Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 introducing a dedicated strategy to support co-operative models in post-conflict recovery programmes.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Collaboration with international partners and civil society organisations is central to the UK's efforts to prevent and reduce conflict. The UK regards cooperatives as important actors within the development and humanitarian sectors, and they can play a role as part of an inclusive approach to peacebuilding, in post-conflict situations and conflict prevention. We recognise that each conflict context is different. We therefore support cooperatives where appropriate to the context and country partnership, and where they can help further the principles of local ownership and inclusivity.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 humanitarian programmes in central Africa.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports a range of humanitarian activities across central Africa, including emergency food assistance, treatment for malnourished children and life-saving sexual and reproductive health services. We are concerned by the escalation of humanitarian needs in central Africa, spurred on by the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The UK allocated over £80 million for humanitarian programmes in DRC last financial year (2024-25), including cash and food aid, access to clean water and support to halt the spread of mpox through our health emergencies programme. We are working in partnership with UNHCR to provide vital assistance to refugees in the region, and we aim to assist 3.5 million people with our humanitarian support in DRC this year. The UK remains in regular contact with DRC, Rwanda and other partners to support a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern DRC.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the EU on access to the Security Action for Europe fund.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This is a critical moment for the security of Europe. We welcome European efforts to increase defence spending, through the ReArm initiative and proposed Security Action for Europe (SAFE) mechanism. This must be a whole-of-Europe effort, in alignment with NATO, which remains the cornerstone of European security.
The UK and the EU have agreed an ambitious new Security and Defence Partnership as part of a wider package that delivers for the British people. The Security and Defence Partnership sets the framework for closer defence industrial collaboration, including potential participation in the EU's proposed €150 billion Security Action for Europe instrument.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to answer Question 46378 on Nigeria: Religious Freedom, tabled by the hon. Member for Harpenden and Berkhamsted on 17 April 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member's question. I issued a response to the hon. Member on 8 May.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 Nigeria in implementing the Universal Periodic Review recommendations relating to the Freedom of Religion or Belief.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to upholding the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and was an active participant in Nigeria's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in January 2024. Our dialogue on human rights, including FoRB, remains an important part of the UK's partnership with Nigeria. Through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP), the UK is working with Nigeria's security forces to tackle violence against civilian communities, including those of different religious backgrounds and belief systems. Additionally, through our Strengthening Peace and Resilience programme (SPRiNG) the UK is providing £38 million to help tackle the root causes of intercommunal conflict, including security, justice, and natural resource management challenges.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed reductions in spending on official development assistance on levels of debt-cancellation to heavily indebted poor countries.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Supporting developing countries to tackle unsustainable debt is a priority of this government. Where the UK Government is a creditor, we will fully engage in multilateral negotiations with debtor countries via the Paris Club and G20 Common Framework mechanisms to put their debt back on a sustainable trajectory.
Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review process.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 help tackle gender-specific religious persecution.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. Working with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, we are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding.
We recognise that women and girls from religious or belief minority communities can suffer disproportionally because of both their gender and faith. That is why we continue to ensure our human rights policy work considers the multiple ways in which human rights interact. For example, the importance of addressing specific issues experienced by women and girls from religious or belief minority communities. We are clear, too, that we will work to advance gender equality and empower women and girls through our international action. We focus on those with intersecting forms of disadvantage where the risks are extreme.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress his Department has made on the ratification of the Global Oceans Treaty.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The Government is completely committed to ratification of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement, also known as the "High Seas Treaty" or "Global Oceans Treaty"), which is in line with our determination to reinvigorate the UK's wider international leadership on climate and nature. Work is in hand on the measures needed to implement the detailed and complex provisions of the Agreement before the UK can ratify.