Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with her international counterparts to help trace the 2763 missing Yazidi women.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK supports the implementation of Iraq's Yazidi Survivors' law of March 2021 and we engage regularly with partner governments, NGOs, survivor networks and Iraqi Government ministries to advocate for full financial provision of the law. Through UK support to the International Organisation for Migration, we provide technical and practical assistance to the Directorate of Yazidi Survivor Affairs, whose mandate includes searching for missing survivors. UK programme funding also supports psycho-social care for female survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. We have contributed £2 million to the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh (UNITAD), whose work in gathering evidence of crimes, including against minority communities, we continue to champion.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government is taking steps to identify (a) individuals and (b) institutions in the UK which have (i) facilitated and (ii) benefited from the movement of stolen and laundered Venezuelan funds through the UK; and which partners the Government is working with to (A) identify and (B) freeze all monies and assets in the UK that are Maduro regime pending transfer of those monies to the control of the government of interim President Juan Guaido.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The EU agreed targeted sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, against 18 individuals with senior positions in the Maduro regime. The UK is discussing with EU partners the possibility of increasing the number of individuals subject to sanctions.
In addition, the Government is currently considering what further bilateral measures might be implemented to increase pressure on the Maduro regime.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the status of the presidency in Venezuela.
Answered by Alan Duncan
On 24 January, the Foreign Secretary discussed Venezuela with Vice-President Pence and Secretary of State Pompeo in Washington, and further discussed Venezuela at a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Bucharest on 30 January.
On 26 January, I represented the UK at the UN Security Council where I discussed Venezuela with European and regional counterparts. On 4 Feburary, I went to Ottawa for the meeting of Lima Group countries, where I discussed Venezuela with regional Foreign Ministers.