Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to implement the recommendations in the report, Rape as torture in the DRC, published by Freedom from Torture in June 2014.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
DFID recognises there is a strong need in the Democratic Republic of Congo for support to projects to reform the security and justice sectors. We currently provide support to the UN’s Joint Human Rights Office to collect and analyse information on serious human rights violations committed by security sector officers to inform decisions on whether to provide or withdraw UN or international support. We also provide support to Search for Common Ground to undertake awareness raising exercises with the security sector and communities to improve human rights behaviour and levels of trust between security actors and civilians in Eastern DRC.
DFID has and will continue to raise our concerns at the highest level to lobby the Congolese authorities to end impunity for those who abuse or violate human rights.
We ensure that the needs of girls and women are at the centre of all programmes. The UK remains fully committed to playing a full part in efforts to end Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the DRC. At the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in June 2014, a specially convened DRC Country Forum reconfirmed the DRC’s commitment to tackling SGBV. Key successes have been the launch of work on the first Action Plan for the Congolese Army on tackling Sexual Violence and President Kabila’s appointment of a Personal Representative on Sexual Violence and Child Recruitment (Jeanine Mabunda). We expect to reach at least 12,000 victims of sexual and gender-based violence with medical, psychological and economic support.
DRC is a focus country for the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI). The PSVI campaign was launched in May 2012 by the former UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague and the Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Angelina Jolie. The UK hosted the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in June 2014. The summit was attended by over 120 countries and more than 900 delegates, including many from conflict affected countries. The summit agreed practical steps to end impunity for the use of rape as a weapon of war and to begin to change global attitudes to these crimes. In July 2014 William Hague was appointed the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. The Special Representative’s mandate is to lead the UK’s contribution to the international campaign to end the use of rape and sexual violence as weapons of war. He will work with governments, civil society, international organisations and other interested parties to implement the outcomes of the June Global Summit.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the demolition by Israeli authorities in October 2014 of a latrine unit, constructed using funding from her Department, in Khashem ad Daraj in the occupied Palestinian territory, what estimate she has made of the cost of replacing that unit.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The original cost of the two latrines, constructed between 2004 and 2006 and demolished in October 2014, was 3,300 New Israeli Shekels each, which is equivalent to approximately £550. The project was implemented by the non-governmental organisation Environmental Resource Management (ERM) with DFID funding between 2004-2006.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the demolition by Israeli authorities in October 2014 of a latrine unit, constructed using funding from her Department, in Khashem ad Daraj in the occupied Palestinian territory, what discussions she has had with her Israeli counterparts on the reasons for that demolition.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The UK raises concerns about demolitions and displacement with the Government of Israel on a regular basis and at the highest levels. Demolitions cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, are harmful to the peace process, and in all but most limited circumstances are contrary to international humanitarian law. The UK also works closely with the UN Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator which raised concerns about this and many other recent demolitions in a letter to the Israeli authorities in November 2014.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the demolition by Israeli authorities in October 2014 of a latrine unit, constructed using funding from her Department, in Khashem ad Daraj in the occupied Palestinian territory, what the cost of that construction project was.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The original cost of the two latrines, constructed between 2004 and 2006 and demolished in October 2014, was 3,300 New Israeli Shekels each, which is equivalent to approximately £550. The project was implemented by the non-governmental organisation Environmental Resource Management (ERM) with DFID funding between 2004-2006.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the demolition by Israeli authorities in October 2014 of a latrine unit, constructed using funding from her Department, in Khashem ad Daraj in the occupied Palestinian territory, whether compensation has been requested from the Israeli authorities.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The UK has not asked the Government of Israel for compensation for the demolition of this project. We continue to raise concerns about demolitions with the Government of Israel at the highest levels.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has funded any aid or development programmes in (a) Al Dayiri, (b) El Tashween, (c) Makenis, (d) Al Askar, (e) Um Kanshel, (f) El Ishlag, (g) Um Kheir, (h) El Magboul, (i) Faroug, (j) Dumboloya, (k) Antila and (l) Mukhtar locations in northern Abyei carried out or scheduled since July 2014.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The UK has made contributions to the Common Humanitarian Fund. In 2014 in Abyei, including in some of the areas flagged, the Common Humanitarian Fund supported humanitarian agencies implementing life saving support in the form of health, water and sanitation, nutrition and child protection projects.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether armed Misseriya or Twic militias have benefited from her Department's aid programmes targeted at northern areas of Abyei where Dinka Ngok are not present.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
We do not currently support long-term development projects in northern areas of Abyei. The Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) to which the UK contributes has provided support to humanitarian aid projects which provide life saving support in the form of health, water and sanitation, nutrition and child protection projects in northern parts of Abyei.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make representations to the World Food Programme requesting it to consult South Sudanese members of AJOC and Dinka Ngok residents in Abyei about its report entitled, Abyei Integrated Rapid Food Security and Nutrition Assessment, and to revise the report and its recommendations in the light of their responses.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
In July 2014, the World Food Programme (WFP) carried out a rapid food security assessment in North Abyei. It found a relatively stable food security and nutrition situation, although vulnerable households were found to have reduced the number of meals consumed on a daily basis throughout the lean season (June – September). WFP South Sudan is currently undertaking a similar assessment in Southern Abyei.
WFP Sudan and WFP South Sudan are developing a common strategy for their Abyei response for 2015 and beyond. This aims to ensure a harmonized approach based on assessed needs for both the southern and northern areas of Abyei.
The UK does not currently support WFP food operations in Abyei.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2014, to Question 208653, what proportion of the cost of building each school was funded by her Department; when that funding was provided; and what the amount of funding was in each case.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
An updated assessment from the UN Relief and Works Agency now indicates that nine out of thirteen schools built using DFID funding sustained damage during the recent conflict. DFID funded 100% of the cost of construction, basic equipment, furniture and supplies for these schools.. The funds were disbursed in December 2011 and each school cost on average £1.1 million.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the increase in UK aid to Gaza (a) directly and (b) through contributions to UK non-governmental organisations and to international organisations has been since the start of Operation Protective Edge.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The UK is one of the biggest donors to the Gaza crisis, providing more than £17 million of emergency assistance. All of our support is being channelled through UN agencies, international organisations and UK non-governmental organisations.