Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on encouraging the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table to discuss the US Administration's Middle East peace plan proposal.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We have spoken to a range of regional partners about the US Administration's plan. We will continue to do so. Only Israeli and Palestinian leaders can determine whether these proposals can meet the needs and aspirations of the people they represent. We encourage them to give these plans genuine and fair consideration, and explore whether they might prove a first step on the road back to negotiations.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with the Gambian Government to tackle child abuse by Western tourists.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are engaging with Gambian officials, the tourism sector and international partners to ensure that the Government of The Gambia's zero tolerance on child abuse is understood and implemented. The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Affairs in The Gambia, established in 2019, is leading work on strengthening child protection arrangements.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the December 2019 missile tests by North Korea.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We are gravely concerned by North Korea’s testing of ballistic missiles in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The UK continues to press for diplomacy and dialogue as the best way to resolve the situation. We have repeatedly called on North Korea to engage in good faith in negotiations with the US. We fully support US efforts to persuade North Korea to dismantle its illegal nuclear and missiles programmes and believe that sanctions should remain in place until North Korea takes concrete steps towards denuclearisation. It is our firm belief that complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation is the path to a peaceful and more prosperous future for the North Korean people.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to 2019 Unicef data recording more than 170,000 grave violations against children in war zones since 2010, what steps his Department is taking in co-operation with other countries to improve children’s safety in those areas.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The UK is firmly committed to protecting children in armed conflict. We use our membership as a UN Security Council Permanent Member to prioritise conflict-related child protection issues in Council discussions and ensure that UN operations have the capacity and capability to address them. The UK is the largest single financial contributor to the Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Children and Armed Conflict, contributing £800,000 in the last five years. The office works with parties to conflict that are committing grave violations to develop and implement action plans with the UN to (1) verify and release any child soldiers associated with armed groups and forces, (2) prevent re-recruitment and (3) the perpetration of other grave violations. The UK increased our funding for the 2019/20 financial year by a further £450,000 to the SRSG's core mandate and £50,000 for activities relating to the SRSG's Global Coalition for Reintegration.
In 2018, the UK endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration and the Vancouver Principles, both key mechanisms for preventing grave violations against children. We collaborated with Sweden and others to agree Resolution 2427, adopted by the UN Security Council in July 2018, to strengthen protection mechanisms for children in armed conflict. We delivered a joint statement to the Human Rights Council in March 2019, reiterating our strong support for the mandate of the SRSG for Children And Armed Conflict, and called upon States to increase accountability for perpetrators of all six grave violations. Last year, the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK signed up to the UN Voluntary Global Pledge – for Every Child, Every Right, which called for Member States to reaffirm their commitment to upholding and protecting child rights in the 21st century, and promoted children's perspectives in the development and assessment of strategies and programmes designed to realise their rights.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his South Sudanese counterpart on the peace talks in that country.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK, with our Troika partners (US and Norway), continue to pressure the South Sudanese parties to deliver the commitments made in the 12 September 2018 peace agreement. When I met the President of South Sudan on 13 August I reaffirmed the UK's support for the people of South Sudan. I urged President Kiir to take the steps necessary to form a government of national unity, as set out in the peace agreement. Our Ambassador in Juba has reinforced this message with all sides, including with President Kiir on 3 September and with Foreign Minister Awut on 11 September.Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the US withdrawal from talks with the Taliban on the future of Afghanistan.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
There remains a fundamental need for a peace process in Afghanistan in order to secure a better future for Afghanistan. All sides have stated their commitment to achieve this. To make that possible, the British Government supports a swift return to dialogue, and calls on all sides to reduce the violence.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government has provided to help tackle the fires on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The British Government is concerned about the fires in Indonesia’s forests and peatlands. They are causing extensive damage at both local and regional level, and contributing to global carbon emissions.
The British government is engaged with authorities in Indonesia, through our Embassy in Jakarta, to find long term solutions on fire prevention. We are also looking at peatland protection and restoration on Sumatra and Kalimantan, the regions where most fires occur.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent political developments in Kyrgyzstan.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
We are monitoring political developments in Kyrgyzstan following the arrest of former President Atambayev. There have been limited incidents of violence and unrest. We believe that it is important for the United Kingdom to continue to maintain its support, through our political engagement and programme activity, for Kyrgyzstan's ambition to strengthen democracy and the rule of law. Our Ambassador frequently engages with the Kyrgyz Government, stressing the importance of democratic standards and a free and fair judicial system for all. The United Kingdom's programme funding also works to support Kyrgyzstan's continued transition to a parliamentary democracy.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will oppose the readmission of Russia to the G8.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to provide assistance to British Consulate employee Simon Cheng after his arrest in China.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.