Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
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 prevent intercommunal violence in Cameroon.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
I [Minister Mitchell] met with Cameroon's Minister of Defence on 10th January 2023 to set out the UK's commitment to supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict; the importance of humanitarian access for those in need and investigating reports of human rights abuses. The UK has committed £12.6 million for 2021/22 towards countering violent extremist organisations, which includes targeting military training in Cameroon's Far North (around the Lake Chad Basin). This focuses on the laws of armed conflict, international humanitarian law, and human rights compliance.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much the UK has spent on humanitarian aid to Cameroon in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK has provided food supplies, sanitation, healthcare and social protection to Cameroon over the last five years with over £20 million of humanitarian funding. UK aid in 2021/22 funded assistance to communities in the North-West and South-West regions provided by the World Food Programme and the International Committee for the Red Cross.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many UK based staff from his Department worked in posts in (a) Angola, (b) Benin, (c) Botswana, (d) Burkina Faso, (e) Burundi, (f) Cabo Verde, (g) Cameroon, (h) Central African Republic, (i) Chad, (j) Comoros, (k) the Democratic Republic of the Congo, (l) Congo, (m) Cote d'Ivoire, (n) Djibouti, (o) Equatorial Guinea, (p) Eritrea, (q) Eswatini, (r) Ethiopia, (s) Gabon, (t) Gambia, (u) Ghana, (v) Guinea, (w) Guinea-Bissau, (x) Kenya, (y) Lesotho, and (z) Liberia in each year since 2010.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Headcount as at 31st March 2014 | Headcount as at 31st March 2015 | Headcount as at 31st March 2016 | Headcount as at 31st March 2017 | Headcount as at 31st March 2018 | Headcount as at 31st March 2019 | Headcount as at 31st March 2020 | Headcount as at 31st March 2021 | Headcount as at 31st March 2022 | |
Angola | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 |
Benin | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Botswana | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 |
Burkina Faso | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Burundi | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Cameroon | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 |
Cape Verde | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Central African Republic | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Chad | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 |
Comoros | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Congo | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | 30-39 | 30-39 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 30-39 | 30-39 | 30-39 | 30-39 | 20-29 |
Djibouti | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 |
Equatorial Guinea | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Eritrea | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 |
Eswatini/Swaziland | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 |
Ethiopia | 30-39 | 30-39 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 40-49 | 40-49 | 40-49 | 40-49 | 30-39 |
Gabon | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
The Gambia | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 |
Ghana | 10-19 | 10-19 | 10-19 | 20-29 | 10-19 | 10-19 | 10-19 | 20-29 | 20-29 |
Guinea | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 |
Guinea-Bissau | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Ivory Coast | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 |
Kenya | 70-79 | 60-69 | 50-59 | 50-59 | 60-69 | 70-79 | 70-79 | 60-69 | 50-59 |
Lesotho | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 |
Liberia | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 | Fewer than 10 |
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 21 November (HL3575), whether they will publish (1) the conflict analysis for Cameroon, conducted in 2019, and (2) the names of the independent experts they spoke to during the course of their research.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The FCDO's conflict analysis for Cameroon is an internal document and will not be published.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
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 (a) credibility, (b) freedom and (c) fairness of the election held in Equatorial Guinea on 20 November 2022.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are aware that international election observers, civil society groups and opposition leaders have questioned the credibility of the recent elections in Equatorial Guinea (EG) and have cited widespread instances of fraud and intimidation. One of the defeated candidates who ran for the presidency has declared the results of the elections 'fraudulent' and plans to launch a legal challenge. We will continue to monitor developments in EG via the British High Commission in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and work closely with our international partners who are resident in EG to advocate for the promotion of transparent and representative elections in EG.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted a Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability assessment of the current situation in Cameroon; when such an assessment was last conducted; if so, what responses to the assessment they have initiated; and if not, whether they will undertake such an assessment.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
