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, with reference to the Answer to the Question from the hon. Member for City of Durham on 21 June 2022, Official Report, column 695, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Colombian government’s investigation of the (a) killing of civilians and (b) actions of the military in Alto Remanso in Putumayo on 28 March 2022.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The British Government remains concerned for conflict-affected communities that continue to be affected by violence in Colombia. We look to the Colombian authorities to investigate fully reports of human rights violations, and take appropriate action against those found to be responsible for any violations, including members of the Armed forces.
Colombia is an Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office Human Rights Priority Country and UK ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights issues, as well as specific cases of concern, with the Colombian Government. Most recently, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon discussed human rights and the security situation in Colombia in his meeting with President Duque on 12 April. I [Minister Ford] also discussed human rights concerns with Vice-President and Foreign Minister Ramírez on 10 February.
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, pursuant to her oral answer to the hon. Member for South Staffordshire on 21 June 2022, Official Report, column 706, if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the £72 million of additional support provided to countries east Africa to help tackle the impacts of drought.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The £72 million comprises contributions to Ethiopia (£23.6 million), South Sudan (£3 million), Kenya (£6.15 million) and Somalia (£39.5 million). This funding includes assistance provided in financial years (FY) 2021/2022 and 2022/2023.
In April, the UK also played a critical role in convening the recent UN Horn of Africa Drought Roundtable which took place in late April in Geneva which mobilised roughly US $400 million in new funding.
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 plans she has to co-host a pledging summit to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK has agreed to co-host the Afghanistan Pledging Conference with the UN and Germany to help raise $4.4 billion for 2022. This is the largest humanitarian appeal on record, reflecting the magnitude of the humanitarian challenge ahead. The Conference, to be held virtually at Ministerial level, will focus on raising resources to scale up essential support to address the unprecedented level of humanitarian needs in Afghanistan. It will also highlight the capacity and commitment of humanitarian partners to implement lifesaving assistance across the country and raise awareness of other challenges critical to the people of Afghanistan. We will ensure that Afghan voices and their perspectives are reflected, especially women and girls, by inviting Afghan civil society to participate and attend the Conference.
The UK remains committed to the people of Afghanistan and it is vital that countries support the pledging event at this Conference.
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 she has made of the accuracy of reports of threats against leaders of the ASCAMCAT rural organisation, Juan Carlos Quintero, Junior Maldonado and Olga Quintero, by armed groups in Catatumbo, Colombia.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The British Government remains concerned about the persistent level of violence towards human rights defenders and social leaders in Colombia. UK ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights issues, as well as specific cases of concern, with the Colombian Government. Most recently, the UK's Minister for the Environment, Lord Goldsmith, raised our concerns around violence and threats toward environmental defenders during his visit to Colombia 5-8 October.
Through our Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF) programme, which has provided £68 million in support of peace agreement implementation, security, and stability in Colombia since 2015, we will continue to prioritise funding interventions to protect human rights defenders, including environmental activists, and social leaders.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) international aid organisations and (b) humanitarian and development experts were consulted by the Foreign Office as part of the decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Prime Minister has decided to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to form a new international department - the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The Government will continue to engage closely with interested stakeholders, including UK and international Non-Governmental Organisations, in the weeks and months to come as we work to create the new department, which will unite our development expertise and first class diplomatic service to make the UK a force for good in the world.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister on 16 June 2020, Official Report, column 678, what discussions he had with the Prime Minister on the Prime Minister’s consultation with (a) international aid organisations and (b) humanitarian and development experts prior to the decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Government continues to engage with UK and international Non-Governmental Organisations on all relevant issues. The Prime Minister has concluded that in the next decade, international issues will be even more important to the lives of our citizens and our own national interest; that the world will become even more complex and competitive, with growing, interconnected challenges and opportunities for the UK; and that therefore we need a new all-of-government approach if we are to secure our values and interests in a changing world.
By aligning our efforts, merging the departments will allow us to bring together our international effort and maximise our influence around the world. This will ensure that all of our national efforts, including our aid budget and expertise, are used to make the UK a force for good in the world. This will strengthen our ability to lead the world's efforts to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and allow us to seize the opportunities ahead, as we prepare to take on the G7 presidency and host COP26 next year.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister of 16 June 2020, Official Report, column 678, what assessment he made of the potential merits of the outcomes of the Prime Minister's consultation with (a) international aid organisations and (b) humanitarian and development experts on the decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Government continues to engage with UK and international Non-Governmental Organisations on all relevant issues. The Prime Minister has concluded that in the next decade, international issues will be even more important to the lives of our citizens and our own national interest; that the world will become even more complex and competitive, with growing, interconnected challenges and opportunities for the UK; and that therefore we need a new all-of-government approach if we are to secure our values and interests in a changing world.
By aligning our efforts, merging the departments will allow us to bring together our international effort and maximise our influence around the world. This will ensure that all of our national efforts, including our aid budget and expertise, are used to make the UK a force for good in the world. This will strengthen our ability to lead the world's efforts to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and allow us to seize the opportunities ahead, as we prepare to take on the G7 presidency and host COP26 next year.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister on 16 June 2020, Official Report, column 678, what discussions he had with the Prime Minister on the consultations that took place with (a) international aid organisations and (b) humanitarian and development experts regarding the decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Government continues to engage with UK and international Non-Governmental Organisations on all relevant issues. The Prime Minister has concluded that in the next decade, international issues will be even more important to the lives of our citizens and our own national interest; that the world will become even more complex and competitive, with growing, interconnected challenges and opportunities for the UK; and that therefore we need a new all-of-government approach if we are to secure our values and interests in a changing world.
By aligning our efforts, merging the departments will allow us to bring together our international effort and maximise our influence around the world. This will ensure that all of our national efforts, including our aid budget and expertise, are used to make the UK a force for good in the world. This will strengthen our ability to lead the world's efforts to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and allow us to seize the opportunities ahead, as we prepare to take on the G7 presidency and host COP26 next year.