Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the report produced by Oxfam and Doctors for Human Rights on the experience of refugees, not least women, fleeing war, persecution and poverty while they are in or transiting Libya; and what action they are taking to ensure that their policies are designed to meet the humanitarian needs of such people, and to ensure rights of safe passage.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID are aware of Oxfam’s recent report and share their concerns. The UK provides humanitarian aid to migrants and refugees in Libya and specific support to women and girls at risk of sexual and gender based violence and trafficking. So far this year, DFID has supported more than 20,000 emergency interventions such as healthcare, psychosocial support, hygiene kits and safe shelter. The UK Government has also helped more than 1,400 vulnerable migrants to return home from Libya.
Our resettlement schemes provide refugees with a safe and legal route to the UK, rather than risking hazardous journeys towards Europe. We also support the principle of family reunification.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
Her Majesty's Government what measures they have put in place to ensure that UK funding provided in response to the central Mediterranean migration crisis is utilised in a way that protects vulnerable migrants and refugees.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK contribution to the Mediterranean migration crisis is delivered through trusted humanitarian agencies such as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Our programmes take account of context and risks, as well as humanitarian principles, and are designed to provide life-saving assistance and protection for the most vulnerable migrants and refugees.
The Department for International Development holds partners to account for ensuring the protection of vulnerable migrants and refugees by using robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks which enable tracking of project performance. Visits to project sites, including by staff located in the region, enable us to cross-check partner reports and ensure that funding is being used as agreed, and monitor risk and human rights compliance.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
Her Majesty's Government what measures they have put in place to ensure that UK funding which is intended to address the central Mediterranean migration crisis is not used to finance the increased detention of refugees and migrants in a manner which denies them their right to asylum.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK contribution to the Mediterranean migration crisis is delivered through trusted humanitarian agencies such as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). As the UN agency mandated to protect and support refugees, UK support for UNHCR is specifically designed to help ensure that refugees are supported to access asylum procedures. UK assistance inside detention centres is not provided to increase detention capacity, but to protect migrants’ and refugees’ human rights and meet basic needs, including by advocating for alternatives to detention for vulnerable groups. We also assist migrants to return home, if they wish to do so.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to ensure that UK funding which is intended to mitigate the migration crisis in the central Mediterranean is not used to finance the indefinite detention of migrant and refugee children.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK contribution to the Mediterranean migration crisis is delivered through trusted humanitarian agencies such as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Through these agencies, UK aid in detention centres is specifically designed to protect migrants’ and refugees’ human rights and meet basic needs, including by advocating for alternatives to detention for vulnerable groups like children. We also assist migrants to return home, if they wish to do so.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
Her Majesty's Government, in the light of findings published by CAFOD in its report UK support for energy in developing countries that between 2009 and 2013 43 per cent of UK spending in the energy sector in developing countries was focussed on fossil fuels and 19 per cent on renewable forms of energy, whether they are planning to seek to reverse those proportions; and if so, what action they are taking to achieve that objective.
Answered by Lord Bates
Between 2011 and 2016, UK Aid provided 12 million people with improved access to clean energy and installed more than 400 MW of clean energy capacity.
The percentages cited in the CAFOD report draw on several sources and appear to include a wide range of funding, including funding which is not classified as Official Development Assistance.
The UK government has committed £5.8bn over the April 2016 and March 2021 period for tackling climate change overseas. This commitment will continue to drive support for developing countries to move to low-carbon economies including renewable energy, as well as building their resilience and helping them to manage their natural resources more effectively.
The DFID bilateral programme will not support new coal plants or new investments in existing coal-fired power plants. We will only consider supporting proposals for multilateral development banks to finance coal-fired power plants in the world’s poorest countries where no other economically feasible alternative exists, the investment is part of a credible low emission development strategy and where there is a clear poverty reduction case.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
Her Majesty's Government what role they are seeking for UNESCO in the battle for hearts and minds, in the cause of defeating terrorism and building world security.
Answered by Lord Bates
UNESCO’s mandate is to coordinate international cooperation in education, science, culture and communication to strengthen ties between nations and societies, including freedom of expression, universal respect for human rights and global citizenship. It is committed to developing more inclusive and prosperous societies, which are also more resilient to the poisonous ideologies of extremism. UNESCO has delivered some good work in the area of education and extremism, including a useful Teacher’s Guide on Preventing Violent Extremism. We will be pushing UNESCO to ensure its advice is informed by evidence and that any activities they implement in this area are rigorously evaluated to assess what works.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
Her Majesty's Government what priority they will give to increasing support for, and strengthening the effectiveness of, the Specialized Agencies of the United Nations through the UK’s Official Development Assistance programme.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Government recognises the valuable role that the Specialised Agencies of the United Nations perform in the agreement and enforcement of international norms, standards and regulations. The UK focuses its support on agencies that are best placed to deliver on the Government’s strategic priorities and which demonstrate excellent performance including value for money for UK taxpayers’ investments. The Multilateral Development Review published in December 2016 explained how the Department for International Development is working with several Specialised Agencies to improve their effectiveness, including the introduction of performance agreements to reinforce priority reforms.