Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will work with international partners to provide food supply guarantees to developing countries at risk of food shortages as a result of global food shortages and increasing food prices, caused by the war in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Over the next 3 years, the UK will direct £3 billion of humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable countries and people to help them recover from crises. The UK played a leading role in persuading the World Bank to commit $12 billion of new funding in the next 15 months to respond directly to the food security crisis, as part of its global lending package of $170 billion. The UK is keen to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of the global response through strong coordination and collaboration, and we are therefore supportive of the G7 Global Alliance for Food Security and the US-led road map and country coalition. The UK has committed another £10 million to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) to build resilience in agriculture and food security in the poorest countries, bringing our total contribution to £186 million.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the Russian military has (1) attacked civilians in Ukraine indiscriminately, and (2) attacked hospitals, schools, and railway stations in that country, causing injuries and loss of life.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine is a premeditated and barbaric assault on a sovereign democratic state. Russia's deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, railway stations and cultural sites constitute war crimes. The UK and its partners will ensure Putin's regime is held accountable.
The UK is a leading bilateral donor to Ukraine, having committed £220 million in humanitarian assistance. We have delivered over 11 million medical items and are donating ambulances, generators and multiple non-food items. Frontline medical aid charity UK-Med will also receive funding of up to £300,000 to help train Ukrainian doctors, nurses and paramedics on how to deal with mass casualties.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with prosecutors at the International Criminal Court at The Hague regarding (1) investigations, and (2) potential prosecutions, of (a) President Putin, (b) other members of the Russian government, and (c) members of the Russian military, for (i) crimes of aggression, (ii) crimes against humanity, and (iii) genocide.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is for the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor to independently determine who should be prosecuted for crimes committed in Ukraine, including those that ordered them, in accordance with his mandate under the Rome Statute. The ICC does not have jurisdiction to prosecute the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine because neither Russia nor Ukraine are States party to the Rome Statute. We respect the jurisdiction of competent national or international courts, such as the ICC, to determine if the crime of genocide has occurred in Ukraine. The UK will continue to provide the necessary assistance to the ICC to support its investigations, including an additional £1 million contribution funded through the cross-Government Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on the (1) level of debt of, and (2) potential loss of life in, developing countries of global food shortages and increasing food prices, as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Before Russia's invasion, almost 1 billion people in 92 countries did not have enough food to eat and 55 countries, mostly in Africa and Asia, were already in acute hunger crises, emergency or famine conditions. This has now risen to at least 1.7 billion with 49 million people already living a step away from famine (up from 25 million in 2020), and almost 860,000 people estimated to be in famine-like conditions.
Steep increases in the price of staple commodities and agriculture inputs were already apparent before the war. Russia's aggression has further exacerbated these spikes - according to the World Food Programme the price of a food basket in Ethiopia has risen 66 percent, and in Somalia 36 percent. Higher import costs of fuel and food are exacerbating the fragile debt status of many countries particularly in Africa.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that more than 2,500 civilians have been abducted or forcibly removed from Ukraine by Russian forces.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We condemn Russian atrocities, including the alleged abduction and deportation of innocent Ukrainians. The UK has supported multilateral mechanisms to assess the situation in Ukraine, including the OSCE's Moscow Mechanism report, which found multiple instances of clear violations of international law by Russian forces in Ukraine. The Attorney General also led a scoping mission to the region from 8-11 May, to assess how the UK can help the Ukrainian Prosecutor General to identify and collect evidence of atrocity crimes. Alongside international partners, the UK is committed to assisting Ukraine's domestic investigation into war crimes, in addition to the International Criminal Court investigation. We also continue to hold the Russian Government to account. On 16 June, the UK announced a new wave of sanctions including against the Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for her alleged involvement in the forced transfer and adoption of Ukrainian children.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take, working with international allies, to provide Ukraine with security assurances against further attacks by Russia, after the conclusion of the war in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In a statement on 8 May, the Prime Minister, along with other G7 leaders, confirmed our readiness to undertake further commitments to help Ukraine secure its free and democratic future, such that Ukraine can defend itself now and deter future acts of aggression. We will pursue our ongoing military and defence assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including through training and material, continue supporting Ukraine in defending its networks against cyber incidents, and expand our cooperation, including on information security. We will also continue to support Ukraine in improving its economic and energy security. We remain in close contact with President Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian leaders on these issues, including during the Prime Minister's recent visit to Kyiv.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effects of the Russian blockade of exports of grain from Ukraine; in particular, the impact on food supply and food security in developing countries; and what plans they have to use the Official Development Assistance budget, and the resources of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, to mitigate these effects.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The threat to global food security from Russia's blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports is huge. Putin's illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is exacerbating price rises in commodity markets. 49 million people are already living a step away from famine and almost 860,000 people are estimated to be in famine-like conditions.
Over the next 3 years, we will direct £3 billion to the most vulnerable countries and people to help them recover from crises. We welcome the World Bank's announcement of $30 billion to address food insecurity globally over the next 15 months, which responds to the UK's calls for the Bank to mobilise funding to tackle the growing crisis. The UK has also committed another £10 million to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) to build resilience in agriculture and food security in the poorest countries, bringing our total contribution to £186 million.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the confiscation by Russian of millions of tons of produce, including corn, grain, fertilizers, and sunflower oil, from Ukraine; and what steps they will take with international partners to assess whether this constitutes a crime of theft or robbery.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ukraine's economy and ability to export its produce has been crippled by Russia's continued bombardment of cities and infrastructure across Ukraine, including through bombing agricultural lands, grain silos and Putin's reckless blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports. We are aware of reports of Russia stealing grain from Ukraine and have called for an immediate investigation. We are continuing to call out Russia's false narrative on grain in international fora including the G7 and the Food and Agriculture Organization, emphasising that Russia's actions are exacerbating the global food crisis, putting tens of millions of people at risk of famine.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the scale of the support that Ukraine may need to repair and rebuild after the war; and what steps they will take to support the provision of the resources required to do so.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports Ukraine's vision for rebuilding a sovereign, prosperous, democratic nation that is stronger than before Putin's invasion. The Government of Ukraine estimates that full-scale recovery will cost around $600 billion so far. International estimates range from €200-500 billion. These costs will rise the longer the war continues. The Ukrainian government has established a National Recovery Council, which will develop its National Recovery Plan, to be announced at the Ukraine Recovery Conference at Lugano, Switzerland, 4-5 July. We are working with the Council to develop our support. We will be guided by Ukraine's priorities in harnessing the best of UK development, business and civil society capabilities in support of its recovery and reconstruction. The UK's total financial support for Ukraine so far stands at some $3.6 billion, including military, humanitarian and fiscal support.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to participate in the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA); and if so, whether they will seek to increase its budget.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is open to participation in the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). The ability to voluntarily participate in the activities of ENISA is included in Part 4 of the UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. It is not for the UK, as a non-member of the EU, to comment on the budget of an EU institution.