Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she is making to her counterparts in the 11 jurisdictions in which the death penalty is imposed or at least a possibility for private, consensual same-sex sexual activity on repealing those laws.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK Government ministers and our overseas missions continue to urge countries that criminalise LGBT+ individuals, and same sex conduct to uphold the universality of human rights, to decriminalise same-sex relations and to pass laws to protect their LGBT+ people from violence and discrimination. We remain committed to funding £3 million of LGBT+ rights projects this year, including project work with a focus on tackling discriminatory legislation.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure the equitable distribution of covid-19 vaccines in Syria.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK is committed to equitable access to vaccines, across Syria and globally, as demonstrated by our £548 million contribution to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment. UK support will help distribute one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine to 92 developing countries, including Syria, in 2021. We recognise that the political situation in Syria is complex, and we are lobbying the UN and working with health partners to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are distributed to those in greatest need across the whole of Syria.
This complements the UK's existing support to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in Syria, providing water, healthcare, hygiene kits and sanitation support for vulnerable Syrians across the country.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What recent diplomatic steps he has taken with his overseas counterparts to tackle the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is playing a major role in the global response as we galvanise support for our Four-Point Plan: 1) co-ordinating the global health response; 2) accelerating the search for a vaccine, treatments and testing; 3) securing a sound economic response; and 4) bringing our people home.
The Foreign Secretary and Ministerial team are carrying out extensive bilateral and multilateral engagement, including with G7/G20 counterparts, and working with international companies to tackle the crisis.
We are also working closely with UN Security Council members and the UN Secretary-General to address pandemic and secondary impacts, including instability.
Through our international engagement, we have repeatedly made clear that measures taken by States to tackle CV19 must be necessary, proportionate, time-bound, transparent and regularly reviewed.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to make representations to his Emirati counterpart on (a) recent reports that Ahmed Mansoor has been tortured in al-Sadr prison and (b) Ahmed Mansoor's right to access to healthcare during his hunger strike under UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Officials have previously raised the case of Ahmed Mansoor with senior Emirati officials in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The UK urges all countries to comply with their human rights obligations and our close relationship with the UAE allows us to discuss important issues such as human rights. Where the UK has cause for concern, we raise these concerns at official and Ministerial level.