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Written Question
Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the government of Israel regarding the safety of UK and international non-governmental organisations delivering humanitarian aid and medical help in safe zones in Gaza.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The safety of humanitarian personnel and healthcare workers in Gaza is critical to enable aid to reach those who need it most. We continue to call for International Humanitarian Law (IHL) to be respected. Too many civilians have been killed and we want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.

The Foreign Secretary underlined the need for Israel to ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza and to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of medical personnel and facilities during his visit to Israel on 24 January.


Written Question
Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that four UK medical staff were injured in a bombing of the facilities of International Rescue Committee and Medical Aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The safety of humanitarian personnel and healthcare workers in Gaza is critical to enable aid to reach those who need it most. We continue to call for International Humanitarian Law (IHL) to be respected. Too many civilians have been killed and we want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.

The Foreign Secretary underlined the need for Israel to ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza and to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of medical personnel and facilities during his visit to Israel on 24 January.


Written Question
Gaza: Armed Conflict
Wednesday 14th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the government of Israel regarding the protection of civilians during the Gaza conflict.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister have reiterated the vital steps needed for a sustainable, permanent ceasefire in their contacts with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, including during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel on 24 January. There must be a reduction in civilian casualties. All parties must act within International Humanitarian Law. We want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.


Written Question
Female Genital Mutilation
Monday 16th October 2023

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) address, and (2) advocate against, the incidence of female genital mutilation being performed by healthcare workers in countries where it is nationally banned but historically performed.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a priority for the FCDO and we are clear that there is no medical justification for the practice.

The UK Government is investing £35 million through our Africa-Led Movement (ALM) to End FGM programme.

Data generation through the programme has helped to build awareness of increased rates of medicalised FGM. The UK has engaged healthcare workers, through the World Health Organisation, to prevent FGM and care for survivors.

We are strengthening the health system response through our support to the UN Joint Programme on FGM. In 2021, the programme developed advocacy guidelines for health care providers in Indonesia on ending medicalised FGM.


Written Question
Yemen: Human Rights
Tuesday 8th August 2023

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they are supporting women’s groups and women human rights defenders in Yemen.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Yemen is a focus country in the new HMG national action plan on Women, Peace, and Security for 2023-27 and is one of our human rights priority countries.

We champion and support the important role women, youth and civil society can play in securing lasting peace in Yemen, recognising the need for an inclusive peace process and consideration for marginalised groups.

As a global leader on the Women Peace, and Security agenda, the UK funds projects supporting the work of grassroots women leaders and civil society organisations in communities across Yemen. For example, we supported the Yemeni Women's Pact for Peace and Security (through UN Women), which aimed to increase female leadership and inclusion in the peace processes.

We continue to support the UN Special Envoy, who is actively engaging women in the peace process and involving a wide range of Yemenis. We fund a Senior Gender Adviser position and an Economist position in his office. Complementing the UN's efforts to deliver a durable and sustainable peace deal, the UK's Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) has supported a range of Track II (Influential Figures) and Track III (Civil Society and Local Groups) initiatives which promote a more inclusive political dialogue, including at the subnational level.


Written Question
Yemen: Peace Negotiations
Tuesday 8th August 2023

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing, and what practical steps they are are taking, to ensure civil society, including women's rights organisations, women’s human rights defenders and youth organisations, are involved in Yemen's peace process.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Yemen is a focus country in the new HMG national action plan on Women, Peace, and Security for 2023-27 and is one of our human rights priority countries.

We champion and support the important role women, youth and civil society can play in securing lasting peace in Yemen, recognising the need for an inclusive peace process and consideration for marginalised groups.

As a global leader on the Women Peace, and Security agenda, the UK funds projects supporting the work of grassroots women leaders and civil society organisations in communities across Yemen. For example, we supported the Yemeni Women's Pact for Peace and Security (through UN Women), which aimed to increase female leadership and inclusion in the peace processes.

We continue to support the UN Special Envoy, who is actively engaging women in the peace process and involving a wide range of Yemenis. We fund a Senior Gender Adviser position and an Economist position in his office. Complementing the UN's efforts to deliver a durable and sustainable peace deal, the UK's Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) has supported a range of Track II (Influential Figures) and Track III (Civil Society and Local Groups) initiatives which promote a more inclusive political dialogue, including at the subnational level.


Written Question
India: Christianity
Wednesday 2nd August 2023

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of churches being destroyed through violence in Manipur in India; and what support, if any, they are offering to the Christian community there.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Our network in India continues to follow closely reports of violence, including vandalism of places of worship, in Manipur state. The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India, and we discuss all elements of our relationship. I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad] raised the current situation in Manipur with the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, during my visit to India in May. The British High Commissioner to India and our Deputy High Commissioner for East and Northeast India have met with numerous communities over the last year, including visiting both Christian and Hindu places of worship.


Written Question
International Relations: Women
Friday 31st March 2023

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their policy paper Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a more contested and volatile world, published on 13 March, what steps they will take to ensure that women and women's voices are included in their work to meet the new goal contained in that paper "to manage the risks of miscalculation and escalation between major powers".

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Integrated Review Refresh 2023 sets out the priority the UK places on providing women and girls with the freedom they need to succeed. We launched our fifth Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan (2023-2027) in February which outlines in more detail our work to reduce the global impact of conflicts on women and girls, by ensuring our foreign, defence and security policy, diplomatic efforts and international development work to address their needs. The WPS National Action Plan responds to the new global context, reflecting on Ukraine and Afghanistan. It champions women's full, equal and meaningful participation in peace processes; we know that mediation efforts, conflict prevention and resolution more broadly are more successful when they are inclusive.


Written Question
Russia: Ukraine
Monday 6th March 2023

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that survivors of all ages of war crimes in Ukraine, particularly sexual violence, are represented in discussions about the justice process for prosecuting war crimes in that country.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has allocated up to £2.5 million this year to support Ukraine's domestic investigations and prosecution of international crimes, including sexual violence and crimes against children.

We have deployed a member of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative Team of Experts to support the Office of the Prosecutor General, including on conducting inclusive criminal justice processes aligned with international standards, with survivor voices and needs taken into account.

We are also funding UN Women to provide conflict-related sexual violence expertise and mentoring to the Ukrainian authorities, and we are funding local NGOs to help survivors to understand their rights and access justice.


Written Question
Russia: Ukraine
Monday 6th March 2023

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they will seek to ensure effective collaboration between the International Criminal Court and all other (1) international, and (2) national, accountability mechanisms when investigating alleged war crimes against women and children in Ukraine.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK will provide the necessary assistance to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to support its investigations. In addition to the UK's funding support of £10.5 million to the ICC annual budget, in 2022 we made a £1 million contribution, to increase the ICC's collection of evidence capacity and provide enhanced psychosocial support to witnesses and survivors. We are also providing a £2.5 million UK support package to support the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) initiative as a mechanism through which to support Ukraine's domestic investigations and prosecution of core international crimes. We encourage both the ICC and Ukraine's domestic investigation teams to coordinate with one another, and share information and evidence as appropriate.