Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to use the UK's membership of the Blue Dot Network to promote sustainable development projects in (a) Pakistan and (b) other countries taking part in China's Belt and Road Initiative.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Blue Dot Network will translate existing internationally agreed quality infrastructure investment standards into a clear and evidence-based certification framework, and in doing so will attract the financial capital needed to tackle the vast infrastructure investment gap in developing countries such as Pakistan. No other certification process focuses on infrastructure in Low- or Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). All countries, including those involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, will be able to apply for a blue dot.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Azerbaijani counterpart on the anniversary of the Khojaly massacre; and whether he plans to make a statement to mark that anniversary.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The events of February 1992 were a tragic episode in Azerbaijan's history, and were strongly condemned by the UK Government at the time. Such hostilities should never take place again. The UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan laid a wreath at the memorial in Baku on 24 February. In recent engagements with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister on 22 February and Armenian Foreign Minister on 18 January, I [Minister Docherty] reinforced the need for constructive negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan to secure stability and peace in the region.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether children educated in monasteries receiving British aid via the Myanmar Education Consortium are taught using the Burmese military controlled school curriculum.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Monastic education is an important educational provision in Myanmar, often reaching children in poor and conflict-affected communities with no alternative schooling. These schools are run independently by monks and follow the Myanmar national curriculum developed before the coup.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Government of Morocco on the imprisonment of Omar Radi.
Answered by David Rutley
We are aware of and continue to monitor the case of Omar Radi and senior UK officials raised his case with the Moroccan Government on 1 December. Support for human rights is a priority around the world and we regularly raise human rights issues with the Moroccan authorities, including individual cases.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of trends in the level of funding for BBC Persian Radio on access to impartial news and information for people in Iran.
Answered by David Rutley
The FCDO strongly values the BBC World Service's role in bringing high-quality and impartial broadcasting to audiences in need. Under recent BBC proposals, whilst radio broadcasts for BBC Persian will cease, TV broadcasting will continue and investment in digital services will increase, reflecting audience viewing trends. In Iran, only 1% of the BBC's total weekly audience of 13.8 million access BBC news solely via radio - the other 99% use BBC Persian on TV and online.
The UK is a fierce champion of media freedom and proud member of the Media Freedom Coalition. We regularly raise the issue of the Iranian peoples' right to access independent media, including BBC Persian, and unrestricted internet with the Iranian government, as well as in multilateral fora.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to reply to correspondence from the hon. member for Manchester, Gorton, dated 5 October 2022, reference AK55505.
Answered by David Rutley
We apologise for the delay in replying to the Hon. Member. A reply will be sent as soon as possible.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government is taking steps to help support women protestors in Iran.
Answered by David Rutley
Mahsa Amini's death was a shocking reminder of the repression faced by women in Iran. On 14 November, the UK sanctioned 24 leading political and security officials in Iran for their role in the brutal crackdown on protests. These sanctions send a clear message that the UK will hold Iran to account for its repression of women and girls. At a Special Session of the Human Rights Council on 24 November, the UK and our partners secured the establishment of an investigative mechanism into the regime's response to protests - an important step towards accountability. The UK will continue to work with our partners to ensure this delivers for the people of Iran, not least the women and girls bravely protesting for their freedom.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of conflict in Kashmir on people in that region.
Answered by Leo Docherty
India and Pakistan are long-standing, important friends of UK and we encourage both to engage in dialogue and find lasting, diplomatic solutions to maintain regional stability. We recognise that there are human rights concerns in both India-administered Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The UK Government encourages all states to ensure their domestic laws are in line with international standards. It is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of Kashmiri people. We continue to encourage both to engage in dialogue and find lasting, diplomatic solutions to maintain regional stability.