Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 effect on human health of the use of charcoal as a cooking fuel in least developed countries.
Answered by James Duddridge
Urbanisation in developing countries is resulting in a rapid increase in the use of charcoal for cooking, with consequent impacts on forest degradation and human health. Around 2.8 billion people rely on wood, charcoal, animal waste or other solid fuels for cooking and heating. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that household air pollution from cooking with traditional solid fuels, such as charcoal, contributes to 3-4 million premature deaths every year, which is more than malaria and tuberculosis combined.
Indoor air pollution is a source of health inequality, with women and children in least developed countries most vulnerable to experiencing the worst health outcomes. The WHO, which FCDO funds, works to increase recognition of air pollution as an important global public health issue, supporting developing countries to reduce air pollution and its impacts on the health and life chances of their citizens.
Renewable electric cooking represents a competitive alternative to charcoal without consequences for air pollution and forest resources. Our International Climate Finance includes up to £1 billion for the Ayrton Fund, which includes support for research, development and demonstration of new clean energy technologies with the potential to improve air quality, health outcomes, and reduce carbon emissions in developing countries. The £38m FCDO-funded Modern Energy Cooking Services research programme is working towards universal access to clean and affordable cooking technologies. Such technologies have the potential to displace harmful cooking practices, helping to eliminate indoor air pollution and the preventable deaths it causes.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 effect on deforestation of the use of charcoal as a cooking fuel in least developed countries.
Answered by James Duddridge
Urbanisation in developing countries is resulting in a rapid increase in the use of charcoal for cooking, with consequent impacts on forest degradation and human health. Around 2.8 billion people rely on wood, charcoal, animal waste or other solid fuels for cooking and heating. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that household air pollution from cooking with traditional solid fuels, such as charcoal, contributes to 3-4 million premature deaths every year, which is more than malaria and tuberculosis combined.
Indoor air pollution is a source of health inequality, with women and children in least developed countries most vulnerable to experiencing the worst health outcomes. The WHO, which FCDO funds, works to increase recognition of air pollution as an important global public health issue, supporting developing countries to reduce air pollution and its impacts on the health and life chances of their citizens.
Renewable electric cooking represents a competitive alternative to charcoal without consequences for air pollution and forest resources. Our International Climate Finance includes up to £1 billion for the Ayrton Fund, which includes support for research, development and demonstration of new clean energy technologies with the potential to improve air quality, health outcomes, and reduce carbon emissions in developing countries. The £38m FCDO-funded Modern Energy Cooking Services research programme is working towards universal access to clean and affordable cooking technologies. Such technologies have the potential to displace harmful cooking practices, helping to eliminate indoor air pollution and the preventable deaths it causes.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support the UK Government provided (a) directly and (b) through partners to evaluate whether the recent presidential election in Uganda was free and fair.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK has consistently supported the development of democracy in Uganda as a vital part of it being stable and prosperous. We urged that the recent elections should be credible, including through my tweet on 13 January. I also spoke with Ugandan Foreign Minister Kutesa and the Ugandan High Commission on 12 January about the importance of ensuring that the UK was able to deploy election observers. To that end we deployed 15 teams consisting of a total of 51 Election Observers across Uganda on election day. They observed and evaluated over 120 polling stations and reported back to the British High Commission. We continue to consult with the diplomatic community in Kampala, civil society actors, other international observers, and the Government of Uganda to ensure we have a comprehensive and accurate picture of both the election and post-election period. We have also urged the Government of Uganda to respond to the concerns raised. We would also like to commend the Ugandan media for their reporting on the elections. The UK, as part of the Media Freedom Coalition underlined on 8 January the importance of the media's ability to provide accurate and reliable information, for journalists to be accredited ahead of Uganda's elections - and urged the Ugandan authorities to address restrictions. We will continue to work with Ugandan partners to build long-term political freedoms.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 effect of the US Government designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group on food insecurity in Yemen.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are deeply concerned by assessments from the UN and NGOs that the US Administration's decision to designate the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation is likely to disrupt the humanitarian response and stop vital food supplies getting in to Yemen. We have already engaged with the US to urge them to ensure that the vital humanitarian response, including food supplies, are not disrupted. Ministers and officials will continue to engage closely with the UN and other donors, including the US, to ensure life-saving humanitarian aid reaches the millions of Yemenis in need.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department provides to Unicef for (a) core funding and (b) contracts awarded.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Information on how much ODA the UK channels through UN agencies, including UNICEF, is published in the National Statistics publication - Statistics on International Development (SID).
In calendar year 2019, the Department for International Development provided a total of £48 million core multilateral funding and a further £416 million bilateral through multilateral funding. In addition, other UK Government Departments provided a further £16.3 million bilateral through multilateral funding.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 political situation in Ethiopia.
