Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to support (a) human rights and (b) democracy in (i) sub-Saharan Africa and (ii) other countries.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is a long-standing supporter of an open international order based on respect for democracy and human rights. Globally, our work includes holding Russia to account over its actions in Ukraine and at home and China for its actions in Xinjiang province; and supporting the Human Rights Council and the Summits for Democracy. Across Africa, our human rights work has included support to media freedom in South Sudan, human rights defenders in Zimbabwe, and tackling child exploitation in DRC. We have also partnered to support democratic institutions: for example, the judiciary in Kenya, civil society in Nigeria, and the African Union (AU), through our £7 million AU Conflict and Governance programme.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he is taking steps to provide humanitarian support in Haiti.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains concerned by the deteriorating security situation in Haiti which exacerbates pre-existing humanitarian and economic crises. We continue to support Haiti through our contributions to UN agencies, multi donor, pooled NGO funds, and institutions such as the World Bank Group, who are active in addressing Haiti's significant humanitarian challenges.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the state of relations between the UK and Nigeria.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The relationship between the UK and Nigeria is built on shared history, Commonwealth co-operation, people to people connections and educational links. As Africa's largest economy and democracy, Nigeria is a priority partner. By 2050, Nigeria will be the world's third most populous country. Ensuring Nigeria is stable, secure and prosperous, is critically important to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. During our annual Security and Defence Partnership dialogue with Nigeria in February 2024, we discussed strengthening our practical support to defend against security threats. UK trade with Nigeria was worth £6.7 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2023. President Tinubu's recent macroeconomic reforms have the potential to encourage further economic investment and trade.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps the Government is taking to help promote freedom of religious belief in Yemen.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Promoting the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is a longstanding human rights priority for the UK. We regularly emphasise the importance of human rights, including FoRB, through our engagements with Governments and other key partners. We are also firmly committed to the protection of ethnic and religious minorities around the world, including in Yemen.
We continue to actively monitor the situation of the Baha'i, Muhamasheen, and Jewish communities, including through meeting with their representatives in the UK.
We urge the Houthis to cease their persecution, mistreatment and arbitrary detention of Yemenis detained for their beliefs.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps the Government is taking to help restore democracy in Myanmar.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK fully supports a peaceful, inclusive and democratic future for Myanmar. We work closely with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), supporting their leadership on responding to the Myanmar crisis through their Five Point Consensus. We meet regularly with a range of pro-democracy actors, including the National Unity Government, to amplify their voice on the international stage, including at the UN Security Council, where we are the pen-holder on Myanmar. We continue to work with partners, including the EU, US and Canada, to impose sanctions against the military regime, denying them credibility and calling for a return to democracy.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with the Sudanese authorities on the protection of religious minorities.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK has consistently denounced all human rights violations that have taken place in Sudan since the military coup in October 2021, including the escalation in abuses since conflict broke out in April. We are not aware of any significant increase in the discrimination or persecution of religious minorities in the country since April. We engage regularly with, and support the work of, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who continue to monitor this.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Indian counterpart on the use of anti-conversion laws in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British High Commission in New Delhi consistently monitors human rights including the use of anti-conversion laws across India. The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship, including human rights and Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), and raise issues where we have them. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, raised human rights and Freedom of Religion or Belief with the Indian Government during his visit to India in May. He also met representatives of diverse faith groups.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in China on (a) the persecution of Christians and (b) other religious persecution.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The environment for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) across China is restrictive, including the persecution of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners.
We work within international organisations and networks to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief for all where it is threatened, including the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance. For example, in October 2022 we raised China's severe restrictions on religious practice in a joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council (HCR) alongside 49 other countries. At last month's UN HRC we made a statement urging China to reverse its ongoing, serious, and systematic human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet.
More generally, we regularly raise the human rights situation in China directly with the Chinese authorities at the highest levels. The Foreign Secretary did so in a meeting with the Chinese Vice President in May 2023.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
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 provide ongoing support to Turkey and Syria in response to the earthquake in February 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is a committed humanitarian donor globally and responded swiftly to the devastating earthquakes to provide life-saving assistance to the people of Turkey and Syria. Now that we are out of the emergency response phase, the UK will continue to stand in solidarity with Turkey and to look at what more we can do to support the longer term recovery effort. For the people of Syria, we continue to focus on providing life-saving and life-sustaining assistance, as well as early recovery activities. This is alongside our existing support to the Syria Crisis, which has totalled over £3.8 billion since 2012.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
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 effectiveness of sanctions imposed in response to the situation in Myanmar.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has led international efforts to put pressure on the military regime and reduce its access to revenue, arms and equipment through targeted sanctions, without harming the wider population. We continue to work closely with our partners in the US, Canada and the EU to ensure a strong, coordinated and targeted response to the military regime's actions. On 27 March the UK announced its fifteenth round of sanctions, designating those who profit from the supply of aviation fuel and restricted goods and technology to the Myanmar Armed Forces.