Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help protect democratic processes in Turkey.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As a close friend and ally of Turkey, the Government is closely monitoring the situation and expects Turkey to uphold its international commitments and the rule of law. We regularly engage with the Turkish Government and the Foreign Secretary spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on 29 March to express the UK's concern about the recent arrests and protests in Turkey. The UK is a staunch supporter of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across the world and will always support the fundamental rights to free speech, peaceful assembly, and media freedom.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 implications for his policies of reports of alleged settler violence in the village of Umm al-Khair in the southern West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Prime Minister said in the House on 22 January, we are deeply concerned by events in the West Bank. We have raised this several times in exchanges that we have had with Israel at both ministerial and official level. It is in no one's interest for further conflict and instability to spread in the West Bank. We are clear that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and harm prospects for a two-state solution. The UK strongly condemns settler violence and provocative remarks. On 15 October, the Foreign Secretary announced new sanctions targeting three illegal settler outposts and four organisations that have supported and sponsored violence against communities in the West Bank. These measures will help bring accountability to those who have supported and perpetrated such heinous abuses of human rights.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his international counterparts on taking steps to protect places of worship in Palestine.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has always been clear that a ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. We remain focused on pushing for an end to the devastating violence in Gaza, protecting civilians, ensuring the release of all hostages and an increase in humanitarian aid into Gaza. The UK champions, and remains strongly committed to, freedom of religious belief for all. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral organisations, our bilateral work, and our programme funding. The UK is a strong supporter of freedom of religion and belief and calls for places of worship to be respected.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 countries affected by Typhoon Yagi.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Typhoon Yagi has had a major impact in many countries in South-East Asia. The UK Government has provided £1m to support the humanitarian response in northern Vietnam and £1.3m to help address the impact of severe flooding in Myanmar. The UK is also a major contributor to two global funds that have allocated funding. These are the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund that has released funds for the Myanmar response; and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Disaster Relief Emergency Fund that is assisting those most affected in Vietnam and Myanmar.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to provide assistance to (a) Ecuador, (b) Paraguay, (c) Peru and (d) Brazil following forest fires in those countries.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has closely monitored recent forest fires in Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Brazil. The UK's support for sustainable development and climate change adaptation should reduce drought impacts and wildfires long-term. In Ecuador and Peru, we are contributing up to £12.3 million through the Andes-Amazon Biodiverse Landscape Fund and in Brazil, through the Amazon Fund (£80 million contributed, with a further £35 million committed). In Paraguay, we support capacity building on forest fire mitigation and response amongst indigenous and local communities. Climate Minister Kerry McCarthy MP visited the Amazon Rainforest last week, meeting firefighters on the front-line using equipment purchased through the Amazon Fund.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations at the United Nations on the potential merits of a UN convention on the rights of older persons.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is fully committed to promoting and protecting the rights of all people, including older people. Building stronger legal frameworks at the domestic and international level is key. We were an active participant in the work of the UN's Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing, and we welcomed the consensus adoption by the General Assembly in September of its recommendations. The UK seeks to play a constructive role on these issues, and we are open to considering further standard-setting, including the possibility of a multilateral instrument, to help further address the issues faced by older people.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to support Palestinian Christians.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK will continue to champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, globally. We are clear that incitement of violence or hatred against individuals based on their religion or belief is unacceptable. Respect for FoRB, and the promotion of interreligious dialogue, plays an important role in securing sustainable peace. Our Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly meets and discusses issues with the Christian community in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is providing emergency humanitarian assistance to help prevent a polio outbreak in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is supporting humanitarian agencies including UNRWA, UNICEF and UK Med to provide essential healthcare to civilians in Gaza. This includes activities to improve water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) - which is important to help prevent the spread of diseases such as polio.
The UK is also supporting the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) which, since 1988, has led global efforts to reduce Polio Virus cases by more than 99 percent. In Gaza, GPEI is working with partners including WHO, UNICEF, UNWRA and local NGOs, to plan a response campaign that will integrate polio vaccination alongside other essential health and nutrition services. This will be dependent on securing safe access and a safe environment in which to conduct the campaign, through either a ceasefire or a temporary cessation of hostilities.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 help tackle drought in southern Africa.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
Severe drought has tipped Southern Africa into a food security crisis, where acute humanitarian needs are already emerging. The UK is a major contributor to humanitarian funds which have made allocations totalling £36 million to tackle drought and disease risks. We are a founding member and donor of Africa Risk Capacity, which has provided timely disaster risk financing pay outs to member states. The UK is adapting existing programmes to support national responses and deploying a regional adviser to improve humanitarian risk analysis and coordination. We are also raising the humanitarian needs with our international partners, maintaining focus on long-term, anticipatory solutions to climate-related crises in the region.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of efforts to encourage other countries to ratify the Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The implementation and ratification of the Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement is the subject of active and positive discussions at international meetings, such as the Our Ocean Conference that was held in Greece on 15-17 April, the Commonwealth Ocean Ministers Meeting held in Cyprus on 18-19 April, and the upcoming High Level Ocean Action event in Costa Rica on 7-8 June. The government has also been actively engaging with other interested States and international organisations to exchange current policy thinking on BBNJ Agreement implementation and ratification. The FCDO is funding a project by the Commonwealth Secretariat to provide technical assistance to smaller Commonwealth members. The UK is aware that a substantial number of States are actively working to implement and ratify the BBNJ Agreement and encourage other States. A draft UN General Assembly Resolution (A/78/L.41) to establish a Preparatory Commission for the BBNJ Agreement will be voted on shortly. Once the Preparatory Commission is established it will prepare for the first Conference of the Parties to take place within the first year after entry into force of the Agreement (with entry into force taking place 120 days after the 60th ratification). The UK aims to ratify in time for the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025 and to play an active part in the first Conference of the Parties.