Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 September (HL1252), whether the UK aid given to Tamkeen has been spent in areas of northern Syria presently under the control of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham or Ahrar Al Sham; and if so, whether UK aid continues to be made available in those areas.
Answered by Lord Bates
Tamkeen and Tatweer, its successor programme, provide support to improve the capacity and processes of Provincial and Local Councils in northern Syria. DFID has extensive controls in place to ensure that UK aid reaches those who need it and that it does not benefit extremists or terror groups, such as Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, including vetting processes to ensure such groups are not part of the councils with which we work. We actively manage the risks of operating in Syria. We stop funding to any project or sub-project where we have any concern that it could benefit proscribed groups.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to address the reported humanitarian and human rights crises in Rakhine State, Burma.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK remains deeply concerned by the ongoing persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State and allegations of human rights abuses. In response, UK Ministers and Ambassador have called on both civilian and military Minsters in the Government to urge a restrained response in line with international human rights standards, immediate and unfettered access for humanitarian aid and an investigation into allegations of human rights violations. Baroness Anelay, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, visited Burma from 9-12 November specifically to address issues of human rights, with a focus on the prevention of sexual violence in conflict.
The UK has long been one of the biggest bilateral humanitarian donors to Burma and to Rakhine State. Since 2012, we have provided over £23 million in humanitarian assistance. DFID is currently managing to get humanitarian support to over 100,000 people in Rakhine, including providing assistance in IDP camps outside of northern Rakhine and limited support in northern Rakhine. DFID is also continuing to support development activities in Rakhine where possible. DFID stands ready to provide more humanitarian support to people in northern Rakhine State as soon as better access is granted.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Burma calling for an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid access to Kachin and northern Shan States, Burma.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK Government is deeply concerned by the conflict in Kachin and Northern Shan, and particularly by reports of violations involving civilian casualties and the restriction of humanitarian access to internally displaced people. We continue to raise these issues with the Government of Burma as a matter of urgency, including during the human-rights focused visit to Burma from 9 – 12 November of the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Baroness Anelay.
The UK has provided over £18.1 million in essential humanitarian and health assistance in Kachin and Northern Shan states from 2012 until the end of the last financial year, and approximately a further £5 million this year.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of calls for the UN Secretary-General to visit Burma as a matter of urgency to negotiate humanitarian aid access to Rakhine State, Burma.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UN Secretary General visited Burma and raised humanitarian issues with Aung San Suu Kyi in August 2016. The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, also raised issues of humanitarian access with Aung San Suu Kyi during his October 2016 visit to Burma.
The UK, along with other countries and the UN, continues to urge the Government of Burma to allow immediate unrestricted access for humanitarian aid. The Government of Burma has now committed to restoring humanitarian access and we are pressing for, and stand ready to support, the delivery of this commitment.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Burma calling for an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid access to Rakhine State, Burma.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK Government has repeatedly urged the Government of Burma to allow the immediate resumption of humanitarian access. Ministers continue to lobby at every occasion. My colleague, the Minister of State Rory Stewart MP, raised the issue personally with Burmese ministers in recent meetings in Burma and the UK. Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Baroness Anelay, pressed the Burmese Government in Naypyidaw for the immediate resumption of humanitarian access in Rakhine, and our Ambassador has visited Northern Rakhine together with a number of international counterparts and lobbied five separate Burmese Ministers on this issue. The UK has also discussed the issue at the UN Security Council on 17 November, where we raised our concerns about the lack of humanitarian access.
The Government of Burma has now committed to restoring humanitarian access and we are pressing for, and stand ready to support, the delivery of this commitment.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that humanitarian charities such as Save the Children and Médecins Sans Frontières are able to give assistance to people in Eastern Sudan, following their expulsion by the government of Sudan in June 2012.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The UK continues to fund international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) and UN agencies to deliver programmes which target the most vulnerable Sudanese citizens, and ensure that those in need of humanitarian assistance are not left unsupported as a result of expulsion decisions. We meet regularly with the Sudan INGO Steering Committee to discuss issues including humanitarian access, and support them in advocating for access when requested to do so. In addition, DFID is funding £30m of programmes over 3 years in Eastern Sudan to help improve vulnerable communities’ food security and nutrition, provide sustainable water supplies and improve sanitation. DFID also provides core funding to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) which supports host and refugee communities across Sudan to improve livelihoods.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will increase UK aid to Nigerian international development projects, in particular those affected by recent violence involving Fulani herdsmen.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The UK is acutely aware of the human suffering caused by inter-communal violence between cattle herders and farmers in Nigeria. Reports of violence involving Fulani herdsmen have increased in recent weeks. The conflicts between herders and farmers are economic in nature and largely driven by competition over land and resources, which is exacerbated by population growth and climate change.
DFID has set up the £39 million Nigerian Stability and Reconciliation Programme, which works across various conflicts in Nigeria, including herder-farmer tensions. This programme is supporting a number of economic initiatives that bring cattle herder and farmer communities together to work on projects which provide people with livelihoods and better economic opportunities. The programme also enables communities to agree on rules for land and water use, and provide them with mediation skills to prevent violent disputes.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they are providing for the reconstruction of schools in north-east Nigeria following the destruction of those schools by Boko Haram.
Answered by Baroness Verma
DFID is supporting the Government of Nigeria’s “Safe Schools Initiative” to help protect children at school in north east Nigeria, provide schooling to children displaced by the violence and support to the school reconstruction efforts of the Government of Nigeria. This includes support to the UN to provide temporary learning spaces for more than 3000 children.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the UNHCR decision to cease the provision of services to the Yida refugee camp in Unity State, South Sudan, on 30 June, and what steps they will take to ensure that the human rights of registered refugees who currently reside there are protected.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The decision to close the Yida refugee camp was taken by the government of South Sudan, therefore we assess that the UNHCR decision to move provision of services as proportionate; and the decision was announced in advance to all refugees. The South Sudanese government, UNHCR and its partners have engaged with refugee leaders over the past 18 to 24 months to manage the closure of Yida and the relocation to new camps at Adjuong Thok and Pamir in the smoothest and most respectful way possible. UNHCR will continue to provide livelihoods support to the Yida community for those who chose to remain. The UK continues to underline that any returns and relocation should remain safe, voluntary and informed, with appropriate service provision to refugees.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in which states and regions of Burma the Myanmar Education Consortium will operate.
Answered by Baroness Northover
The Myanmar Education Consortium (MEC) allocates support in response to calls for proposals. The first call, in November 2013, invited proposals from organisations in all of Burma’s states and regions. This was followed by a specific call on Education in Emergencies in June 2014. The 14 projects funded as a result of these first two calls are or will be operating in Ayeyarwady, Bago (East, West), Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Magway, Mandalay, Naypyidaw, Rakhine, Sagaing, Shan (South, North), Tanintharyi, and Yangon. The next call for proposals is currently under development and is planned for 2015.