Asked by: Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the United Nations Development Programme's Sinjar Investment and Development Plan includes a costed strategy for the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of the estimated 200,000 people from Sinjar and its surrounding areas still displaced and living in camps and informal settlements, including Yazidi communities.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is in regular contact with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government and the United Nations on recovery and development in Sinjar and the rights of Yazidis.
We are aware of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Sinjar Investment and Development Plan and await further details on its implementation and financing. Currently, through the British Embassy Baghdad's Building Peace and Stability in Iraq (BPSI) programme, the UK is supporting durable solutions in conflict-affected areas, including Sinjar, with a focus on livelihoods, social cohesion and support to displaced and returning communities. BPSI has also provided targeted support to Yazidi survivors and beneficiaries of the Yazidi Survivors Law. Through our Embassy in Baghdad and Consulate in Erbil, the UK continues to promote freedom of religion or belief and monitor conditions for the dignified return of displaced Yazidis.
Asked by: Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Iraq regarding freedom of religion or belief protections for Yazidi and other minority communities returning to Sinjar under the United Nations Development Programme’s new framework.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is in regular contact with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government and the United Nations on recovery and development in Sinjar and the rights of Yazidis.
We are aware of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Sinjar Investment and Development Plan and await further details on its implementation and financing. Currently, through the British Embassy Baghdad's Building Peace and Stability in Iraq (BPSI) programme, the UK is supporting durable solutions in conflict-affected areas, including Sinjar, with a focus on livelihoods, social cohesion and support to displaced and returning communities. BPSI has also provided targeted support to Yazidi survivors and beneficiaries of the Yazidi Survivors Law. Through our Embassy in Baghdad and Consulate in Erbil, the UK continues to promote freedom of religion or belief and monitor conditions for the dignified return of displaced Yazidis.
Asked by: Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of reintegration and psychosocial support provisions for returning Yazidi communities under the new plan by the United Nations Development Programme.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is in regular contact with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government and the United Nations on recovery and development in Sinjar and the rights of Yazidis.
We are aware of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Sinjar Investment and Development Plan and await further details on its implementation and financing. Currently, through the British Embassy Baghdad's Building Peace and Stability in Iraq (BPSI) programme, the UK is supporting durable solutions in conflict-affected areas, including Sinjar, with a focus on livelihoods, social cohesion and support to displaced and returning communities. BPSI has also provided targeted support to Yazidi survivors and beneficiaries of the Yazidi Survivors Law. Through our Embassy in Baghdad and Consulate in Erbil, the UK continues to promote freedom of religion or belief and monitor conditions for the dignified return of displaced Yazidis.
Asked by: Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what mechanism they intend to use to monitor implementation of the Sinjar Investment and Development Plan and report on progress toward Yazidi return, given the UK's prior support for stabilization efforts including the funding facility for stabilisation.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Through our Embassy in Baghdad and Consulate in Erbil, the UK is in regular contact with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government regarding the rights of religious minorities, including the Yazidis. Responsibility for reconstruction and return lies with the Government of Iraq.
Through diplomatic engagement and programmes such as the British Embassy Baghdad's Building Peace and Stability in Iraq programme, we continue to promote FoRB, support social cohesion and durable solutions for displaced communities, and monitor conditions for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of displaced Yazidis.
Asked by: Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their freedom of religion or belief strategy for Iraq; and whether the strategy includes specific benchmarks that are tied to Sinjar's reconstruction and minority return.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Through our Embassy in Baghdad and Consulate in Erbil, the UK is in regular contact with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government regarding the rights of religious minorities, including the Yazidis. Responsibility for reconstruction and return lies with the Government of Iraq.
Through diplomatic engagement and programmes such as the British Embassy Baghdad's Building Peace and Stability in Iraq programme, we continue to promote FoRB, support social cohesion and durable solutions for displaced communities, and monitor conditions for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of displaced Yazidis.
Asked by: Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what input they have given to the United Nations Development Programme's Sinjar Investment and Development Plan to be launched on 25 September; whether they intend to contribute funding or technical support to its implementation; and what discussions they have had with the governments of Iraq, Germany, or United Nations Development Programme regarding UK participation in financing the Sinjar Investment and Development Plan.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is in regular contact with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government and the United Nations on recovery and development in Sinjar and the rights of Yazidis.
We are aware of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Sinjar Investment and Development Plan and await further details on its implementation and financing. Currently, through the British Embassy Baghdad's Building Peace and Stability in Iraq (BPSI) programme, the UK is supporting durable solutions in conflict-affected areas, including Sinjar, with a focus on livelihoods, social cohesion and support to displaced and returning communities. BPSI has also provided targeted support to Yazidi survivors and beneficiaries of the Yazidi Survivors Law. Through our Embassy in Baghdad and Consulate in Erbil, the UK continues to promote freedom of religion or belief and monitor conditions for the dignified return of displaced Yazidis.