Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will seek to expand partnerships with ethnic community-based organisations in Myanmar to ensure the provision of cross-border aid.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Since the February 2021 coup, the UK has provided over £120 million in humanitarian and development assistance in Myanmar, focussed on life-saving assistance, emergency healthcare, water, hygiene and sanitation services, and education. We provided a further £2 million in response to Cyclone Mocha in May. We are increasingly supporting local civil society networks with access to vulnerable communities, including in ethnic community areas, as the first responders to the crisis. This has ensured UK aid continues to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in the most remote and hard to reach places.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s report on National Level Anti-Conversion Laws Around the World, published on 28 November.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Promoting the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is a top priority for the UK.
The UK welcomes the recent report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. We note its findings documenting anti-conversion laws, as we monitor the situation for religious and non-religious communities globally.
We have made our position clear: no one should be forced to denounce their beliefs or be discriminated against because of their religion or belief. In 2022, we sanctioned Mian Abdul Haq, a cleric responsible for the forced conversions of girls and women in Pakistan. The UK continue to work multilaterally and bilaterally to promote FoRB, and hold those accountable for human rights violations and abuses.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since October to bring the Myanmar military junta before the International Criminal Court.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is clear that there must be accountability for the atrocities committed in Myanmar. To support the preservation of evidence for future prosecution, we have provided over £600,000 to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and established the Myanmar Witness project. We condemn the ongoing serious human rights violations by the Myanmar Armed Forces, as well as previous atrocities against the Rohingya. These actions require further scrutiny and the UK is supportive, in principle, of any attempts to bring these issues before the International Criminal Court. We support the ICC Prosecutor's initiative to investigate acts committed against the Rohingya.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent rise in Islamophobia (1) in Europe, and (2) globally; and what discussions they have had with EU counterparts to prevent Islamophobia.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. We monitor the situation for religious and non-religious communities globally and work multilaterally and bilaterally to promote FoRB, including with our EU partners. The UK condemned the incidents of Quran burning in Europe earlier this year, recognising the deep hurt felt by Muslims across the world, and we unequivocally denounce hatred and incitement of violence on the basis of religion or belief. We are committed to both freedom of expression and FoRB and will continue to promote mutual respect between different communities.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund civil society organisations in Nigeria who provide emergency assistance to civilians.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK funds civil society organisations to provide assistance to people displaced by conflict and violence across Nigeria, so they have access to food, healthcare and nutrition, and protection and water. Through the UK's Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience Programme we have provided over £53 million since 2022 to civil society organisations and the UN to support the humanitarian response in North East Nigeria, and have allocated a further £7.45 million for this financial year. The UK also contributes to the START Fund which provides funding to organisations helping people affected by conflict, flooding and cholera outbreaks, as well as the Red Cross Disaster Response Emergency Fund.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of violence in Nigeria on (1) international trade and business, and (2) the potential for further division leading to civil war.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
2022 was one of the worst years on record for levels of conflict and political violence deaths in Nigeria. This is detrimental to the country's stability, hinders growth, and deters international trade, business, and investment despite Nigeria's vast economic potential. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we are committed to supporting efforts to tackle insecurity and secure a safe and prosperous Nigeria. The UK continues to encourage the Nigerian Government to assist affected communities and implement long-term solutions.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they will make to the government of Nigeria (1) to co-operate with local leaders in the deployment of security forces, and (2) to monitor the forces’ activities.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is committed to supporting Nigeria tackle rising insecurity through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership. How the Government of Nigeria deploys its security forces and monitors the forces' activities are both matters for the Nigerian Government. However, the UK continues to encourage the Nigerian Government to assist conflict-affected communities. The UK military's engagement with Nigeria's security forces includes an emphasis on the importance of human security and civil-military coordination on operations.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to assist with the provision of (1) protection for currently displaced people and new waves of displaced people who are without shelter in Darfur, and (2) immediate aid to the new wave of refugees who have recently crossed the border into neighbouring Chad.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is monitoring the situation in Sudan closely, including the humanitarian and security impacts within Darfur and Sudan's neighbouring countries. We are working to ensure regional borders remain open and those displaced receive humanitarian assistance. The dramatic increase of violence and destruction in Darfur following the outbreak of hostilities on 15 April is appalling. We are engaging with international partners to put pressure on both sides to protect civilians and grant immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access. In Chad, the UK has allocated £2.5 million to address the urgent needs of people fleeing violence, such as food, safe drinking water, medical care, and shelter.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Darfur by securing a safe passage of aid from Port Sudan to the affected areas, including food, water, shelter, medicine and other essential supplies.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We recognise the extremely fragile security situation across Darfur even prior to 15 April, and it is clear that this has only worsened since the outbreak of hostilities. The UK's priority is to secure workable humanitarian access, including operational security assurances for humanitarian agencies to help the most at-need and provide life-saving aid. The Minister for Development and Africa announced £21.7 million in May to assist Sudan. The UK is pursuing all diplomatic levers, working notably with the UN, the Quad (Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK and US) and a new African Union-led Core Group, to secure safe access, including from Port Sudan, to affected areas.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 April (HL Deb, col 464), what assessment they have made of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh in international law.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK's long-standing position has been to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan within its internationally-recognised borders, which include Nagorno Karabakh. At the same time, the UK Government is clear that there is no military solution to the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh; we welcome the recent participation of Armenia and Azerbaijan in negotiations to work towards settling all outstanding matters between them, and urge them to build on this momentum.