Answered by James Duddridge
We are concerned by the ongoing violence between federal and regional forces in the Tigray region and the risk it poses to civilians, and by reports of ethnically-motivated attacks. We are gravely concerned at Amnesty International's report of killings of civilians on 9 November and are investigating. The Foreign Secretary called Prime Minister Abiy on 10 November to raise our concerns and stress the urgent need to prioritise the protection of civilian lives, restore services (including banks and telecommunications) and enable humanitarian access. I also spoke to the Ethiopian Ambassador in London on 18 November to reiterate our concerns. The UK has called for immediate de-escalation in Tigray and is working closely with humanitarian agencies to ensure that aid reaches civilians affected by the fighting.
We are reviewing the impact the conflict is having on the delivery of essential health, food and education services in the region and assessing the humanitarian need. Before the current conflict there were already more than one million highly vulnerable persons across Tigray including refugees, internally displaced persons and chronically food insecure communities. The UN predicts that an additional 800,000 people could be impacted by violence in Tigray, causing internal displacement within Ethiopia and across international borders, notably in Sudan where UNHCR reports more than 27,000 people have now crossed the border. We continue to monitor the situation and are appealing to the Government of Ethiopia and others to ensure humanitarian access to those in need in Tigray and affected areas.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 effect of the political situation in Ethiopia on the humanitarian situation in (a) Ethiopia, (b) Eritrea and (c) Sudan.
Answered by James Duddridge
We are concerned by the ongoing violence between federal and regional forces in the Tigray region and the risk it poses to civilians, and by reports of ethnically-motivated attacks. We are gravely concerned at Amnesty International's report of killings of civilians on 9 November and are investigating. The Foreign Secretary called Prime Minister Abiy on 10 November to raise our concerns and stress the urgent need to prioritise the protection of civilian lives, restore services (including banks and telecommunications) and enable humanitarian access. I also spoke to the Ethiopian Ambassador in London on 18 November to reiterate our concerns. The UK has called for immediate de-escalation in Tigray and is working closely with humanitarian agencies to ensure that aid reaches civilians affected by the fighting.
We are reviewing the impact the conflict is having on the delivery of essential health, food and education services in the region and assessing the humanitarian need. Before the current conflict there were already more than one million highly vulnerable persons across Tigray including refugees, internally displaced persons and chronically food insecure communities. The UN predicts that an additional 800,000 people could be impacted by violence in Tigray, causing internal displacement within Ethiopia and across international borders, notably in Sudan where UNHCR reports more than 27,000 people have now crossed the border. We continue to monitor the situation and are appealing to the Government of Ethiopia and others to ensure humanitarian access to those in need in Tigray and affected areas.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to recommend to the Prime Minister that he appoint a trade envoy to Sudan as a result of the US removing its state sponsor of terrorism designation from that country.
Answered by James Duddridge
We welcome the commitment to delist Sudan from the US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. The Foreign Secretary has commended this as a historic step for the two countries, one that will deliver compensation for victims of terror and support Sudan's transition to democracy. Over time, delisting will make an important contribution to Sudan's economic recovery. Our immediate priority is to support the economic reforms that Prime Minister Hamdok has committed to deliver, that will be key to stability and improving the investment climate. As these reforms deliver that change, we will consider the best way to support economic development and to promote UK private sector investment, along with the Department for International Trade and Her Majesty's Trade Commissioner for Africa.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 violence in the Tigray region of Ethiopia; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK is concerned by the ongoing violence between federal and regional forces in the Tigray region. We are gravely concerned at Amnesty International's report of killings of civilians on 9 November and are investigating. The Foreign Secretary has written to Prime Minister Abiy and spoke with him on 10 November. He emphasised the need to protect civilians and allow humanitarian access. He also urged for a de-escalation of violence and called for swift moves to political dialogue. I have tweeted to urge the same.
Oromia and Amhara have also seen violent clashes in recent months. I condemn in the strongest terms the killing of Amharan civilians on 1 November in Oromia. I visited Ethiopia from 27 - 29 July and discussed growing ethnic tensions with the President and senior ministers. I expressed the need for more peaceful dialogue between ethnic groups and for space to be given for political debate. We will continue to monitor the situation and raise the importance of human rights with the Government of Ethiopia and regional leaders.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of unrest on regions within Ethiopia.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK is concerned by the ongoing violence between federal and regional forces in the Tigray region. We are gravely concerned at Amnesty International's report of killings of civilians on 9 November and are investigating. The Foreign Secretary has written to Prime Minister Abiy and spoke with him on 10 November. He emphasised the need to protect civilians and allow humanitarian access. He also urged for a de-escalation of violence and called for swift moves to political dialogue. I have tweeted to urge the same.
Oromia and Amhara have also seen violent clashes in recent months. I condemn in the strongest terms the killing of Amharan civilians on 1 November in Oromia. I visited Ethiopia from 27 - 29 July and discussed growing ethnic tensions with the President and senior ministers. I expressed the need for more peaceful dialogue between ethnic groups and for space to be given for political debate. We will continue to monitor the situation and raise the importance of human rights with the Government of Ethiopia and regional leaders.