Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the UK's compliance with the UN Human Rights Council resolution on the Situation of human rights in Myanmar of 4 April 2024, A/HRC/55/L.17, in the context of the involvement of UK-based companies in supply chains delivering jet fuel to Myanmar that could be used by the military in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
In 2022 we updated our Overseas Business Risk Guidance to make it clear that UK businesses operating in Myanmar should conduct thorough supply chain due diligence. This guidance is regularly updated. Additionally, we have met and will continue to meet with representatives of the UK Insurance Sector, noting the importance of conducting thorough supply chain due diligence in Myanmar to ensure that commodities, such as aviation fuel, do not reach the Myanmar military. We continue to look at further sanction and non-sanction measures to tackle the military's ability to use air capabilities to target civilians.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, when his Department last raised the case of Karim Ennarah with the Egyptian Government.
Answered by David Rutley
The Minister for North Africa, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, last raised Karim Ennarah's case with the Egyptian Ambassador on 20 February 2024 and also raised this case with Foreign Minister Shoukry during his visit to Cairo last year. Our Embassy in Cairo continues to raise the challenges faced by human rights defenders with the Egyptian authorities, and UK representatives have also done so via Item IV Statements at the Human Rights Council. Human rights defenders make a vital contribution to the health of all societies and should be able to conduct their work and lives unimpeded in Egypt, fully benefiting from their rights under the Egyptian Constitution.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
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 global immunisation and vaccination efforts; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted global health and immunisation. The UK Government is committed to supporting efforts to get routine immunisation back on track and has invested £1.65 billion to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance from 2021-2025 to support their mission to immunise 300 million children and save up to 8 million lives from vaccine preventable diseases over this period. The UK has supported Gavi since its inception in 2000, during which time Gavi has vaccinated more than 1 billion children in 78 lower-income countries, saving over 17 million lives. Alongside our Gavi investment, we are working with countries to build stronger primary health care systems as a core part of restoring immunisation services.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
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 encourage his international counterparts to stop the supply of (a) arms, (b) military equipment, (c) fuel and (d) funds to Myanmar.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Since the coup in February 2021, the UK has announced fifteen rounds of targeted sanctions on the military leadership and those who seek to profit from supplying the regime in Myanmar. The UK continues to work closely with international partners, including the US, EU and Canada, to take robust action to reduce the military's access to arms, military equipment, fuel and funds and to pressure those who sell arms to the military. We have used, and will continue to use, our role at the G7 and the UN to this end.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
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 implications for his policies of the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights A/HRC/54/59: Situation of human rights in Myanmar, published on 19 September 2023.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The UK shares the findings of the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the increasingly dire human rights situation in Myanmar. We remain committed to targeting the regime's access to finance and arms, including through sanctions on the military leadership to inhibit access to revenue and equipment. Accountability is key in stopping the atrocities committed against the Myanmar people. To support the preservation of evidence for future prosecution, we have provided over £600,000 to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and established the Myanmar Witness project. Continued humanitarian access and assistance remains a UK priority in Myanmar.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
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 liability of British companies supplying aviation fuel to Myanmar to investigation or prosecution for involvement in violations of international law.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
We are unaware of any British companies that supply aviation fuel to Myanmar. On 28 February 2022, the UK updated its Overseas Business Risk Guidance to make it clear that UK businesses should conduct thorough supply chain due diligence to ensure that commodities such as aviation fuel do not reach the Myanmar military.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK's role as penholder of the situation in Myanmar at the United Nations Security Council, what steps the Government is taking to address Myanmar’s non-compliance with the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice relating to genocide of the Rohingya.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
On 25 August 2022, the UK announced its intention to intervene in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case regarding Myanmar's compliance with its obligations under the Genocide Convention, in relation to acts committed against the Rohingya. We are also clear that Myanmar should comply with all aspects of the ICJ's Provisional Measures Order, which requires Myanmar to take steps to prevent the commission of genocide against the Rohingya. We understand the ICJ is monitoring Myanmar's compliance with the Provisional Measures Order, which we support.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
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 put pressure on the Egyptian Government to lift the travel bans and asset freezes on (a) Karim Ennarah and (b) other staff of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal rights.
Answered by David Rutley
Egypt is a human rights priority country. We regularly raise human rights issues with the Egyptian authorities, including the case of Karim Ennarah. The previous FCDO Minister for Africa, [Gillian Keegan], met with Mr Ennarah and also spoke to Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry about the case, during her visit to Cairo in October. We have also specifically raised the issue of travel bans, asset freezes and the importance of civil society in Egypt at the Human Rights Council in March and October 2022.