Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the reduction in Official Development Assistance funding for mine clearing on livelihoods and wellbeing in (1) Sub-Saharan Africa, and (2) the Indo-Pacific region.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Global Mine Action Programme 3 (GMAP3), due to begin in 2022, will involve landmine clearance and risk education to help affected communities keep safe, and capacity development for national authorities to help them manage their landmine contamination. We are working towards finalising funding and country allocation for GMAP3, as part of a broader effort to prioritise our aid to be more strategic and remain a force for good across the world.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to engage with small UK development charities to assist (1) with departmental submissions to the Comprehensive Spending Review, and (2) in the production of their new International Development Strategy.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The International Development Strategy will outline the UK government's strategic priorities and approach to development. As part of a wider engagement process, my ministerial colleagues have held meetings with many stakeholders, including civil society organisations and small development charities; and we have recently closed a public Call for Evidence, which invited views from all interested parties, including small development charities.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what criteria they used for including countries in their report Human Rights and Democracy: 2020 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, published on 8 July, (2) how Cameroon was assessed against those criteria, and (3) what plans they have to change those criteria for next year’s report.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The 2020 FCDO Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report (AHRR) features 31 Human Rights Priority Countries (HRPCs). The HRPC list was reviewed and updated in early 2021 ahead of the report's publication in July, with assessment based on the human rights situation in country, the trajectory of change, and the UK's ability to make a difference. African countries including Cameroon were considered using this criteria. We expect the majority of HRPCs to remain in place for the duration of this Parliament pending exceptional developments, as this provides a reasonable base-line against which to assess our impact. While the HRPCs help us to prioritise our work, our interests and work are global, as reflected in the many other country references in the thematic sections of the AHRR.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to engage with small development charities in the UK as part of (1) developing the Comprehensive Spending Review, and (2) revising their development strategy.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The International Development Strategy will outline the UK government's strategic priorities and approach to development. As part of a wider engagement process, my ministerial colleagues have held meetings with several stakeholders, including civil society organisations and small development charities; and we have recently closed a public Call for Evidence, which invited views from all interested parties, including small development charities. The FCDO does not routinely run external engagement exercises when developing the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what is their latest assessment of human rights in Cameroon, and (2) what steps they are taking to improve human rights in Cameroon through the bilateral trade agreement with that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Reports of further human rights violations are disturbing. At the UN Security Council in June, the UK's Permanent Representative reiterated the UN Secretary General's call for the violence to end and for all actors to stop attacks against civilians. At the UN Human Rights Council this month, the UK called for an end to violence and impartial investigations to hold the perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses to account. The former Minister for Africa iterated these calls during his visit to Cameroon in March. HMG also urges the Government of Cameroon to engage fully with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Government's approach is clear that using trade to support development and prosperity is not mutually exclusive to the rule of law, protecting human rights, and democratic principles. We continue to press the Cameroonian Government to uphold these principles, which underpin the Economic Partnership Agreement.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the World Bank about making concessionary finance available to Caribbean States adversely affected by the volcanic eruptions on St Vincent with a view to addressing (1) immediate health related needs, (2) the (a) short, and (b) long term, infrastructure requirements of the region, and (3) the impact on livelihoods as a result of the eruptions.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. The Minister will write directly to the Member with a response shortly.Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian crisis resulting from the volcanic eruptions on St Vincent; what further assistance they intend to provide to (1) finance, and (2) strengthen, the capacity of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency; and what plans they have to deploy HMS Medway to support the relief effort.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. The Minister will write directly to the Member with a response shortly.Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the Holy See has met the Vatican Secretary of State following the visit by Cardinal Parolin to Cameroon in February; what (1) financial, and (2) other, support they have provided to faith-based groups working in conflict resolution in that country; and if none, what plans they have to provide such support in future.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Holy See is in regular contact with the Vatican and met Cardinal Parolin following his visit to Cameroon.
The FCDO is committed to conflict resolution and finding a peaceful resolution to the crisis is the Government's top priority in Cameroon. The UK continues to work with the Catholic Church on a range of global challenges. In financial year 2019/20, FCDO provided a grant of £20,000 to the Peace and Justice Commission of the Bamenda Archdiocese to fund a project to document and report on serious and systemic human rights violations in Cameroon. During his visit to Cameroon, the Minister for Africa and the UK High Commissioner to Cameroon met religious leaders from a number of faiths to hear first-hand their accounts of the crisis in the North-west South-west regions.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to raise the issue of the conflict in Cameroon in the UN Security Council in the near future; and what plans they have to ensure that there are no further delays to the publication of the report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights following her 2019 visit to Cameroon.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government regularly raises our concerns about the deteriorating situation in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon in multilateral fora, including the UN. Most recently, we raised the crisis at the UN Security Council on 9 December 2020, calling for an end to human rights abuses and violations by both armed separatists and the security forces. The Minister for Africa also spoke to the Prime Minister of Cameroon, Joseph Ngute, in December 2020. He reiterated the UK's commitment to supporting a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
We also encourage the Government of Cameroon to remain engaged with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and would welcome publication of the report of her 2019 visit soon.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the decision by the government of Uganda to suspend the Democratic Governance Facility, and (2) the implications of that suspension for the continuation of other development programmes in that country that are supported by UK Official Development Assistance.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK withdrew its membership and funding for of the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF) in 2017. We are also aware of reports that the Government of Uganda suspended the DGF in February 2021. Given this, Any suspension of the DGF will not have an impact on our Overseas Development Assistance in Uganda. Whilst not members of the DGF, we maintain a close relationship with it. Achieving long-term success for Uganda requires strong, independent and effective institutions that uphold the rule of law and democratic principles.