Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the murder of former FARC combatant and peace campaigner Ramiro Durán on 4 July 2022 in Colombia.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK Government remains concerned at the worrying rate of murders of, and threats against former FARC combatants. We will continue to support the Colombian Government in its commitment to implement the 2016 Peace Accords and ensure the protection and safety of former FARC combatants.
Through our Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF) programme, which has provided £69 million in support of Peace Agreement implementation, security, and stability in Colombia since 2015, we will continue to support programmes that help to protect former FARC combatants and other groups affected by violence.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of Oxfam and Save The Children's report entitled Dangerous Delays 2: The Cost of Inaction, published on 18 May 2022.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The joint Oxfam and Save the Children report highlights the gravity of the humanitarian situation in East Africa. Following an unprecedented fourth consecutive season of failed rains, more than 15 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are experiencing extremely worrying levels of food insecurity. Due to the drought millions of people are also facing critical shortages of water with rates of displacement, school drop-outs and early marriage of young girls also on the rise. The drought has also led to the emergence of famine conditions in Somalia, while conflict continues to cause major levels of suffering throughout East Africa, driving famine conditions in Tigray in northern Ethiopia for example.
In 2022 the UK has so far provided more than £72 million to the humanitarian crises in the region. In January, to enable humanitarian agencies to take early action and to support a scale-up of drought response activities, the UK allocated £14 million to Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, with £3 million for flooding in South Sudan. Most recently on 26 April, I announced a further £25 million in aid to provide vital services to almost a million people in Somalia affected by the drought. The UK continues to play a leading role to galvanise interest and financial assistance for the drought from other donors. Our efforts helped to mobilise $400 million for the region at a recent UN event. Our response to the drought builds on long-established resilience building programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia which have benefitted tens of millions of people.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she asked the UK Ambassador to Morocco to send an observer to the trial of two students from Western Sahara, Mohammed Layichi and Hassan Alloud, which commenced on 5 May in Agadir.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Human rights is a UK priority around the world, including in Morocco. We regularly discuss human rights issues with the Moroccan authorities, including individual cases.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential (a) proscription of Ansar Allah as a terrorist organisation and (b) humanitarian consequences of that proscription on civilians in Yemen.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
It is HMG policy to not comment on whether we are considering a group for proscription. The Home Secretary will consider the national security case, as well as a range of discretionary factors such as the impact on UK communities, the humanitarian impact, and the impact on our ability to assist our allies around the world in the global fight against terrorism when making any decision.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2021 to Question 57453 on Western Sahara: Trade Agreements, whether the Polisario Front was consulted on the inclusion of products from the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara in the UK-Morocco Association Agreement.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is clear that the application of the UK-Morocco Association Agreement is without prejudice to our position on the status of Western Sahara, which we regard as undetermined. The UK supports UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
Products originating in Western Sahara subject to controls by customs authorities of Morocco benefit from the same trade preferences as those granted by the United Kingdom to products covered by the Agreement.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
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 facilitate the immediate release of the protestors arrested by the military junta in Sudan.
Answered by Vicky Ford
I condemned the actions of the Sudanese military in the strongest terms in the House of Commons on 25 October. My call from that day remains: for the transition to be restored fully, for all detainees to be released and for Sudanese people be able to protest without fear of violence. We have delivered this message to the military leadership in Khartoum, in statements the Foreign Secretary and I made, and in international fora such as securing unanimous support for a resolution on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council on 5 November.
I am pleased that Dr Hamdok has since been reinstated as the Prime Minister of Sudan and that many detainees have been released following the Political Agreement on 21 November. The Agreement is an important first step towards restoring Sudan's transition to democracy, but we will continue to work with our international partners to maintain pressure on the military to deliver their commitments and, through their actions, rebuild trust with the Sudanese public and international community. Most recently we reinforced this at the UN Security Council on 10 December and at the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers meeting in Liverpool on 11 December.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
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 prevent the (a) suppression of democracy in Sudan and (b) killing and oppression of people trying to achieve democracy in that country through peaceful means.
Answered by Vicky Ford
I condemned the actions of the Sudanese military in the strongest terms in the House of Commons on 25 October. My call from that day remains: for the transition to be restored fully, for all detainees to be released and for Sudanese people be able to protest without fear of violence. We have delivered this message to the military leadership in Khartoum, in statements the Foreign Secretary and I made, and in international fora such as securing unanimous support for a resolution on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council on 5 November.
I am pleased that Dr Hamdok has since been reinstated as the Prime Minister of Sudan and that many detainees have been released following the Political Agreement on 21 November. The Agreement is an important first step towards restoring Sudan's transition to democracy, but we will continue to work with our international partners to maintain pressure on the military to deliver their commitments and, through their actions, rebuild trust with the Sudanese public and international community. Most recently we reinforced this at the UN Security Council on 10 December and at the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers meeting in Liverpool on 11 December.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
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 promote and support economic growth in Afghanistan.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are monitoring the situation in Afghanistan closely, including the rapid reduction in economic growth. We have committed to provide £286 million in humanitarian and development support and continue to explore the best ways to provide support to the Afghan people.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she plans to take in response to the concerns of OHCHR on the restrictions imposed by Morocco on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association in Western Sahara.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Human rights, including freedom of expression, is a UK priority around the world. We raise human rights issues with Morocco accordingly and continue to monitor cases in Western Sahara.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will raise with her Moroccan counterpart the UN Human Rights Committee's recommendation that Morocco obtain the consent of the people of Western Sahara for the realisation of developmental projects and resource extraction operations.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK notes the United Nations legal view from 2002, which stated that commercial activity in Western Sahara (including the exploration for, and exploitation of natural resources) is not inherently illegal but must be for the benefit of people of Western Sahara.