Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which Minister has responsibility for inclusive societies.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO Minister responsible for gender and equalities is Vicky Ford. I am the Minister responsible for open societies and human rights.
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the use of chemical weapons in Northern Iraq by the government of Turkey.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The United Kingdom opposes the use of chemical weapons in all circumstances. We take seriously any credible evidence of the use of chemical weapons. We monitor closely allegations of chemical weapons use in northern Iraq. These remain unsubstantiated. Evidence of chemical weapons use should be provided through appropriate channels to the Technical Secretariat Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assess the effectiveness of their Official Development Assistance disbursement in meeting the (1) rights, and (2) needs, of older women and men; and whether their new International Development Strategy will include specific recognition of the (a) contributions, (b) rights, and (c) needs, of older women and men.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to protecting the human rights of all people at all stages of their lives. FCDO programmes consider the needs of older people, such as through our health systems strengthening and assistive technology activities alongside smaller more targeted projects, such as on social protection. In line with FCDO's commitment to the Inclusive Data Charter, we aim to disaggregate programme data by age, sex and disability where possible, to help us understand the effectiveness and impact of our work.
The forthcoming International Development Strategy will establish an ambitious vision informed by the new global context, aligned with our strategic development goals and demonstrate how the UK plans to remain a global leader on development. The forthcoming refreshes of the Disability Inclusion Strategy and Strategic Vision for Gender Equality will retain a life cycle approach to deliver transformative change for all.
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what aid and development programmes they have funded in China since 2016.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of UK bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to China between 2009 to 2019 can be found in table A4b of the Statistics on International Development (SID), published on the gov.uk website at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/920048/Table-A4b.ods. Please note in line with SID revision policy there has been a minor revision to the 2019 SID dataset. A data processing error in reporting meant that the published 2019 figure of UK ODA spend in China was £500,000 lower than the actual spend [as the Grant in Aid ODA for the Great Britain-China Centre (GBCC) was mistakenly attributed to 'developing countries unspecified']
Further details on the programmes that underpin the figures in table A4b, including project titles and descriptions, can be found in the ODA activity level datasets published on gov.uk: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/921034/Data_Underlying_SID_2019.ods (for 2017-2019) and https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/695435/data-underlying-the-sid2017-revision-March.ods (for 2009 - 2016).
Her Majesty's Government's final 2020 ODA spend, including country data, will be published in the 'Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend' in autumn 2021.
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the proposed United Nations Convention on the Rights of Older Persons; and what assessments they have made of the potential risks of ratifying this convention, including the risk that older people may be classified as having different human rights to other adults.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is clear that human rights are universal and is committed to protecting the human rights of all persons, including older persons. The UK recognises that there can be barriers to the enjoyment of human rights associated with certain characteristics, including age, and we know that older persons often face serious human rights issues in many parts of the world. We are supportive, in principle, of a multilateral instrument dedicated to the rights of older persons, and welcome the UN Open Ended Working Group on Ageing's work to help deepen our understanding of the important issues, before we consider what might be the most appropriate solution. There is currently no draft Convention for the UK to consider ratifying. We will continue to work closely with Parliament, academia, civil society and national human rights institutions, to draw on their expertise and ensure that our approach takes account of their views.
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take during the Prime Minister's term as Commonwealth Chair-in-Office to ensure that (1) older people, and (2) ageing issues, are integrated into the work of the Commonwealth and the agenda of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2020.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
During the recent Heads of Government Meeting, the Foreign Secretary welcomed the first ever Commonwealth Elders' Forum, convened by Common Age. This event included discussions on human rights, women and dementia, and elderly care.
During the UK's period as Commonwealth Chair-in-Office we will work closely with fellow member states, the Commonwealth Secretariat and accredited organisations to support the delivery of the conclusions of this Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, as expressed in the communiqué.
The communiqué recognised the importance of "the full social, economic and political participation of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status". As host country, Rwanda will be responsible for developing the agenda for the 2020 summit, in consultation with member states.