the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference. The UK remains committed to the full implementation of the NPT. The UK is focused on increasing efforts to expand access to nuclear technology to support delivering the Sustainable Development Goals; and will also underline the importance of the non-proliferation system in protecting global security.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to consult with civil society organisations about the proposals they will put to the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) which is scheduled to hold its first session from 31 July to 11 August 2023 at the Vienna International Centre in Austria; and which civil society organisations have submitted their views to the Government in advance of PrepCom.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK engages in and encourages transparent consultation with civil society organisations on proposals for the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Senior UK officials held a briefing with civil society organisations on Tuesday 25 July 2023, which forty representatives attended. The UK delegation also intended to engage with civil society at the Preparatory Committee.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the outcomes from the discussions at the EU Indo–Pacific Forum held in Stockholm on 12 May; and what plans they have made to attend such meetings in the future.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations], represented the UK at the EU Indo-Pacific Forum in Stockholm on 13 May. I had substantive dialogue with many EU and Indo-Pacific Ministers during the meeting, as well as bilaterals with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marsudi, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Rabbani Khar, Bangladesh's Minister of Information, Mahmud and Sweden's Foreign Minister Billström. Discussions at the Forum were useful and demonstrated strong collective commitment to promoting peace and security, stability and shared prosperity across the region. The UK will continue engaging with our EU and Indo-Pacific partners in multiple formats to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which minister or ministers represented the UK at the EU Indo–Pacific Forum on 12 May; and which bilateral meetings were held by the UK representative with EU and Indo–Pacific ministers who attended the Forum.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations], represented the UK at the EU Indo-Pacific Forum in Stockholm on 13 May. I had substantive dialogue with many EU and Indo-Pacific Ministers during the meeting, as well as bilaterals with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marsudi, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Rabbani Khar, Bangladesh's Minister of Information, Mahmud and Sweden's Foreign Minister Billström. Discussions at the Forum were useful and demonstrated strong collective commitment to promoting peace and security, stability and shared prosperity across the region. The UK will continue engaging with our EU and Indo-Pacific partners in multiple formats to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support is provided by UK Development Aid to the role of local churches in South Sudan and faith-based organisations in peacebuilding, resilience building and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Faith-based actors play a crucial role, particularly in the areas of peacebuilding, health and education, across South Sudan. The Ecumenical visit in February 2023 demonstrates how the Churches can help to support peace building at a local and national level in South Sudan. The UK engages regularly with South Sudanese civil society, including faith-based organisations, through humanitarian and diplomatic fora. The UK-funded Peacebuilding Opportunities Fund (POF) has supported communities to reach local peace agreements, ensuring women's participation, and integrating gendered provisions including the return and reintegration of abducted women and children. The UK is chair of the Humanitarian Donor Group in South Sudan and is an important voice in coordinating donor response to the crisis. This includes through diplomatic action that aims to ensure the protection of civilians and improving the operating environment so humanitarian organisations can access difficult areas and reach those most in need.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the outcome of the meeting on 19 April between the Minister for Development and Africa, and the Africa Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, with regard to reducing the recent increase in attacks on aid workers delivering humanitarian aid to those in need in South Sudan.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK unequivocally condemns all attacks on humanitarian workers who must be able to carry out their vital work safely. The UK is chair of the Humanitarian Donor Group in South Sudan and is an important voice in coordinating donor response to the crisis. This includes through diplomatic action that aims to ensure the protection of civilians and improving the operating environment so humanitarians can access difficult areas and reach those most in need. The UK called on the Government of South Sudan to remove all constraints on humanitarian access at the UN Security Council on 6 March 2023. We also called for the Government of South Sudan to act urgently to address the ongoing theft of humanitarian resources.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial contribution they made in (1) 2021 and (2) 2022, to the bodies which oversee the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan: namely the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission and the Ceasefire & Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring & Verification Mechanism; and what is their planned contribution for 2023.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Poor implementation of South Sudan's peace agreement to date is driving violence and the humanitarian crisis. It is vital that the South Sudanese government deliver progress according to timelines set out in their Roadmap. The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) and the Ceasefire & Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring & Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) play an important part in monitoring the peace agreement. The FCDO funds in-kind support through the placement of technical experts in both CTSAMVM and RJMEC. In Financial Year 2021-2022, this amounted to £1.2 million in-kind support and in Financial Year 2022-2023 support totalled £407,261. For Financial Year 2023-2024, the FCDO has committed to up to £480,000 continued in-kind support.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are their plans to reinstate aid funding to the Health Pooled Fund in support of hospitals and health care centres across South Sudan.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is the largest donor to the Health Pooled Fund (HPF) in South Sudan providing up to £175 million from 2018 to 2024. In August 2022, the FCDO, on behalf of HPF donors, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of South Sudan setting out how we'll work together to transition responsibility for funding for eight state hospitals. HPF completed the phased withdrawal from the eight state and referral hospitals by 31 March 2023. In mid-March 2023, the Minister of Health for South Sudan reported that the Government of South Sudan would be procuring essential medicines for the unsupported health facilities.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what were the outcomes of the first Saudi Arabia–UK Strategic Aid Dialogue, held in London on 15 March.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Aid Dialogue between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia took place on 15-16 March. Discussions highlighted how the UK and Saudi Arabia can work together to address global food insecurity, delivering humanitarian aid including in areas of conflict, targeting support where it is most needed across Africa and enhancing the effectiveness of aid. As major global aid donors, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia are committed to partnering together to tackle global challenges and support those most in need.