Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by Marzuki Darnsman, Chair of the UN fact-finding mission on Myanmar, that an "ongoing genocide" of Rohingya people is taking place; and what action they are taking to discourage the government of Bangladesh from pursuing its recent agreement with the government of Burma to repatriate Rohingya refugees.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK proposed the briefing by the Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission to the UN Security Council on 24 October. In response to his briefing, the UK's Permanent Representative told the Council that the UK would press for progress on the creation of conditions for refugees to return, and on accountability to end Burmese military impunity. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific called the Bangladeshi State Minister of Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam on 1 November to stress the UK's serious concern at Bangladesh and Burma's announcement on 30 October that refugee repatriation would commence in mid-November.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure the proper implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UN and the government of Myanmar signed in June under which the government of Myanmar undertook to create “safe and dignified” conditions, including guaranteed security, freedom of movement, and citizenship pathways, for Rohingya refugees returning to Rakhine State from Bangladesh.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The British Ambassador raised the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in his meeting with Burma's Minister for Social Welfare on 9 August. He called for progress on the issues covered by the MoU and pressed the Burmese authorities to grant UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UNHCR unfettered access to northern Rakhine State. The UK's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, speaking during the 24 October meeting of the UN Security Council, raised the UK's concern that UNDP and UNHCR continue to be denied access to large parts of Rakhine. We will continue to press for full implementation of the MoU and the creation of conditions in northern Rakhine to allow the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the United States to press for the reuniting of refugee children with their parents from whom they have been separated at the United States border in recent months.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Prime Minister was clear that the separation of children from their parents at the border was disturbing and wrong. President Trump has now signed an Executive Order aimed at ending the separation policy and US authorities are in the process of implementing this change. Of course, we hope the children will soon be reunited with their families.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the government of Ethiopia to implement its declared intention to accept the ruling of the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission and to secure the re-opening of the border between those countries.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The joint declaration of 9 July between the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea covered implementation of the boundary commission decision and links between the two countries. As the Minister for Africa said in her statement of 11 July, the UK remains a steadfast partner to the region and stands ready to provide support to both parties as they work through the details necessary to implement the agreement.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to secure the agreement of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition involved in the conflict in Yemen to the UN Plan of Action to protect children who are being killed, wounded and displaced by airborne and other military attacks.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The United Kingdom considers the agreement and implementation of the UN Action Plans to be a vital step in improving the protection of children. We therefore call on all parties listed within the annex of the Secretary-General's report that have not put these measures in place to do so as a matter of priority. We call on all other parties who have put measures in place to honour their commitments in full.
We regularly raise the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law with Saudi Arabia and other parties involved in the coalition supporting the legitiment Goverment of Yemen. The Prime Minister raised the issue with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia during a call on 2 June.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the government and people of Guatemala following the Fuego volcano eruption.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is supporting Guatemala as it responds to this tragedy. We are providing funds for the emergency response in Guatemala through the Start Fund. Teams in the UK are providing support with satellite imaging and hazard mapping of the volcano, which we hope will aid ongoing risk assessments and search and rescue efforts. We have offered further assistance to the Guatemalan Government if required.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Canada following that government's decision to impose targeted sanctions against Major General Maung Maung Soe of Burma because of his role in human rights violations against the Rohingya people.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government continues to work closely with Canada and other key partners to address the ongoing crisis in Rakhine State, Burma. The Foreign Secretary and Canadian Foreign Minister Freeland discussed the humanitarian crisis last month during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and co-chaired a Foreign Minister level discussion on the issue. They discussed the situation further in a telephone call on 10 May.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other EU governments about expanding the EU arms embargo to cover the sale of all equipment to the military and military-owned firms in Burma.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK was instrumental in renewing and expanding the EU arms embargo on Burma. This was adopted formerly on 26 April via written procedure. We do not support the introduction of financial sanctions (beyond asset freezes on individual military figures) at this stage. On balance the FCO believes targeting companies or sectors, and disrupting Burma's financial system, could harm economic development across Burma and impact worst the most vulnerable.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to develop international support for a UN-mandated global arms embargo against Burma.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Regardless of broader international support, a UN arms embargo would require majority support in the Security Council and the absence of a veto from any Permanent members. It is our assessment that there is insufficient support amongst Council members at this time but this is an issue under constant review. We have therefore concentrated on renewing and expanding the existing EU arms embargo.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with members of the UN Security Council to secure support in principle for referral of Burma to the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged crimes against humanity committed by the Burmese armed forces.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UN Security Council visited Bangladesh and Burma from 28 April to 1 May. The importance of accountability was discussed in Bangladesh and Burma and between Council members. Referring Burma to the International Criminal Court does not have the necessary support from Council members at this time.