Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what explanation they have received from the Sudanese authorities for an air strike on a school in South Kordofan state on 14 March, which resulted in the deaths of 11 children and two teachers and multiple injuries.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our senior diplomats have used meetings with senior decision-makers in the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and other groups to raise concerns about credible reports of human rights violations. The UK continues to urge the warring parties to agree to a ceasefire, engage in a meaningful peace process, and grant immediate humanitarian access. The UK is also funding open-source investigation experts to use satellite imagery and social media to verify and preserve information relating to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. It is essential that those responsible for human rights violations and abuses are held to account.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian situation in the area of Sudan held by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North; and what support has the UK provided to alleviate the severe food security situation in that area, in particular given that half a million internally displaced persons have sought refuge there.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have not made a specific assessment of needs in this area, but we understand humanitarian needs to be very high, as they are across the country. UK humanitarian funding in Sudan aims to reach the most vulnerable wherever they are in the country, but it is not targeted to specific geographic areas. We are providing £42.6 million in humanitarian aid to support people in Sudan in 2023-2024. UK ODA for Sudan (including humanitarian) will also increase to £89 million for the year ahead. Access constraints and insecurity are limiting the ability of partners to deliver in many areas, including the areas held by SPLM-North. We continue to work with the UN, other donors and trusted partners to improve and increase the delivery of aid across Sudan.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what impact the UK's suspension of funding for UNRWA had on its performance in delivering aid to Gaza in the last financial year; and what is their forecast of funding in 2024.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK provided £35 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) this financial year, including an uplift of £16 million for the Gaza humanitarian response, all of which was disbursed before the recent allegations came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year and we are pausing any future funding of UNRWA.
Our decision to pause future funding has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to people in Gaza who desperately need it, including through other UN agencies and British charities. On 13 March, the Government announced a further £10 million in aid funding to bring UK support to more than £100 million this financial year. UK funding has supported the work of partners including the British Red Cross, World Food Programme, UNICEF and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to deliver vital supplies.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the continuing role of the UNRWA in aid distribution in Gaza following allegations against some of the staff.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK provided £35 million to UNRWA this financial year, including an uplift of £16 million for the Gaza humanitarian response, all of which was disbursed before the recent allegations came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year and we are pausing any future funding of UNRWA. Our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has had no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands and we are supporting partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many aid workers from UNRWA and other agencies have (1) died, and (2) been injured, in the course of aid distribution and the provision of essential services in Gaza to date.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A shocking number of Palestinian civilians have been killed or injured. We want Israel to stop harming civilians and destroying homes.
The Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister have 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.
We need the fighting to stop immediately to allow humanitarian actors and Gazans to operate and move safely, and enable hostages to be released.
We need Israel to ensure effective systems to guarantee the safety of aid convoys, humanitarian operations and IDP returns, and facilitate access.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the fact that the US has appointed a temporary envoy to Sudan; and what impact this appointment has had on the role and forward plan of the Troika in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK welcomes Tom Perriello's appointment. We look forward to working with him, Troika partners and the wider international community to press the warring parties to end the violence, secure urgently needed humanitarian access, ensure the protection of civilians and commit to a sustained and meaningful peace process.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the closure of the UN Transitional Mission to Sudan will have on the Sudanese people and other UN operations; and whether they expect there to be a successor to that Mission.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to use its position as penholder to speak out against egregious human rights abuses being committed by both warring parties, and call for a permanent ceasefire, a transfer of power to a civilian administration, as well as unfettered humanitarian access. We worked closely with Security Council members and the UN Secretariat to agree an orderly transition and liquidation last December; this was the best available outcome in the circumstances. We welcome the Secretary-General's appointment of Ramtane Lamamra as a personal envoy, whom we are keen to support.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that there have been almost 10,000 suspected cases of cholera in Sudan as of 20 January, what channels of assistance, if any, they are using to combat the outbreak; and what discussions they have had with other international partners as part of those efforts.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Due to the ongoing conflict, Sudan continues to grapple with mass displacement, disease outbreaks and malnutrition. The health system has been overwhelmed by attacks on health facilities and the scarcity of medical supplies, equipment, health workers and funds. The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting Sudan with cholera treatments and direct support to cholera isolation centres. The UK is funding Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and health activities in Sudan via the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). We are supporting the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network and have deployed a senior epidemiologist to bolster the national response.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which UK and international contributions to UN humanitarian agencies to date are meeting the needs of internally displaced people in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN estimates almost 9 million people are currently internally displaced in Sudan. This is now the largest displacement crisis in the world. We are working with regional and international partners to help bring an end to the hostilities, ensure the protection of civilians, and secure safe humanitarian access to and for the most at-need communities. The UK continues to provide assistance to the many people in need in Sudan through our humanitarian aid package of £38 million for 2023-2024. In the next financial year 2024/2025 the UK bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Sudan will double, to £89 million.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what they have done during 2023 to slow the activities of traffickers in Libya who are exploiting asylum-seekers ultimately bound for the UK.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting the UN-facilitated, Libyan-led and owned political process to secure peace, stability and prosperity in Libya. This offers the surest route to tackling challenges such as human rights violations and illegal migration. HMG has been prioritising efforts in Libya on disrupting the human trafficking business model and pursuing trafficking targets. As a result, we have successfully disrupted several human trafficking operations and arrested smugglers responsible for exploiting irregular migrants and managing broader criminal networks in Libya.