Asked by: Lord Luce (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reforms introduced in Zimbabwe by President Mnangagwa; and whether they plan to provide any assistance in implementing those reforms.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We welcome President Mnangagwa's commitment to holding free, fair and credible elections, with international observation. We are also encouraged by the political and economic reforms announced by the Zimbabwean government in recent weeks, including plans to amend the indigenisation law. The Minister for Africa visited Zimbabwe on 1 and 2 February and met President Mnangagwa. She welcomed his commitment to political and economic reform and made clear that implementation of these reforms will enable the UK, together with the wider international community, to consider what support we can provide.
Asked by: Lord Luce (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage local authorities to celebrate the Commonwealth prior to the Commonwealth Summit in London in April 2018.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We have been working closely with interested parties across the UK, including local authorities, to raise the profile of the Commonwealth in the run up to next year's Heads of Government Meeting and to celebrate its unique networks.
We are encouraging local authorities to host a 'Commonwealth Big Lunch' between Commonwealth Day on 12 March and the end of the summit on 22 April. We have also asked them to encourage their communities to share their Commonwealth links on social media, using #ourCommonwealth to tell the story of the Commonwealth and demonstrate how wide ranging its people-to-people links are. There will be many other local promotions of the Commonwealth taking place in the run up to the summit.
Asked by: Lord Luce (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to provide observer status for British Overseas Territories during the Commonwealth Summit in London in April 2018.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is committed to strengthening the links between the Overseas Territories and the Commonwealth. As membership of the Commonwealth is limited to sovereign states, the Overseas Territories cannot attend the Heads of Government Meeting or other ministerial meetings in their own right but will be represented by the UK. The UK Government will discuss the four policy pillars for the summit (security, sustainability, fairness and prosperity), with the Overseas Territories ahead of next year’s summit, in order to seek their views and feedback.
Asked by: Lord Luce (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
Her Majesty's Government whether, in response to invitations from the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain, they are providing any training or assistance for that government; and, if so, in what areas.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK has been providing a range of technical and practical assistance to the Government of Bahrain since 2012, in support of its reform programme. Any training provided by or on behalf of the Government complies with our domestic and international human rights obligations.
The technical assistance we have been providing to Bahrain supports the building of effective and accountable institutions, strengthening the rule of law, and police and justice reform. It has included work with the National Institution of Human Rights, the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman, and the Prisoners' and Detainees' Rights Commission.
Asked by: Lord Luce (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
Her Majesty's Government whether they have been invited by the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain to provide support and training to improve the administration and conditions of prisons in Bahrain.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK has been providing a range of technical and practical assistance to the Government of Bahrain since 2012, in support of its reform programme. Any training provided by or on behalf of the Government complies with our domestic and international human rights obligations.
The technical assistance we have been providing to Bahrain supports the building of effective and accountable institutions, strengthening the rule of law, and police and justice reform. It has included work with the National Institution of Human Rights, the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman, and the Prisoners' and Detainees' Rights Commission.