Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to take steps at the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council to press for greater human rights protections and accountability in (a) Ethiopia and (b) Sudan; and if she will make a statement.

The protection of all civilians needs to be prioritised, human rights respected and those responsible for human rights abuses and violations held to account. At a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) on 17 December 2021, we supported and voted in favour of an EU-led resolution on Ethiopia which created an International Commission of Experts. This included a mandate to investigate allegations of violations and abuses of international human rights law and violations of international humanitarian law and international refugee law committed in Ethiopia, by all parties to the conflict.

We continue to call for justice and accountability for the victims of human rights abuses and violations, including through the International Commission of Experts and the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce set up by the Ethiopian Government. The 49th HRC Session will also hear the initial findings of the UN Expert on Human Rights in Sudan, Adama Dieng, who was mandated to report on the situation in Sudan since the coup, following UK leadership to secure an HRC resolution on Sudan in November 2021. As part of these discussions we will continue to call for accountability for violations and abuses and maintain pressure on the Sudanese military to protect human rights. We will also continue to engage fully in the ongoing UN-facilitated talks to reach a solution that leads to the restoration of civilian-led government, and meet the demands of the people of Sudan for freedom, peace and justice.