Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 29 April (HL15291), what are their priorities for discussion at the G7 summit regarding human rights; and what plans they have to raise the human rights situation of Uighur Muslims in China at that summit.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We will use our Presidency of the G7 to work with counterparts drawing on our strengths and values as democratic, open economies and societies across a range of international priorities, including our approach to China. We recognise the need to cooperate with China on key global issues, and also expect China to abide by its international commitments.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 29 April (HL15289), what assessment they have made of the risks faced by British (1) journalists, and (2) athletes, attending the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing; and what plans they have to mitigate any such risks.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HMG's concerns about the ongoing deterioration in China's media environment for both foreign and domestic journalists are well-documented. The UK has made public statements and proactively raised these concerns with the Chinese government, and will continue to do so. The UK will always defend media freedom and the right of journalists to do their jobs. We also expect China to respect and uphold fundamental rights and freedoms as guaranteed under international law and China's own constitution, including for all athletes and spectators participating in the Winter Olympics.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 29 April (HL15287), what assessment they have made of reports of mosques being destroyed in Xinjiang province; and what representations have they made to the government of China on the destruction of mosques.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are concerned by credible reports that mosques and other religious sites have been demolished in Xinjiang, evidence of which British diplomats have seen first-hand. The UK is committed to taking robust action to hold China to account for its human rights violations. On 22 March, the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK has imposed, under the UK's Global Human Rights sanctions regime, asset freezes and travel bans against four Chinese government officials, as well the Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the organisation responsible for enforcing the repressive security policies across many areas of Xinjiang. The Government has repeatedly called on China to respect the freedom of religion and belief in line with its Constitution and its international obligations. Internationally, we led the first joint statements on this issue at the UN Human Rights Council in June 2020 and the UN Third Committee in October 2019. On 6 October 2020, alongside Germany, we brought together a total of 39 countries to express grave concern at the situation in Xinjiang at the UN Third Committee. This growing caucus of international concern reflects UK diplomatic leadership, including the personal involvement of the Foreign Secretary.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the right to freedom of religion or belief in China, in particular the freedom of Uighurs Muslims.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. The Minister will write directly to the Member with a response shortly.Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks faced by journalists reporting on human rights violations in China.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. The Minister will write directly to the Member with a response shortly.Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possibilty of moving the 2022 Winter Olympic Games to another host nation with a better human rights record; and what representations have they made to governments of other nations on moving the 2022 Winter Olympics to another nation.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. The Minister will write directly to the Member with a response shortly.Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their priorities for discussion at the G7 summit regarding human rights; and what plans they have to raise the human rights situation of Uighur Muslims in China at that summit.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. The Minister will write directly to the Member with a response shortly.Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks faced by British (1) journalists, and (2) athletes, attending the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing; and what plans they have to mitigate any such risks.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. The Minister will write directly to the Member with a response shortly.Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of mosques being destroyed in Xinjiang province; and what representations have they made to the government of China on the destruction of mosques.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. The Minister will write directly to the Member with a response shortly.Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy will (1) take account of, and (2) address the links between social norms, gender discrimination and broader drivers of violence.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Integrated Review was published on 16 March and can be found on gov.uk. The review is the most comprehensive articulation of a defence, development, foreign and national security approach published by a British Government in decades.
The UK is a world leader on advancing gender equality and women's rights. The Integrated Review reaffirms the Government's commitment to promote gender equality, working with women's rights organisations to tackle the discrimination, violence and inequality that hold women back. We will continue to be a progressive force for good, working across government, amplifying our development, diplomatic, defence and trade approaches to deliver for women and girls. We will work with partners, including women's rights organisations to build more open, inclusive and resilient societies, championing and supporting women's participation and empowerment.
We will continue to champion gender equality in international fora, including through our Presidency of the G7, and our co-hosting of the Global Partnership for Education replenishment and of COP26, and we will challenge attempts to roll back rights globally. In our role as co-leader of the Global Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence, we will use UK-funded evidence to drive coordinated, scaled-up global action and investment across the international system to prevent GBV and support survivors.