Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will ask the UN Secretary General to investigate (a) how many allegations of human rights abuses have been made to the Moroccan National Human Rights Council in Western Sahara and (b) whether those allegations have been investigated.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK Government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. We also engage on these issues at the UN and have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards and to avoid any action that may endanger human life.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has provided funding to Saharawi human rights defenders in Western Sahara in the last five years.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK Government has not provided funding to the specific cause mentioned. However, the UK remains committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. Additionally, the UK supported United Nations Security Council Resolution 2703 on 30 October, which renewed the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) mandate for 12 months. We have also consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent (a) technical and (b) financial support the Government has provided to the global south to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK is delivering on our commitment to spend £11.6 billion of International Climate Finance (ICF) between financial year 2021/2022 and financial year 2025/2026, including £3 billion on development solutions that protect and restore nature. This supports developing countries to both mitigate against and adapt to the impacts of climate change. We publish our ICF results on an annual basis. To date, we have supported over 100 million people to better adapt to the effects of climate change, provided nearly 70 million people with improved access to clean energy and reduced or avoided over 86 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, we have supported 125 countries and 1,450 organisations with technical assistance in areas including energy supply, sustainable agriculture and transport.
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 he has made of the potential implication for his policies of the three-month ceasefire announced as part of peace negotiations in Colombia.
Answered by David Rutley
Through our role as penholder at the UN Security Council (UNSC), the UK works closely with international partners to support the peace process in Colombia. During the most recent UNSC meeting on 11 October, the UK and various Council members reiterated their commitment to support implementation of the 2016 peace agreement as the central peace policy in Colombia. At the UNSC session, the UK welcomed the progress made by the Colombian Government to engage with the former FARC-EP that identifies itself as the Estado Mayor Central (EMC). As the second largest UN Trust Fund donor, the UK continues to be a leading advocate in support of Colombia's peace process and supports the work of the UN Verification Mission.
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 his Department has taken recent steps to help tackle (a) requirements that ban women from travelling without male authorisation and (b) other barriers to humanitarian access in Yemen.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Yemen is a human rights priority country for the UK. We call upon all parties to the conflict to comply with their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law. We are discussing with international partners the potential for a mechanism to support human rights accountability, including women's rights, in Yemen. We continue to work with donors, the UN and NGOs to lobby for the lifting of worsening access restrictions to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those who need it most in Yemen. If access restrictions are not lifted, the international community, UN agencies and NGOs, will be forced to take further measures to better protect aid delivery, including recalibrating humanitarian assistance and further reducing certain operations.
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 he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding for (a) child protection and (b) other projects through the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
In February, the Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty, stated that the UK will pledge up to £88 million in aid to Yemen over the 2023/24 financial year. This will feed at least 100,000 Yemeni people every month, provide lifesaving health care and nutrition services through 400 health care facilities and treat 22,000 severely malnourished children. The inaugural UK-Saudi Arabia Aid Dialogue in February identified the need to improve humanitarian access and encourage greater funding commitments by regional partners. On 23 February, Minister Mitchell launched the BRIGHTLY consortium, a government-NGO partnership to deliver the UK's flagship food security programme in Yemen.
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 his Department is taking to support the renewal of the truce in Yemen.
Answered by David Rutley
A political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and to address the humanitarian crisis. There is no military solution to the conflict. We encourage all parties to continue engaging with UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg to find a peaceful solution. We use our role as penholder on Yemen at the UN Security Council and work with our international partners to help move the Yemen peace process forward. On February 15, the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met Mohammed al-Jabr, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Yemen and the Yemeni Prime Minister, Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed on 28 April.
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 in its role as penholder on Yemen at the UN Security Council to support the creation of an international mechanism to ensure accountability for human rights violations and war crimes.
Answered by David Rutley
Yemen is a human rights priority country for the UK. In the latest FCDO human rights report published in December 2022, covering 2021, we highlighted our concerns over women's rights, the recruitment of child soldiers, arbitrary detention, attacks on freedom of religion or belief and on freedom of speech and association. We call upon all parties to the conflict in Yemen to comply with their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law. We regret that the mandate of the UN Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen was not renewed in October 2021, the UK voted in favour of the mandate renewal. We are discussing with international partners the potential for a follow-up mechanism to support human rights accountability in Yemen. Justice and accountability are key for inclusive and durable peace.
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 his Department is taking to support Palestinian (a) civil society and (b) human rights organisations in (i) Israel and (ii) the Palestinian Territories.
Answered by David Rutley
Civil society organisations play an important role in upholding human rights and democracy, and they must be able to operate freely in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). Officials at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv continue to call upon the Government of Israel to fully respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of human rights defenders and organisations and to allow them to freely operate in Israel and OPTs. The Minister for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, reinforced this message during his visit to Israel and the OPTs on 10-13 January.
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 he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the provision of military support by that country to (a) outposts and (b) farms built in the West Bank by settlers without formal Government authorisation.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK urges the Government of Israel to permanently end its settlement expansion and settlement activity in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. We are also clear that Israeli outposts in the West Bank are illegal under international humanitarian law and should be removed entirely. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. The Minister for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon reinforced this message during his visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 12 and 13 January.