Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the accuracy and (b) the implications of the assessment by the Tourism Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe that Zimbabwe's carrying capacity is 55,000 elephants but the country now has a population of 85,000 elephants.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Zimbabwe has the second largest population of elephants in the world and overpopulation of elephants is a result of good conservation practice. We are working with the Government of Zimbabwe on long term solutions to the issue, such as our Green Corridors initiative, and will continue to support wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Sri Lankan Government on (a) their security concerns in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings in that country and (b) cooperation on protection of endangered species since the decision to postpone the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora's World Wildlife Conference.
Answered by Mark Field
We are continuing to assess the security situation in Sri Lanka following the Easter Sunday attacks, and are in regular discussion with the Sri Lankan Government. Security operations in Sri Lanka are ongoing and we assess that it is very likely that terrorists will try to mount further terrorist attacks. The Prime Minister offered UK assistance in a phone call with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister immediately after the attacks. The Minister of State for Security, Ben Wallace, visited Sri Lanka on 2-3 May to demonstrate UK solidarity and to take forward discussions on what UK support would be most helpful. We are continuing to engage with the Sri Lankan authorities on the security situation, including the outbreak of violence in North Western province on 13 May, and on UK support.
We respect the decision of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat to postpone the forthcoming COP18 and are grateful for the work undertaken thus far. The UK will continue to work closely with Sri Lanka and other international partners on the protection of endangered species and promotion of the conservation of the world's wildlife through our membership of international agreements such as CITES.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2019 to Question 230918, what plans the Government has to conclude the mandate of UN Human Rights Council resolutions 30/1 and 34/1 on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK continues to encourage and support Sri Lanka to deliver the commitments it made to the UN Human Rights Council through Resolutions 30/1 and 34/1. As stated in my written answer on 14 March 2019, we firmly believe that this is the best framework for establishing truth and to achieve justice and lasting reconciliation. I have made these points personally to Sri Lankan Ministers. I welcome Sri Lanka's announcement that it will co-sponsor a roll-over Resolution at the current session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, continuing its commitments to its reconciliation process.
The UK welcomed the Annual Report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on 21 March 2018, which assessed progress made by the Sri Lankan government in the implementation of UN Human Rights Council resolution 30/1 and 34/1. The report found that the Government of Sri Lanka has taken some steps to address human rights concerns and to introduce more democratic and accountable government.
These include the return of some military-held civilian land, the establishment of an Office of Missing Persons and the ratification of the Convention on Enforced Disappearances. However, as I made clear to a range of senior Ministers on my visit to Colombo in October, more needs to be done. I have urged further progress on these issues, and encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to deliver meaningful devolution through constitutional reform, and to establish credible mechanisms for transitional justice.
The United Kingdom has made a long-term commitment to improving human rights in Sri Lanka, and is dedicated to supporting the rebuilding of the country after three decades of conflict. The British High Commission in Colombo is in regular contact with the Government of Sri Lanka and other key stakeholders to encourage and support the implementation of Resolution 30/1.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the Sri Lankan Government's progress towards meeting the objectives set by the UN Human Rights Council in resolutions 30/1 and 34.1 on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK continues to encourage and support Sri Lanka to deliver the commitments it made to the UN Human Rights Council through Resolutions 30/1 and 34/1. We firmly believe that this is the best framework for establishing truth and to achieve justice and lasting reconciliation. I have made these points personally to Sri Lankan Ministers, and I welcome the announcement by the Government of Sri Lanka on 6 March that it will co-sponsor a further resolution at the current Council session.
The UK welcomed the Annual Report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on 21 March 2018, which assessed progress made by the Sri Lankan government in the implementation of UN Human Rights Council resolution 30/1 and 34/1. The report found that the Government of Sri Lanka has taken some steps to address human rights concerns and to introduce more democratic and accountable government.
These include the return of some military-held civilian land, the establishment of an Office of Missing Persons and the ratification of the Convention on Enforced Disappearances. However, as I made clear to a range of senior Ministers on my visit to Colombo in October, and to Finance Minister Marapana in January, more needs to be done. I have urged further progress on these issues, and encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to deliver meaningful devolution through constitutional reform, and to establish credible mechanisms for transitional justice.
The United Kingdom has made a long-term commitment to improving human rights in Sri Lanka. The British High Commission in Colombo is in regular contact with the Government of Sri Lanka and other key stakeholders to encourage and support the implementation of Resolution 30/1.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on global ocean conservation.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The ocean is vital for life on earth and the prosperity and security of the United Kingdom. The UK and its Overseas Territories are custodians to the fifth-largest marine estate in the world. My department therefore has a very important role in promoting security at sea and improving the conservation and sustainable use of our oceans. We already take a leading role on maritime protection and are on track to deliver marine protected areas across nearly 4 million square kilometres of the planet's ocean and seas through our Blue Belt programme by 2020.
Activities supported by the Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme are helping to deliver the UK's global commitments to the Commonwealth marine environment and tackling climate change, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, the Commonwealth Blue Charter and the Paris Climate Change Accord.
However, our ocean is shared, and it is only through international cooperation that global ocean conservation will be delivered. That is why at the United Nations General Assembly this September, the Government called for 30 per cent of the world's oceans to be protected within Marine Protected Areas by 2030 and why we are committed to negotiations for a new Implementing Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
We are also working on an International Ocean Strategy, which will provide the government with a blueprint for international action on all fronts that will support the long term prosperity of the UK and reaffirm our long term commitment to the health of the marine environment.