Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the education of Sudanese children.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In late 2024, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) assessed that nearly 90 per cent of Sudan's school age children (17 million against a population of 19 million) were no longer in school with armed violence a key driver. We are supporting a range of partners to deliver urgent education services to children in Sudan including UNICEF. In addition, through a contribution to Education Cannot Wait, we are providing safe learning spaces and psychological support to 200,000 vulnerable children in refugee and host communities in Chad, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, Central Africa Republic and Uganda. We are also one of the largest donors to the Global Partnership for Education who are delivering vital support to children across Sudan. The UK is a major donor to the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) which provides support to local and national responders, Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) and a consortium of international non-governmental organisations. These frontline workers are working on education provision across Sudan.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the provision of services to survivors of sexual violence in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a major humanitarian donor to Sudan with £226.5 million provided last financial year (FY) and a further £120 million this FY. Working with a range of humanitarian partners this funding will target over 650,000 people with life-saving aid including support for women and girls that will be delivered through networks of Sudanese responders. Through the Sudan Free of Female Genital Mutilation programme, UK funding will support work on protection, prevention and care services for survivors of sexual violence. Through the Women's Integrated Sexual Health programme, we have also provided sexual and reproductive services to women, girls, persons living with disability and men, with UK aid delivered in camps for internally displaced persons (IPDs) and elsewhere. We have also enhanced our atrocity risk monitoring, including monitoring of conflict-related sexual violence and are working with UN and non governmental organisational partners to provide safe spaces, clinic treatments, dignity kits and psycho-social services for survivors.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote sexual health in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a major humanitarian donor to Sudan with £226.5 million provided last financial year (FY) and a further £120 million this FY. Working with a range of humanitarian partners this funding will target over 650,000 people with life-saving aid including support for women and girls that will be delivered through networks of Sudanese responders. Through the Sudan Free of Female Genital Mutilation programme, UK funding will support work on protection, prevention and care services for survivors of sexual violence. Through the Women's Integrated Sexual Health programme, we have also provided sexual and reproductive services to women, girls, persons living with disability and men, with UK aid delivered in camps for internally displaced persons (IPDs) and elsewhere. We have also enhanced our atrocity risk monitoring, including monitoring of conflict-related sexual violence and are working with UN and non governmental organisational partners to provide safe spaces, clinic treatments, dignity kits and psycho-social services for survivors.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to engage with the Sudanese diaspora in the UK on securing peace in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Sudan is a personal priority for the Foreign Secretary. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Ministers and officials have regularly engaged with members of the Sudanese diaspora since the start of the conflict in April 2023, including during the run up to the 15 April London Sudan Conference. This included a roundtable with representatives of the Sudanese diaspora that the Minister for Africa hosted on 31 March. The FCDO will continue to engage with members of the Sudanese diaspora as part of our ongoing work.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) justice and (b) accountability for survivors of sexual violence in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The most effective mechanism to support accountability in Sudan is the UN Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission (FFM). It was established following a UK-led resolution and its mandate was extended in October 2024 with an increased majority as a direct result of UK-led advocacy. There is also the UK-funded Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), a research body gathering open-source evidence about the conflict in Sudan with a view to supporting future accountability. We provided over £1 million for the CIR's Sudan Witness Project last financial year, with funding continuing this year. The CIR has been able to assist the FFM in verifying reports of violations through its use of digital information. The UK also strongly supports the International Criminal Court's (ICC) active investigation into the situation in Darfur, including allegations of crimes committed since April 2023.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the targeted use of rape against particular ethnicities as a weapon of war in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan has reported that the use of rape and gang rape is widespread and according to the UN more than 12 million people are now at risk of sexual and gender-based violence across Sudan with women and girls most at risk. The Foreign Secretary has stated that the UK will continue to use all tools available to hold those responsible for atrocities to account. This includes public interventions, senior engagements, Council products and sanctions. We also aim to use the momentum provided by the London Sudan conference to sustain pressure on the warring parties to adhere to their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration. We will push hard for those suspected of using sexual violence as a weapon of war to face justice, including through our position on the Security Council and the Human Rights Council.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in Sudan on children.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan has reported that the use of rape and gang rape is widespread and according to the UN more than 12 million people are now at risk of sexual and gender-based violence across Sudan with women and girls most at risk. The Foreign Secretary has stated that the UK will continue to use all tools available to hold those responsible for atrocities to account. This includes public interventions, senior engagements, Council products and sanctions. We also aim to use the momentum provided by the London Sudan conference to sustain pressure on the warring parties to adhere to their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration. We will push hard for those suspected of using sexual violence as a weapon of war to face justice, including through our position on the Security Council and the Human Rights Council.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan has reported that the use of rape and gang rape is widespread and according to the UN more than 12 million people are now at risk of sexual and gender-based violence across Sudan with women and girls most at risk. The Foreign Secretary has stated that the UK will continue to use all tools available to hold those responsible for atrocities to account. This includes public interventions, senior engagements, Council products and sanctions. We also aim to use the momentum provided by the London Sudan conference to sustain pressure on the warring parties to adhere to their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration. We will push hard for those suspected of using sexual violence as a weapon of war to face justice, including through our position on the Security Council and the Human Rights Council.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has reviewed the UK’s exposure to the business interests of the (a) Rapid Support Forces and (b) Sudanese Armed Forces.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's robust corporate transparency measures, including the Register of Overseas Entities, along with limited trading and investment relationships between the UK and Sudan, safeguard the UK's exposure to such risks. Since the outbreak of the conflict, we have frozen the assets of nine commercial entities linked to the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces. These sanctions were designed to disrupt their financial networks and press the parties to engage in a sustained and meaningful peace process, allow humanitarian access and to commit to a permanent cessation of hostilities.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
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 extent of the use of chemical weapons in the conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary made clear in his statement on 23 May that any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable. We remain deeply concerned by the US determination that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have used chemical weapons in Sudan. It is imperative that the SAF engages constructively with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in order to facilitate a thorough and impartial investigation. We expect the SAF to abide by its obligations under the Chemical Weapon Convention not to develop, produce, possess, or use chemical weapons.