In 2019, the FCDO jointly conducted a conflict analysis for Cameroon with independent experts. The analysis made recommendations including promoting inclusive dialogue to seek a peaceful resolution, and providing humanitarian assistance, which the UK Government continues to pursue. The UK regularly urges the Government of Cameroon to engage in inclusive dialogue, including at the UN Human Rights Council, and endorses previous dialogue efforts. UK Government has delivered food supplies, sanitation, healthcare and social protection to Cameroon over the last five years with over £20 million of humanitarian funding. The West Africa FCDO Research Analyst visited in 2022 and updated the 2019 analysis. We continuously update our analysis across government and with partners, to ensure our interventions are appropriate to the context.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of state sponsored human rights abuses in the Cameroon after the reported shooting of a four year old girl by a gendarme in the Anglophone South-Western region of that country; and what discussions they have had the governments of (1) Cameroon, and (2) France, regarding this.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Following the shooting of the four-year old girl in Buea, the British High Commission in Yaoundé issued a statement condemning the act, welcomed an investigation by the Cameroon Ministry of Defence, and raised the incident directly with the Cameroonian Government. The UK works regularly with international partners, including France and the US, to raise the crisis in multilateral fora. At the UN Human Rights Council in March, we called for an end to violence and for impartial investigations to hold the perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses to account. The UK has also funded training to improve human rights reporting and better protect human rights defenders in Cameroon.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he will take to work with partners at the UN and the African Union to support renewed talks between the government of Cameroon and Anglophone separatist rebels; and what steps he is taking to support the full participation of women in peacebuilding in the north west and south west regions of Cameroon.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The UK Government is working with the Government of Cameroon and international partners to help resolve the Anglophone crisis and respond to its impacts, including through development and humanitarian support. We are supportive of dialogue initiatives seeking to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.
We continue to call for an end to the violence, alongside multilateral partners like the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. At the UN Human Rights Council in March, the UK pressed for impartial investigations to hold the perpetrators of human rights abuses to account. We have also urged the Government of Cameroon to remain engaged with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The UK Government's programming in Cameroon is supporting female activists, including our contribution to the Women Mediators across the Commonwealth (WMC) programme. The WMC provides training, advocacy and support to mobilise women participate in peace discussions and dialogue.
Asked by: Lord Lilley (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many nurses joined the Nursing and Midwife Council Register from countries graded by the World Health Organisation as having fewer nurses than the global median in the most recent year for which figures are available
Answered by Lord Kamall
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses, midwives, and nursing associates in the United Kingdom. The following table shows the number of nurses, midwives, and nursing associates joining the NMC’s register from each country with fewer nursing and midwifery personnel per 10,000 people than the global median in the year ending 31 March 2022.
Bahrain 4
Bangladesh 1
Barbados 18
Belize 17
Cameroon 17
China 6
Colombia 3
Egypt 13
Eswatini 9
Ethiopia 1
Gambia 12
India 9,769
Iran 19
Iraq 1
Jamaica 115
Jordan 12
Kenya 461
Lebanon 20
Lesotho 18
Malawi 7
Malaysia 20
Namibia 11
Nepal 210
Niger 1
Nigeria 3,010
Pakistan 112
Saint Lucia 13
Sri Lanka 14
Tanzania 1
Tunisia 1
Turkey 2
Uganda 30
Zambia 57
Zimbabwe 913
Notes:
1. The World Health Organization publishes a measure of the number of nurses per 10,000 population. The median for their measure, unweighted by countries population is 35.07 nursing and midwifery personnel per 10,000 population.
2. Countries below the median level of nursing and midwifery personnel per 10,000 population where there were no joiners to the NMC register are excluded.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) humanitarian, (b) political and (c) human rights situation in Gabon.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We monitor developments in Gabon from our High Commission in Yaoundé (in Cameroon). We have frequent conversations with the Gabonese authorities on a range of topics including politics and human rights. We have discussed these issues in the context of Gabon's seat on the UN Security Council, the Human Rights Council, and their recent accession to the Commonwealth. In Gabon's most recent Universal Periodic Review, we welcomed progress on women's rights and the protection of children, particularly in relation to human trafficking, and we urged greater progress on increasing political space for opposition voices and freedom of expression and assembly. During the process of accession to the Commonwealth, Gabon was assessed by the Commonwealth Secretariat and members on a number of criteria, including its commitment to democratic processes, including free and fair elections, and the protection of human rights and freedom of expression. We will continue to monitor the situation closely in the run-up to the 2023 presidential elections, working with international partners, including the EU, UN, and Commonwealth. We call for all parties to engage constructively in the elections and uphold democratic principles including the rule of law.