Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the President of Sri Lanka on (a) the implementation of UN Human Rights Council resolution 30/1 and (b) the involvement of foreign judges and prosecutors in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes during the Sri Lankan civil war since the last ministerial visit to Sri Lanka.
Answered by Lord Swire
We regularly discuss progress and developments in Sri Lanka with the government, including on UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution 30/1. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) did so when he met President Sirisena on 12 May and our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka did so on 10 May. I also discussed this with the Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Samaraweera when I visited Sri Lanka in January. We encourage the government to implement fully its commitments to the UNHRC resolution on reconciliation, accountability and human rights, and look forward to the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ assessment of Sri Lanka’s progress in June.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on implementation of the UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1 on Sri Lanka.
Answered by Lord Swire
Sri Lanka has made encouraging progress towards fulfilling its commitments to UNHRC Resolution 30/1 but we recognise there remains much to be done. We look forward to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ assessment of progress at the next Human Rights Council in June.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help co-ordinate (a) a European and (b) a wider international response to the refugee situation.
Answered by David Lidington
The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) told the House on 7 September that the UK would meet its moral obligations and take 20 000 Syrian refugees over the lifetime of this Parliament. He also said we are using our aid budget to alleviate poverty in those countries of origin, we are the only major country in the world who has kept our promise to spend 0.7% of Gross Domestic Product on aid, and that we are the second largest donor to the Syrian conflict, including providing over 18 million food rations, and providing clean water for 1.6 million.
The Prime Minister also announced on 4 September an additional £100 million in aid, taking our contribution to over £1 billion. Sixty million pounds of this additional funding will go towards helping Syrians still in Syria. The remainder will go to neighbouring countries – to Turkey, to Jordan and to Lebanon where one quarter of the population are Syrian refugees.
The UK is taking part in the UN’s programme to resettle refugees who have fled their countries of origin. Additionally the UK operates three resettlement schemes in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: Mandate; Gateway and the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Scheme.
We continue to work closely with our EU partners, to develop a comprehensive approach that will help reduce the pull factor. We are also seeking to disrupt those criminal gangs engaged in people smuggling ad trafficking. There will be an EU/Africa conference in Valletta in November. The UK is fully engaged with the preparations for it.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss with the Israeli government plans to demolish the Palestinian village of Khirbet Susiya in the West Bank.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Our Ambassador to Tel Aviv met senior officials from the Israeli National Security Council on 21 June and raised planning issues, including relating to the Bedouin in Area C of the West Bank. In May, our Embassy raised our serious concerns about the potential forcible transfer of the Bedouin in E1 and other parts of Area C and the Israeli Supreme Court’s ruling approving the demolition of the West Bank village Susiya with the Head of COGAT (Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories’), and senior officials from the Israeli National Security Council.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the right to freedom of religion or belief is upheld across the world; and if he will appoint an envoy for that purpose.
Answered by David Lidington
All FCO Ministers raise the issue of freedom of religion or belief in bilateral and multilateral fora, whenever relevant, as a core part of our existing human rights work. We consider this the most effective approach.
The Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns met the All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief on 17 June to set out the UK’s commitment to uphold globally freedom of religion or belief. On 18 June she met the US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Rabbi David Saperstein, to discuss upcoming joint action. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials attended the inaugural meeting of an International Contact Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief to discuss how we can better work together internationally. Last week, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Grand Mufti of Al-Azhar addressed staff in the FCO on the subject of “Faith, Freedom and Foreign Policy” as part of the FCO’s ongoing religious literacy initiative.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will (a) sign the Safe Schools Declaration and (b) support implementation of that declaration in countries where armed conflict is taking place.
Answered by James Duddridge
The intention of the Safe Schools Declaration is for countries to endorse the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military use During Armed Conflict. While we support the spirit of the initiative, we have concerns that the Guidelines do not mirror the exact language and content of International Humanitarian Law. We consider that the full implementation of International Humanitarian Law provides the best protection for civilians in all situations of armed conflict. The UK and several other countries therefore did not sign the Safe Schools Declaration in Oslo in May.