Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when was the last time they raised through the Commonwealth the problems facing First Nation peoples.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is fully committed to promoting and protecting human rights for all individuals, including indigenous people. We have not recently raised issues affecting indigenous people in a Commonwealth forum. However, we regularly participate in discussions regarding indigenous peoples in various other fora, including the UN General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to promote the "competitive HRC membership elections" for the United Nations Human Rights Council they called for in the joint concluding statement of the 35th Session of the UNHRC in June.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Her Majesty's Government is committed to the defence of human rights worldwide and strongly supports the work of the Human Rights Council (HRC). Recent steps to encourage competitive elections to the HRC include our participation in public pledging events by HRC membership candidates in Geneva and New York. We are considering with like-minded member states a number of ideas relating to the membership and functioning of the HRC, following on from the Joint Statement at its 35th Session.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when was the last time they raised through the United Nations the problems facing First Nation peoples.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Her Majesty's Government is committed to defending the human rights of all individuals, including indigenous people. The Government regularly participates in discussions regarding indigenous peoples in various United Nations fora, including the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what legal or treaty obligations they retain in respect of First Nation peoples in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK does not have any prevailing legal or treaty obligations with respect to the native/ indigenous populations in Canada, Australia, or New Zealand.
All previous relevant obligations binding upon the UK Government have been passed to and confined to the Governments of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand as the independent and sovereign successor states of the UK’s Dominions.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which state's candidacy they decided to support in the recent election to the UN Human Rights Council.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a long-standing policy of not revealing our voting intentions in international elections, nor how we voted in the past. However, four out of five regional slates were uncontested this year, meaning the UK’s vote would not have affected the final result.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they used to determine which state's candidacy to support in the recent election to the UN Human Rights Council.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK reaches decisions on votes on the basis of candidates’ human rights records, and their cooperation with Human Rights Council (HRC) mechanisms. The UK also considers candidates’ engagement and voting record at HRC, broader UK Government priorities, standing obligations, and whether a reciprocal deal can be made. The UK has a long-standing policy of not revealing our voting intentions in international elections, nor how we voted in the past.