Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 free and fair elections in Nigeria.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The 2023 presidential and legislative elections will be a significant test of Nigeria's democracy. We are supporting Nigeria to deliver free, fair and credible elections through our diplomatic engagement, technical advice, programmes and election observation. I [Minister Mitchell] have discussed the importance of free, fair and safe elections in my recent engagements with Nigerian presidential candidates and the chairperson of the Nigerian electoral commission. The UK Government will continue to raise the importance of all political parties working together to ensure the success of these elections.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure the safety of Afghans who worked for the UK Government.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) is for Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Government in Afghanistan in exposed or meaningful roles and may include an offer of relocation to the UK. The ARAP scheme launched on 1 April 2021 and remains open. The MOD is the lead department for the ARAP scheme, but the FCDO assesses eligibility for a small number of applicants who state that they worked for or alongside the FCDO. FCDO missions overseas support through providing accommodation in third countries until eligible persons (EPs) travel to the UK. To date, the UK has relocated over 12,000 ARAP EPs and their families to the UK, including over 5,000 since Operation PITTING concluded at the end of August 2021.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to engage with Russian LGBTQ+ (a) activists and (b) civil society, in the context of the new law banning LGBT propaganda among adults in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Gender Equality (encompassing LGBT+ rights) is a priority for the FCDO, including in Russia. Despite the challenging environment, we will continue to support LGBT+ activists and other civil society groups working on gender-related issues. Russia's updated anti-"propaganda" law aims to create a climate of fear and restrict the freedoms of all Russians. As a member of the Equal Rights Coalition, the UK has worked with international partners to make clear to Russia that we all stand with all LGBT+ people in Russia following these amendments.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to promote LGBTQ+ rights during the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar.
Answered by David Rutley
Ministers and senior officials have raised the issues of LGBT+ visitors to the World Cup with the Qatari authorities at all levels in order to encourage equal treatment, the respect of individual rights and to identify what action the Qatari authorities were taking to match their commitment to a tournament where "everybody is welcome". The Foreign Secretary and Lord Ahmad discussed LGBT+ rights with the Qatari authorities during their visits to Qatar on 19 November and 10 December respectively.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to help ensure that the people convicted of the murder of people on Flight MH17 are brought to justice.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The conviction of three individuals in relation to the downing of Flight MH17 is an important step in securing justice for the victims and their families. We thank the Dutch authorities and the Joint Investigation Team for their work on this complex case. The downing of MH17 was a violation of international norms, which keep our societies safe, and serves as a reminder of the human cost of Russia's actions in Ukraine over many years. The UK Government will continue to support the Dutch authorities in their efforts to ensure those responsible are held to account.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) protect Hazara Muslim communities in Afghanistan from violence and (b) support Hazara Muslims refugees to help them to travel to the UK.
Answered by Leo Docherty
We regularly press the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans and to protect minority groups, including Hazaras, from attacks. On 7 October, we co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution to extend the UN Special Rapporteur's mandate to monitor and report on the situation for another year.
The Government is working closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to resettle refugees through UNHCR's standard resettlement categories, based on an assessment of protection needs and vulnerabilities. The first arrivals have already been welcomed to the UK and we will continue to receive further UNHCR referrals for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.