Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of potential violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Parachinar, particularly in regard to freedom of movement and access to medical care.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's long-term commitment to promoting human rights in Pakistan is unwavering. Our position is clear - any allegations of human rights violations must be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently. We urge the Government of Pakistan to prioritise the protection of civilians in Parachinar, including religious minorities, and the safe and voluntary movement of people. Our High Commission in Islamabad has raised the humanitarian and security situation in Parachinar with senior government representatives.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan regarding the ongoing blockade of Parachinar.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is concerned by restrictions on humanitarian access in Kurram. To ensure the rights and dignity of all people, we urge the Government of Pakistan to prioritise the restoration of full, unhindered access for humanitarian assistance. It is essential that aid organisations can deliver essential supplies and services without obstruction or delay. Our High Commission in Pakistan has raised the humanitarian and security situation in Kurram with senior government representatives.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to contribute to the initiative at the UN Security Council to refer the human rights situation in North Korea to the International Criminal Court.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK remains committed to working with international partners to hold the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) to account for their human rights violations. We hold regular meetings with other UN Security Council member states to identify ways in which we can improve the DPRK's human rights record. The UK also regularly cosponsors resolutions on the human rights situation in DPRK at the UN Human Rights Council and UN General Assembly Third Committee. We will continue to engage with key partners and allies to ensure the need for accountability remains at the heart of the international community's work to improve the human rights situation in the DPRK.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of prospects for removing the UN Security Council P5 veto right in cases of genocide and other atrocity crimes.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The veto rights of the permanent members of the UN Security Council are set out in the UN Charter. Removing those rights would require amending the Charter. As specified in Articles 108 and 109 of the Charter, any such amendments would ultimately require ratification by all the permanent members of the Security Council.
The UK Government supports responsible use of the veto. The veto is a great responsibility, which should be used to preserve global peace. The UK is a proud supporter of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) Code of Conduct, through which we have committed not to vote against - and therefore not to veto - a credible draft Security Council resolution which would end or prevent a mass atrocity. We continue to encourage other members of the Security Council, and the wider UN membership, to become signatories to the ACT Code of Conduct.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the volume of munitions North Korea has sent to Russia in its war against Ukraine; and whether they plan to engage with the International Criminal Court to ensure that the involvement of North Korea is considered as part of its investigations into crimes in Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Russia's increasing reliance on support from the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) to help wage its illegal invasion of Ukraine demonstrates its underlying weakness. As we have said publicly, the DPRK is believed to have supplied 20,000 containers of munitions to Russia, and its artillery and mortar shells account for 60% of those used in Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. DPRK must immediately withdraw its troops and stop its provision of thousands of munitions, arms and other materiel. Together with our partners, we are taking action against those who enable Russia's war, including through sanctions.
The UK is fully committed to holding Russia to account for its illegal and barbaric actions in Ukraine. We welcome the progress the International Criminal Court (ICC) is making in its investigation, including the issuing of arrest warrants. The ICC is an independent judicial institution, and it is for the ICC Prosecutor to determine who should be prosecuted.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current human rights situation in North Korea; and how they are planning to respond to the recommendations of the APPG on North Korea's report Inquiry into Human Rights Violations in North Korea 2014-2020/1, published on 20 July 2021.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK remains deeply concerned by unacceptable reports of ongoing, widespread, and systematic human rights violations in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK). The UK remains active in many of the APPG's 2021 report recommendations and regularly calls on the DPRK government, through multilateral and bilateral channels, to address its appalling human rights record. Most recently, in April 2025, the UK co-sponsored a UN Human Right Council resolution renewing the UN Special Rapporteur mandate for a further year and requesting that the High Commissioner for Human Rights (HCHR) provide updates to the UN Human Right Council to include options for strengthening accountability.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reported attacks in Khoznavar in Armenia allegedly by Azerbaijan in April, and what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan to protect civilian lives and infrastructure.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We are aware of reporting that alleges ceasefire violations and we are following the situation closely. The UK government welcomes Armenia and Azerbaijan's agreement on a peace deal and urges them to sign it as soon as possible, to provide security and stability to the region. We continue to urge both sides to refrain from rhetoric or action that could undermine prospects for peace. The Minister of State, Stephen Doughty, underlined our support for a long-lasting peace deal with Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan on 11 April at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, in a call with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov on 29 April and in a meeting with Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Yalchin Rafiyev on 30 April.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 29 January (HL4271), what steps they have taken to ensure that humanitarian aid is received by the Rohingya in Bangladesh; when they will publish the outcomes of this funding; and whether they will make regular updates on funded projects publicly available.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK has been actively engaged in addressing the humanitarian situation of the Rohingya in Bangladesh. We are a leading donor to the Rohingya response and have provided over £420 million to support the Rohingya and host communities since 2017, including food provision, clean water, healthcare and protection services. The UK ensures that aid reaches the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, by working with international partners like the UN Refugee Agency, International Organization of Migration and World Food Programme. For detailed information on projects we fund and their outcomes, you can refer to the UK Government's Development Tracker:
https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/programme/GB-GOV-1-300554/summary
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Nicaragua about the additional restrictions imposed on churches during Easter Holy Week, and whether they are taking to address the human rights situation in that country, particularly with regard to the recommendations of the report The Silencing of Democracy in Nicaragua, published by three all-party parliamentary groups in April 2024.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We share the widespread international concern about the relentless suppression of human rights in Nicaragua and are deeply concerned by reports of restrictions imposed on churches during Holy Week. I welcome the scrutiny of Parliamentary colleagues in producing 'The Silencing of Democracy in Nicaragua' report. Officials have considered the recommendations in detail and have used them to inform our approach. This includes continuing to urge Nicaragua to re-establish democratic freedoms through bilateral engagements and public statements in international fora. On 28 February 2025 at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council, we raised our grave human rights concerns, including relating to freedom of religion and belief.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many projects in Afghanistan are funded by UK development aid, and through which entities the funds are distributed.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is taking a leading role in the humanitarian response to support the people of Afghanistan. Last financial year (2024-2025), the government allocated £171 million in aid to Afghanistan making it one of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) largest bilateral aid programmes. We plan to publish final 2025/26 Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations in the FCDO Annual Report & Accounts this summer. Decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27 onwards will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments.
We do not give aid to the Taliban. UK aid is distributed through a range of international and national Non-Governmental Organisations and UN agencies. All funding is provided directly to implementing partners who are highly experienced at delivering in difficult circumstances and ensuring aid is only used to help those most in need.