Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to reduce the risk of widening regional conflict emanating from the current situation in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The FCDO is monitoring the situation in Sudan closely, including the humanitarian and security impacts of the conflict on Sudan's neighbouring countries. The UK is pursuing all diplomatic avenues, including engagement with regional counterparts, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the African Union, to end the violence and de-escalate tensions in Sudan, and mitigate the effects of the conflict on the region. On 4 May, the UK Government announced an initial £5 million of life-saving aid to help meet the urgent needs of tens of thousands of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad who have fled the violence in Sudan.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to support refugees fleeing Sudan into neighbouring countries.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
On 4 May, the UK Government announced an initial £5 million allocation to help meet the urgent needs of tens of thousands of refugees and returnees in South Sudan and Chad. This support will benefit the United Nation's Children's Fund, the World Food Programme and non-governmental organisations.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to communicate with British citizens in Sudan in the absence of internet and power for mobile phones.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The safety of all British nationals in Sudan remains our utmost priority, and the FCDO is working 24/7 to support remaining British nationals. This is a complex and fast-moving situation and there are issues with electricity supply and mobile and wi-fi signal. The FCDO is trying to reach British nationals in any way possible, from Facebook groups to text messages and phone calls. Information on communication flights has been clearly communicated through the media and reported on channels such as the BBC World Service. British nationals should check the latest Travel Advice. As of 2 May the UK has facilitated the departure of over 2300 passengers, of which over half were British nationals.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will work with (1) British NGOs based in Bangladesh, and (2) the Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK, in order to maximise the impact of emergency relief provision.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK delivers emergency relief in Bangladesh principally through Start Fund Bangladesh. The Fund is accessible to local, national, and international member non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Bangladesh to respond early to emergencies. We provided £195,000 to START Fund to support the response during the first wave of flooding in May. We contributed a further £442,500 after the second wave of flooding in June.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to provide emergency (1) technical, and (2) humanitarian, assistance to Bangladesh following recent flooding in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK stands with Bangladesh at this difficult time. We provided £195,000 to support the response during the first wave of flooding in May. We contributed a further £442,500 after the second wave of flooding in June. This funding will support the provision of cash assistance, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, search and rescue operations, shelter management and provisional education materials.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Bangladesh about steps that could be taken to mitigate the impact of climate change in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We regularly engage with the Government of Bangladesh in regards to the impacts of climate change. In January 2020 we launched a UK-Bangladesh climate partnership to share expertise in all COP26 priority areas and hosted a series of virtual exchanges on adaptation, mitigation, climate finance and on nature. The UK was pleased to support Bangladesh, as chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum to host an event in Glasgow that highlighted the urgency of tackling climate change for vulnerable countries. Our six year £120 million Bangladesh Climate and Environment Programme, announced at COP26, also has a focus on resilience in climate vulnerable areas. The programme will support the scaling up of locally-led adaptation and help households to cope with climate impacts.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of India regarding (1) that country’s management of its river flows and dams, and (2) the consequential impact on Bangladesh.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers and officials regularly raise environmental issues in discussions with their Indian counterparts.
The UK's South Asia Water Governance Programme, which ran from 2012 to 2021, worked with countries across South Asia, including India and Bangladesh, to increase regional cooperation in the management of the transboundary Himalayan Rivers to deliver inclusive development and climate resilience in the region. Her Majesty's Government will continue supporting regional cooperation on transboundary Himalayan Rivers through the new Climate Action for a Resilient Asia programme, announced at COP26.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of ending human trafficking in Sudan's neighbouring countries; and what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the initiative established by Sudan's Higher Committee to Combat Human Trafficking.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have made no formal assessment, however tackling the root causes of irregular migration, combatting organised immigration crime and addressing the devastating effects of trafficking, in both the human cost for victims and the economic implications, are key UK priorities in Sudan and the region. Sudan is a source, transit, and destination country for migrants, many of whom are vulnerable to human trafficking. The UK continues to work with the Government of Sudan's Higher Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, which we understand, will play the role of national coordination mechanism; who along with civil society representatives, continue to be important partners for the UK in our work to tackle human trafficking in the region.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the Khartoum Peace Agreement has provided a model for negotiating peace in other neighbouring countries in Central Africa, such as the conflict in the Central African Republic.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Khartoum Declaration of Agreement signed in June 2018 was an important step that led to the 12 September peace agreement on South Sudan. The UK, along with our Troika partners (the USA and Norway), welcomed this step and commended the role of the region and individual leaders in bringing parties of the conflict together to help secure an end to conflict. Whilst the most effective model for negotiating peace agreements will inevitably vary depending on the circumstances, in this case among many factors the region's efforts were important to progress: lessons should be considered and applied wherever possible elsewhere. It is also essential to recognise that any agreement is part of a process and a platform on which longer-term stability can be built.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to continue to economically and politically support Sudan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK provides no direct financial support to the Government of Sudan. Instead, the UK provides humanitarian assistance and support to a range of programmes focused on political and economic reform, Sudan's peace process and UK development objectives. Our bilateral political engagement with Sudan takes place principally through the British Embassy in Khartoum and through biannual Strategic Dialogues between senior officials. We have raised, both publicly and directly with the Government of Sudan, our deep concern at the government's violent response to recent protests in Sudan. As we made clear with Troika partners (the USA and Norway) and Canada in our statement of 8 January, the Government of Sudan's actions and decisions over the coming weeks will have an impact on our approach to future. We continue to urge the Government of Sudan to undertake much needed economic and political reforms to support prosperity and the rights of the people of Sudan and continue to stand ready to assist these efforts.