Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the role of the Syrian Civil Defence group, commonly referred to as The White Helmets, in the Syrian conflict.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Syria Civil Defence (SCD), also known as the White Helmets, play an invaluable role in rescuing people from the devastation caused by Syrian regime and Russian air strikes. Over 3100 volunteer women and men, deliver community-based services to approximately seven million Syrian civilians living in opposition-controlled areas. To date they have saved over 95,000 lives and conducted extensive mine risk awareness campaigns to help civilians protect themselves from unexploded ordnance. Additionally, SCD provides other important services, including fire fighting, light infrastructure repair and first responder medical care. So far 91 SCD volunteers have been killed and hundreds more injured while carrying out their work. The White Helmets’ have attracted positive international recognition, which is the key reason why the Syrian regime and Russia are trying to discredit them through a concerted disinformation campaign.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the value of the White Helmets in humanitarian work in the Syrian conflict.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Syria Civil Defence (SCD), also known as the White Helmets, plays an invaluable role in rescuing people from the devastation caused by Syrian and Russian air and missile strikes. The 107 SCD teams, of over 3100 volunteer women and men, deliver community-based services to approximately four million Syrian civilians living in opposition-controlled areas. To date they have saved over 85,000 lives and conducted extensive mine risk awareness campaigns to help civilians protect themselves from unexploded ordnance. 167 SCD volunteers have been killed and another 480 seriously injured while carrying out their life-saving work.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much financial assistance was provided by the UK to the White Helmets in (1) 2015–16, and (2) the current year to date.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Syria Civil Defence is funded by a group of Western nations, including the UK. We have provided almost £30 million since we first began work with SCD in 2013, including contributions of around £11 million in 2015-16 and around £11 million in 2016-17. HMG will contribute a further £8.2 million in 2017-18. The United States, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark also provide funding to SCD.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the activities of the White Helmets in Syria are observed and analysed; and by whom.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Her Majesty's Government monitors the work of the Syria Civil Defence (SCD) through frequent contact with our implementing partner and receives regular reporting including specific incident reports, weekly reports, and quarterly project reports. The activities of SCD are also monitored and evaluated by our implementing partner; through independent audits; and through third party monitoring. These reports and continuing monitoring contribute to HMG's work to ensure due diligence, evaluation and accountability for project delivery.
HMG is not aware of reported attacks on civilians by the White Helmets. While all allegations of human rights abuses are treated seriously, HMG notes that the Syrian regime and Russia sought to discredit Syria Civil Defence through a concerted disinformation campaign. HMG remains steadfast in our support to the 3100 women and men of Syria Civil Defence who continue to risk their lives to save lives and make their communities more resilient.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what reports they have received on the activities of the White Helmets in Syria; what are the sources of such reports; and what action was taken as a result.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Her Majesty's Government (HMG) monitors the work of the Syria Civil Defence (SCD) through frequent contact with our implementing partner. We receive regular reporting, including specific incident reports, weekly reports, and quarterly project reports. The activities of SCD are also monitored and evaluated by our implementing partner; through independent audits; and through third party monitoring. These reports and continuing monitoring contribute to HMG's work to ensure due diligence, evaluation and accountability for project delivery.
HMG is not aware of reported attacks on civilians by the White Helmets. While all allegations of human rights abuses are treated seriously, HMG notes that the Syrian regime and Russia have sought to discredit Syria Civil Defence through a concerted disinformation campaign. HMG remains steadfast in our support to the 3100 women and men of Syria Civil Defence who continue to risk their lives to save others.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reported attacks on civilians in Syria by the White Helmets.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Her Majesty's Government (HMG) is not aware of reported attacks on civilians by the White Helmets. While all allegations of human rights abuses are treated seriously, HMG notes that the Syrian regime and Russia sought to discredit Syria Civil Defence (SCD) through a concerted disinformation campaign. HMG remains steadfast in our support to the 3100 women and men of Syria Civil Defence who continue to risk their lives to save lives and make their communities more resilient.
HMG monitors the work of SCD through frequent contact with our implementing partner and receives regular reporting including specific incident reports, weekly reports, and quarterly project reports. The activities of SCD are also monitored and evaluated by our implementing partner; through independent audits; and through third party monitoring. These reports and continuing monitoring contribute to HMG's work to ensure due diligence, evaluation and accountability for project delivery.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place with the government of the US since the inauguration of President Trump.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
There has been extensive engagement with the US Government since the inauguration of President Trump. Engagement includes the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), meeting President Trump in Washington on 27 January. They last spoke on 14 February. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), met US Secretary of State Tillerson in Bonn on 16 February. The Minister of State, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Sir Alan Duncan), met the Secretary of State for Homeland Security in Munich on 17 February.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the indication of a change of policy by the government of the US on the Two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We welcome President Trump's interest in working for a peace deal that meets the requirements of both parties. The UK's view remains that the two state solution is the best option to achieve this.
Asked by: Lord Eames (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had discussions with the government of the US on relations between the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), and President Trump discussed a range of foreign policy issues during their meeting on 27 January.