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 are making to the government of Syria about the mass killing of civilians from the Alawite minority by militia groups in March.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The protection of all civilians in Syria and their full inclusion in the transition process will continue to be a priority in our engagement with the Syrian Government. The Minister for the Middle East discussed this issue during his meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on 17 March and the National Security Advisor discussed it in his call with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on 10 April.
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 number of people who benefit in Afghanistan from projects funded by UK development aid, and what steps they are taking to guarantee that UK development aid benefits women and children.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The rights and needs of women and girls are at the core of the government's humanitarian response in Afghanistan. We are equally committed to protecting the safety, health and development of Afghan children. In financial year 2023-24 (the most recent period for which we have verified data), UK aid provided over 2.7 million people, including over 1.3 million women, with humanitarian assistance. Implementing partners provide the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office with data on the number of beneficiaries they have reached through UK funding, disaggregated by sex. We remain committed that at least 50% of people reached by UK aid in Afghanistan are women and girls and have met this target since financial year 2021-22 and expect to have to met this target in 2024-25 (data is currently being verified). UK aid is subject to strict monitoring and verification to ensure it is only used to help the vulnerable people for whom it is intended.
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 condition of the Yazidi community in Iraq; what steps they are taking to assist the Yazidi community; and what assessment they have made of how such assistance will be affected by the cuts to the Official Development Assistance, and of the impact on the Yazidi community.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to the Yazidi community's safety and security, recognising the hardships and persecution they have endured. Reducing Official Development Assistance (ODA) is a difficult, but necessary decision. However, the Building Peace and Security in Iraq programme will continue facilitating the return and reintegration of Internally Displaced Persons, including Yazidis. We also continue to advocate with Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government on stability, security and governance in Sinjar.
Prior to this year, the UK also funded Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, and Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking programmes. These programmes strengthened government and civil organisation capacity to advance transitional justice mechanisms, and support survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on whether to extend the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government supports the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which helps protect civilians and supports the transitional government of South Sudan to implement their peace process. In the 2024/25 financial year, the UK provided nearly £52 million to support the UNMISS mandate to aid preparations for elections, including through support and technical assistance to electoral institutions.
Negotiations are underway on the renewal of this mandate. The UK Government is committed to working with its partners to secure its renewal.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 25 February (HL Deb col 1578), what actions have they taken to hold those responsible for crimes against humanity to account, in relation to the execution of Christians by Islamic State in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are alarmed and saddened by the attacks by IS-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including the reported attack on 25 February in Lubero in North Kivu. We continue to monitor the situation. We have raised the actions of the ADF in the UN repeatedly and have sanctioned ADF through the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act. The UK continues to remind all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law and make clear that all those who have committed human rights violations and abuses must be held accountable. We work with multilateral bodies, including the UN, to promote and protect human rights in DRC. Our Ambassador in Kinshasa and UK Ministers regularly raise these issues with the government of DRC.
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 Syria on (1) the protection of the Alawite community, and (2) ensuring that those responsible for attacks on the Alawite community are properly investigated and perpetrators held accountable.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the Syrian Government's reassurances to the Syrian population and international community that they will protect all civilians in Syria, and their establishment of a fact-finding committee to investigate and prosecute individuals who committed crimes during the violence in early March. I discussed these points in my meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on 17 March. We will continue to monitor the treatment of all civilians in Syria, and this issue will continue to be an important aspect of our engagement with the Syrian Government and with regional and international partners.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the United States of America about efforts to seek the release of the Chinese activist Dr Wang Bingzhang.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government stands firm on human rights in China. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang, Vice Premier He and Vice Premier Ding respectively).
We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations and will continue to call on China to uphold its commitments under international law.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of China about the release of the Chinese activist Dr Wang Bingzhang.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government stands firm on human rights in China. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang, Vice Premier He and Vice Premier Ding respectively).
We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations and will continue to call on China to uphold its commitments under international law.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to address the illegal extraction of minerals in Tigray; and what assessment they have made of the environmental destruction and harm to livestock caused by these activities.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are monitoring reports of the illegal extraction of minerals in Tigray. It is important that all such activity is conducted legally and with the appropriate approvals from the relevant government authorities in Ethiopia and is done in a way that protects the local environment.
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 draft law on foreign agents introduced on 31 March by the government of Georgia, and what assessment they have made of the impact of the legislation on political opposition.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
A vibrant opposition and civil society in Georgia, is an essential attribute of a healthy democracy. We have serious concerns over the recent repressive legislation Georgian Dream have rushed through parliament, including the Georgian Foreign Agents Registration Act legislation and Successor Parties Law. The Minister of State, Stephen Doughty MP raised concerns over the plans and civil society and democratic freedoms with Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Botchorishvili on 16 December 2024.
The proposed laws would place extreme constraints on civil society and opposition parties, while undermining a democratic and prosperous future for all Georgians.