Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
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 implications for her policies of the application of the Government's Magnitsky sanctions regime to Bangladeshi Government officials associated with the Rapid Action Battalion of its police force.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Human rights violations by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are a serious concern. We continue to raise our concerns over the protection of human rights in Bangladesh, including during Lord Ahmad's visit in November 2021 and in regular diplomatic exchanges. Bangladesh is an important UK security partner, and we maintain productive relationships with Bangladeshi security actors who operate in compliance with human rights. The UK does not provide training to the RAB.
We are aware of US sanctions on officials in Bangladesh. This is a decision by the US Government. The Global Human Rights Sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. We will continue to consider targets globally, guided by the objectives of the human rights sanctions regime and the evidence. We do not speculate on who may be designated in the future.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions her Departmental officials have had with their counterparts in Bangladesh over alleged human rights abuses conducted by the Bangladeshi Rapid Action Battalion.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Human rights violations by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are a serious concern. We continue to raise our concerns over the protection of human rights in Bangladesh, including during Lord Ahmad's visit in November 2021 and in regular diplomatic exchanges. Bangladesh is an important UK security partner, and we maintain productive relationships with Bangladeshi security actors who operate in compliance with human rights. The UK does not provide training to the RAB.
We are aware of US sanctions on officials in Bangladesh. This is a decision by the US Government. The Global Human Rights Sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. We will continue to consider targets globally, guided by the objectives of the human rights sanctions regime and the evidence. We do not speculate on who may be designated in the future.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether UK police officers provide training for the Bangladeshi Police's Rapid Action Battalion.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Human rights violations by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are a serious concern. We continue to raise our concerns over the protection of human rights in Bangladesh, including during Lord Ahmad's visit in November 2021 and in regular diplomatic exchanges. Bangladesh is an important UK security partner, and we maintain productive relationships with Bangladeshi security actors who operate in compliance with human rights. The UK does not provide training to the RAB.
We are aware of US sanctions on officials in Bangladesh. This is a decision by the US Government. The Global Human Rights Sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. We will continue to consider targets globally, guided by the objectives of the human rights sanctions regime and the evidence. We do not speculate on who may be designated in the future.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
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 implications for her policies of US State Department's decision to issue sanctions against Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) of the Bangladesh Police; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Human rights violations by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are a serious concern. We continue to raise our concerns over the protection of human rights in Bangladesh, including during Lord Ahmad's visit in November 2021 and in regular diplomatic exchanges. Bangladesh is an important UK security partner, and we maintain productive relationships with Bangladeshi security actors who operate in compliance with human rights. The UK does not provide training to the RAB.
We are aware of US sanctions on officials in Bangladesh. This is a decision by the US Government. The Global Human Rights Sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. We will continue to consider targets globally, guided by the objectives of the human rights sanctions regime and the evidence. We do not speculate on who may be designated in the future.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the compatibility of recent engagements between Israel and Palestine with international law.
Answered by Amanda Milling
We support direct engagement between the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. We welcome recent engagement that includes discussions between the Ministries of Finance aimed at improving the economic conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to accept the recommendations of Amnesty International's report entitled Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians.
Answered by Amanda Milling
We do not agree with the use of this terminology. Any judgment on whether serious crimes under international law have occurred is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. As a friend of Israel, we have a regular dialogue on human rights. This includes encouraging the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and do all it can to uphold the values of equality for all.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the findings of the research study by Amnesty International entitled Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians.
Answered by Amanda Milling
We do not agree with the use of this terminology. Any judgment on whether serious crimes under international law have occurred is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. As a friend of Israel, we have a regular dialogue on human rights. This includes encouraging the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and do all it can to uphold the values of equality for all.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her counterpart in Israel on the findings of the research study by Amnesty International entitled Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians.
Answered by Amanda Milling
We do not agree with the use of this terminology. Any judgment on whether serious crimes under international law have occurred is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. As a friend of Israel, we have a regular dialogue on human rights. This includes encouraging the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and do all it can to uphold the values of equality for all.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support will be given to developing countries reliant on deforestation to make products for export to help meet net-zero targets.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Government is determined to do all it can to halt and reverse forest loss, and this was a COP26 priority. The Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use, setting out a commitment to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030, has now been endorsed by 142 countries. Substantial finance has been committed to help developing countries work towards the aims of the declaration, including a collective pledge by 12 donor countries to provide US$12 billion from 2021-25.
The response to deforestation needs to balance economic interests and environmental protection. This is the approach taken in the Forest and Agriculture Commodity Trade (FACT) Dialogue, which was also launched at COP26. The dialogue establishes a new partnership between the largest producers and consumers of agricultural commodities, such as palm oil, soya and cocoa, and aims to build collaboration to protect forests while promoting sustainable trade. At the launch of the FACT Dialogue at COP26, the UK committed up to £500m for follow-up action, implemented through FCDO's Investments in Forests and Sustainable Land Use programme. The funding will protect an estimated 5m hectares of forest and create thousands of green jobs, including in sustainable agriculture and forestry.