Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which Government (a) agencies and (b) other bodies were (i) operating in Cuba and (b) otherwise working with the Cuban government as of 23 January 2023.
Answered by David Rutley
As of 23 January 2023, the UK is represented in Cuba by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office through our Embassy in Havana. UK Visas and Immigration (the division of the Home Office responsible for the United Kingdom's visa system) also operates from the Embassy. The British Council (the UK's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities) has been working in Cuba since 1998 and celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2023.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which Government agencies and bodies (a) were operating in and (b) worked with the Republic of Zimbabwe as of 23 January 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
Our Embassy to Harare represents the full range of UK Government interests in Zimbabwe. The Embassy currently houses staff from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Department for International Trade (DIT), Home Office (HO) and Ministry of Defence (MOD).
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 impact of Chinese policy on minorities on Tibetan (a) language and (b) culture.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
We closely monitor the human rights situation in Tibet, including reports of the erosion of Tibetan language and culture. We continue to urge China to respect all fundamental rights across the People's Republic of China, including in Tibet, in line with both its own constitution and the international frameworks to which it is a party. In June 2022, a concerted UK lobbying effort helped to secure the support of a record 47 countries for a statement at the Human Rights Council that urged China to comply with its obligations with regard to the protection of human rights, including in Tibet. We also continue to press the Chinese authorities to respect religious and cultural freedoms and allow unrestricted access to Tibet for international journalists, NGOs and diplomats.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to make representations to the Moroccan Government on freedom of expression for people calling for independence in Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps, as we regularly make clear to the parties. We have consistently supported language in relevant UN Security Council Resolutions that encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara, including the freedoms of expression and association. Senior HMG officials raised the importance of media freedoms with the Moroccan Government at a Human Rights Dialogue between the two nations on 1 December 2022.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to reports that retired Petroleum Industry Workers Union (USO) trade unionist Nicodemus Luna Mosquera was murdered along with his nephew Edinson Noviteño Luna in Colombia on 26 November 2022, whether his Department plans to provide support to the USO trade union in that country.
Answered by David Rutley
Colombia is an FCDO Human Rights Priority Country, and supporting efforts to improve stability and security in Colombia, including for trade unionists, remains an important priority. At the UN Security Council on 11 January, I [Minister Rutley] raised attacks on human rights defenders and social activists and our commitment to supporting efforts to address the root causes of violence in Colombia. Through our Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF) programme, which has provided £74 million in support of Peace Agreement implementation, security, and stability in Colombia since 2015, we will continue to support programmes that help Human Rights Defenders and other groups affected by violence.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken steps to build energy generation partnerships on a bilateral basis with Nepal.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The UK is implementing its Climate Smart Development Programme in Nepal. This will promote renewable energy access by supporting the Government of Nepal to further access climate finance and leverage both public and private investments to meet its adaptation and mitigation targets. Similarly, the Government of Nepal, UK, World Bank and 15 other Development Partners (DPs) endorsed the Kathmandu Declaration on Green, Resilient and Inclusive Development (GRID) in September 2021. This will advance Nepal's climate pathway through investment in forestry, agriculture, clean energy, sustainable tourism, clean transport programs and climate smart urbanisation.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November to Question 93705 on South Africa: UN Security Council, what discussions his Department has had with the United Nations Organisation on expanding the Security Council to include permanent African representation.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK has a clear and longstanding position on UN Security Council reform, including support for permanent African representation on the Council. There are regular discussions on the topic of Security Council reform at the United Nations and we are supportive of advancing intergovernmental negotiations on this matter. The UK's Permanent Representative to the UN most recently outlined our position on Security Council reform at the UN General Assembly on the 17th November. (Momentum for change is building around the UN: UK statement on Security Council reform - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk))
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November to Question 93705 on South Africa: UN Security Council, which African nation the Government would support having on the United Nations Security Council on a permanent basis.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK has a clear and longstanding position on UN Security Council reform, including support for permanent African representation on the council. It would be premature for the UK to take a view on any individual African state's potential candidacy for permanent membership before African states have themselves come to a view on this.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 supporting a permanent seat for the Federative Republic of Brazil on the United Nations Security Council.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Our position is well known. The United Kingdom has long called for the expansion of the Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories. We support the creation of new permanent seats for India, Germany, Japan and Brazil, as well as permanent African representation on the Council. We also support an expansion of the non-permanent category of membership, taking the Security Council's total membership to somewhere in the mid-twenties. With these changes, the Council would be more representative of the world today and, coupled with a renewed commitment to the UN Charter, it would be better able to respond decisively to threats to international peace and security.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 supporting a permanent seat for Japan on the United Nations Security Council.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Our position is well known. The United Kingdom has long called for the expansion of the Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories. We support the creation of new permanent seats for India, Germany, Japan and Brazil, as well as permanent African representation on the Council. We also support an expansion of the non-permanent category of membership, taking the Security Council's total membership to somewhere in the mid-twenties. With these changes, the Council would be more representative of the world today. And, coupled with a renewed commitment to the UN Charter, it would be better able to respond decisively to threats to international peace and security.