Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to review foreign travel advice policy in line with developments in national and international rates of covid-19 infection.
Answered by Nigel Adams
FCDO travel advice aims to enable British nationals to take informed decisions about travelling abroad. FCDO travel advice is clear that anyone intending to travel must first follow the domestic rules that apply where they are resident, including those which could restrict international travel. FCDO travel advice sets out the risks in specific states or territories. All FCDO travel advice pages remain under constant review to ensure they reflect the FCDO's latest assessment of risks to British nationals and include up-to-date information and advice. FCDO travel advice related to COVID-19 is based on Public Health England's (PHE) assessment of risks. PHE assessments consider a range of indicators including, but not limited to: virus incidence rates, trends in incidence and deaths, transmission status, international epidemic intelligence, testing capacity and test positivity rates.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle global child malnutrition during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Prevention and treatment of malnutrition remains a priority for the UK as part of our commitment to end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children, particularly as malnourished people are likely to be more severely affected by COVID-19. The wider impacts of COVID-19 are also predicted to increase malnutrition across Africa and Asia in particular.
The Foreign Secretary has appointed the UK's first Special Envoy on Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs to make sure malnutrition is averted in countries where food insecurity, conflict and COVID-19 have increased risk. FCDO is continuing to deliver programmes to address malnutrition in countries such as Somalia, Yemen, South Sudan and Ethiopia. We are also supporting UNICEF to maintain provision of treatment for child wasting and to adapt relevant services in light of the pandemic.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to (a) progress the equality agenda for girls throughout the world and (b) eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is widely recognised for its leadership on gender equality and women and girls' rights. The challenges of advancing girls' education, sexual and reproductive health and rights, women's political empowerment and participation, women's economic empowerment, and ending gender-based violence, including conflict related sexual violence, are more acute now, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to engage virtually with our international partners and champion gender equality in multilateral fora including in the UN. Promoting gender equality and advancing women and girls' rights on the international stage are core elements of the UK's role as a force for good in the world, including fulfilling every girl's right to 12 years of quality education.
The UK is proud to be a world leader on efforts to prevent Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), and Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict as part of our broader ambitions on gender equality. The UK's continued leadership on these issues was most recently demonstrated at the UN Security Council Open video-conference on Women, Peace and Security on 17 July, which focused on conflict-related sexual violence. The UK will also co-lead the new global Generation Equality Action Coalition on gender-based violence to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action on Gender Equality. We will drive more concerted, coordinated and scaled-up global action across the international system to prevent gender-based violence.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress his Department is making on facilitating a positive solution to the conflict in Yemen.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK continues to support the efforts of the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths to secure the Yemeni parties' agreement to his proposals for a nationwide ceasefire, humanitarian confidence-building measures and a resumption of the UN-led political process. We engage regularly with international partners on Yemen, including through our role as penholder in the UN Security Council. On 2 September, the Prime Minister discussed Yemen with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. On 24 August I spoke with Yemeni Foreign Minister Hadhrami about the peace process and developments in the South. On 1 July, the Foreign Secretary wrote a joint op-ed with his Swedish and German counterparts calling for the international community to back peace efforts.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in OPEC member states on ensuring the stabilisation of the oil price.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Her Majesty's Government closely monitors the oil market, and assesses its implications for the economy, businesses, and wider geopolitics. This includes the impact of the reduction in oil demand as a result of Coronavirus; the failure of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) + meeting on 5-6 March to reach an agreement on supply cuts; and Saudi Arabia's subsequent decision to increase oil production and reduce prices. No ministerial level discussions have taken place with OPEC members on the oil market since the OPEC+ meeting.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help end the conflict in Syria.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Our priority is to end the conflict in Syria through a negotiated political settlement, in accordance with UNSCR 2254. The UK has repeatedly made clear our full support for the UN-led political process. We are active diplomatically in pressing for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Idlib, including by calling for an emergency UN Security Council discussion on 28 February. On 28 January, the UK hosted a meeting of Special Envoys of the Small Group on Syria to discuss how to advance the political process. We are also committed to supporting the victims of this appalling conflict. The Syria crisis has been the UK's biggest ever humanitarian response, with the UK committing £3.1 billion of support to Syria and the region since 2012.