Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his Peruvian counterpart on the protection of indigenous leaders in that country.
Answered by David Rutley
I [Minister Rutley] visited Peru in October 2023 and held discussions with senior representatives of the Peruvian Government including my former counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Higueras Hare on issues including the importance of protecting human rights of minority and indigenous groups. The British Embassy in Lima monitors the threats that indigenous people, their leaders and supporters face from groups linked to serious and organised crime, as well as the actions of the Peruvian Government to protect these communities.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made an assessment of the safety of indigenous leaders in Peru.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK Government is aware of the challenges faced by indigenous people and their supporters in Peru. We monitor the threats that they face from groups linked to serious and organised crime, as well as the actions of the Peruvian Government to protect these communities. I [Minister Rutley] visited Peru in October 2023 and met with a group of indigenous peoples' leaders and representatives to hear firsthand about the main threats, challenges and opportunities experienced by these communities.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his Peruvian counterpart on (a) the expansion of oil palm plantations and (b) narcotics production.
Answered by David Rutley
I [Minister Rutley] visited Peru in October 2023 and held discussions with senior representatives of the Peruvian Government, including my former counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Higueras Hare and separately the former Minister for the Environment, Albina Ruiz. We discussed a range of issues including the protection of Peru's environment and the threats posed by serious organised crime, including illegal narcotics production.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make it his Department's policy to ensure that all Ukrainian organisations in receipt of overseas development assistance train all staff to be able to identify indicators of (a) modern slavery and (b) human trafficking.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Government is committed to eradicating modern slavery and human trafficking. In Ukraine, as well as other countries currently hosting millions of refugees from Ukraine, we are working closely with delivery partners to protect the most vulnerable from the risks of modern slavery. The UK has committed £357 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region since the start of the invasion, with a focus on protecting the most vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls. We are providing life-saving assistance, including targeted gender-based violence services, legal support and crisis accommodation to help tackle safeguarding concerns and trafficking risks.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how much and what proportion of overseas development assistance for Ukraine has been allocated to helping Ukraine to develop specialist capabilities to prevent (a) modern slavery and (b) human trafficking in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Government is committed to eradicating modern slavery and human trafficking. In Ukraine, as well as other countries currently hosting millions of refugees from Ukraine, we are working closely with delivery partners to protect the most vulnerable from the risks of modern slavery. The UK has committed £357 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region since the start of the invasion, with a focus on protecting the most vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls. We are providing life-saving assistance, including targeted gender-based violence services, legal support and crisis accommodation to help tackle safeguarding concerns and trafficking risks.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Overseas Development Assistance for Ukraine in (a) identifying and (b) safeguarding the most vulnerable people from modern slavery and human trafficking.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Government is committed to eradicating modern slavery and human trafficking. In Ukraine, as well as other countries currently hosting millions of refugees from Ukraine, we are working closely with delivery partners to protect the most vulnerable from the risks of modern slavery. The UK has committed £357 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region since the start of the invasion, with a focus on protecting the most vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls. We are providing life-saving assistance, including targeted gender-based violence services, legal support and crisis accommodation to help tackle safeguarding concerns and trafficking risks.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2023 to Question 2390 on Gubad Ibadoghlu, if he will make it his policy to call for the unconditional release of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Since Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu's arrest in July 2023, the UK has consistently advocated for appropriate medical access and the right to a fair legal process. The UK has consistently called on the Azerbaijani Government to protect the freedoms and human rights of all of its citizens, and we will continue to work to ensure Dr Ibadoghlu's rights are upheld. I raised this issue directly with the Azerbaijan Ambassador on 30 April.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of rebuilding Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan on UK-based businesses.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The UK recognises the importance of economic development across the South Caucasus for the region's peace and stability. However, at present the Government does not encourage or provide assistance to UK-based businesses considering involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh. The UK Government will continue to review this position as the situation in Azerbaijan and the wider region develops.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what his Department's timescales are for the conclusion of the negotiations for the UK-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The UK values our ongoing cooperation with Armenia towards agreeing a UK-Armenia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The timescale for concluding the agreement is subject to final negotiations and legal processes in both countries.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his Czech counterpart on the purchase of artillery shells for Ukraine.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Foreign Secretary has discussed with his Czech counterpart how we can assist with their scheme. The UK will spend £245 million throughout the next year to procure and invigorate supply chains to produce urgently needed artillery ammunition for Ukraine.
We continue to engage in intensive bilateral and multilateral lobbying efforts to ensure Ukraine gets the military support it needs, leveraging the additional support we have announced this year to secure new commitments.