Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he had for her policies of the debate on the report entitled Preventing and combating violence against women with disabilities, which was held at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 11 October 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK values the work of the Parliamentary Assembly to the Council of Europe as well as our UK delegation in debating these important issues. The UK reaffirms its commitment to preventing and responding to violence against women and girls in all their diversity and we welcome calls for the intensification of efforts to address this violence.
The debate included reaffirming the commitments made to women and girls with disabilities outlined in the Istanbul Convention. As a ratifier of both the Istanbul Convention and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the UK is clear on our international commitments to upholding the rights of women and girls in all their diversity and preventing violence against them and prioritises this through policies and action at home and overseas.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support the adoption of a national action plan for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in Colombia.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda in Colombia. The UK has provided support to the development of Colombia's first WPS National Action Plan through co-funding consultation workshops with women's rights organisations across the country. We will continue to collaborate with the Colombian government to support implementation.
Colombia is also a FCDO Human Rights Priority country and focus country for the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Strategy. The Colombian Government is a vice-chair of the UK-founded International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. At the UN Security Council, we consistently highlight gender issues related to the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) his Department and (b) the Commonwealth of Nations mediating in the conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is playing a significant role in diplomatic efforts for peace in Sudan. We are working with a range of partners, including counterparts from Quad (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UK, US), African and European countries, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union (AU) and the UN, to get the warring parties back to the negotiating table and end hostilities in Sudan. The UK continues to advocate for a return to a civilian-led government and the need for a coordinated and urgent response to resolve the crisis in Sudan, which the international community can get behind. It is essential that Sudan's civilians - civil society, women, youth, Resistance Committees - are represented in negotiations about their country's future, and their voices listened to.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his policy is on the supply of official development assistance to Zimbabwe, in the context of the recent election in that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is committed to supporting Zimbabwe and its people on a path to long-term, inclusive, and resilient development, democracy, and prosperity. The UK's development assistance addresses the priorities in the UK's International Development Strategy and is aligned with the Government of Zimbabwe's National Development Strategy. In particular it is focused on empowering women and girls, promoting global health, responding to humanitarian needs whilst building resilience to climate change, protecting biodiversity and delivering honest reliable investment. No UK ODA is channelled directly through Government of Zimbabwe systems. Instead, we work primarily through multilateral organisations, notably United Nations agencies, as well as international NGOs and the private sector.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 help reported incidents of gender-based violence against women and girls in Sudan are properly investigated.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK has consistently denounced all human rights violations that have taken place since the military coup on 25 October 2021, and the escalation in incidents since 15 April 2023. The escalation of violence, killing of civilians, sexual assault of women and girls, and restrictions on humanitarian assistance must end. We continue to support the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights which is doing crucial investigations in Sudan, and our UN partners who are working with Sudan's Combating Violence Against Women's Unit. The UK is funding organisations who are working with local partners to collect, verify and preserve digital content from the conflict, including incidents of atrocities. This evidence will play a vital role in amplifying the voices of those who are being targeted and will be shared with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Criminal Court to ensure the evidence is preserved and used to hold people to account. We are committed to ensuring that a spotlight remains on the current human rights violations taking place across Sudan, as shown by my statement on atrocities in Sudan on 22 August.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 ensure reported human rights abuses during the conflict in Sudan are properly investigated.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK has consistently denounced all human rights violations that have taken place since the military coup on 25 October 2021, and the escalation in incidents since 15 April 2023. The escalation of violence, killing of civilians, sexual assault of women and girls, and restrictions on humanitarian assistance must end. We continue to support the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights which is doing crucial investigations in Sudan, and our UN partners who are working with Sudan's Combating Violence Against Women's Unit. The UK is funding organisations who are working with local partners to collect, verify and preserve digital content from the conflict, including incidents of atrocities. This evidence will play a vital role in amplifying the voices of those who are being targeted and will be shared with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Criminal Court to ensure the evidence is preserved and used to hold people to account. We are committed to ensuring that a spotlight remains on the current human rights violations taking place across Sudan, as shown by my statement on atrocities in Sudan on 22 August.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 181199 on Development Aid: Genito-urinary Medicine, whether his Department has considered the potential merits of monitoring the (a) level of (i) complications and (ii) mortality during (A) abortion and (B) childbirth, (b) quality of aftercare for women following (1) abortion and (2) childbirth and (c) other outcomes associated with services (x) partly and (y) wholly funded from sexual and reproductive health rights funds.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is proud to defend and promote universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including safe abortion and maternal healthcare. The UK uses sexual and reproductive health funds to support services in a range of ways including technical assistance, funding drugs and supplies and delivering services directly, working through NGOs, governments and UN agencies. Examples include the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Supplies Partnership programme and the Global Financing Facility. The risk of complications without these services in place is extremely high. The UK monitors the work of our partners through annual reviews that assess progress against a set of indicators but also assess risk. Information on the monitoring of each of the UK's SRHR programmes can be found on DevTracker.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the (a) location and (b) status of Matiullah Wesa; and what steps his Department is taking to support Sustainable Development Goal 4 in Afghanistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government has repeatedly condemned the Taliban's decisions to restrict women and girls' education. We continue to support the delivery of education and Sustainable Development Goal 4 in Afghanistan through our bilateral and multilateral contributions and we are committed to upholding the rights of women and girls. We support the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan's call for the Taliban to clarify the reasons for Matiullah Wesa's arrest, and to ensure he has access to legal representation and contact with his family.
Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total amount of (1) core and (2) non-core financial contributions to (a) the United Nations Population Fund, (b) the International Planned Parenthood Federation, (c) the World Health Organization, (d) UNICEF, (e) UNAIDS, (f) the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and (g) UN Women, in the financial years (i) 2020, and (ii) 2021.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The core and non-core financial contributions for the calendar years 2020 and 2021 for the requested organisations are listed below. Details of the UK government's Official Development Assistance (ODA) is provided in Table A8 of the annual Statistics on International Development publication. Data for 2022 will be published in the Autumn.
Channel of delivery (£ thousands) | 2020 | 2021 |
United Nations Population Fund | 86,598,650 | 61,478,603 |
Non-core contribution (bilateral) | 66,598,650 | 53,478,603 |
Core contribution | 20,000,000 | 8,000,000 |
International Planned Parenthood Federation | 49,170,738 | 42,550,197 |
Non-core contribution (bilateral) | 49,170,738 | 42,550,197 |
Core contribution | 0 | 0 |
World Health Organisation - assessed contributions | 13,541,395 | 12,487,248 |
Non-core contribution (bilateral) | 280,000 | 0 |
Core contribution | 13,261,395 | 12,487,248 |
World Health Organisation - core voluntary contributions account | 220,618,665 | 133,127,635 |
Non-core contribution (bilateral) | 215,618,665 | 35,527,635 |
Core contribution | 5,000,000 | 97,600,000 |
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) | 460,738,181 | 225,540,609 |
Non-core contribution (bilateral) | 412,738,181 | 201,540,609 |
Core contribution | 48,000,000 | 24,000,000 |
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) | 15,000,000 | 2,500,000 |
Core contribution | 15,000,000 | 2,500,000 |
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria | 476,000,308 | 380,000,000 |
Non-core contribution (bilateral) | 308 | 0 |
Core contribution | 476,000,000 | 380,000,000 |
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women | 19,405,767 | 9,183,751 |
Non-core contribution (bilateral) | 6,905,767 | 3,433,751 |
Core contribution | 12,500,000 | 5,750,000 |
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to raise with the government of Iran the evidence gathered by the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Iran's human rights record is dire. The UN Fact Finding Mission's update to the Human Rights Council (HRC) on 5 July echoed our serious issues over the continued detention of protesters, lawyers and journalists, the ongoing wave of executions, and new legislation targeting women accused of breaching headscarf rules. We continue to work with our international partners to ensure the regime is held to account. That is why the UK initiated the joint statement of 5 July calling on Iran to end executions, which was signed by 54 countries. On 6 July we announced a further package of human rights sanctions, including on senior prison officials and on the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution (SCCR) - the body responsible for setting headscarf policies. Our annual Human Rights Report, published on 13 July, outlines our wide-ranging concern with the human rights situation in Iran and Iran remains an FCDO Human Rights Priority Country. We continue to raise these and other human rights issues with Iran at all appropriate opportunities, including through our Ambassador in Tehran.