Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

I was saddened to hear of Father Swamy's passing on July 5, aged 84. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon raised Father Swamy's case with India's Foreign Secretary, Harsh Shringla, and India's Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kishan Reddy, on 15 March while in India. I also discussed Father Swamy's case with the Indian High Commissioner on 8 June. The British High Commission in New Delhi and Deputy High Commission in Mumbai had been following Father Swamy's case closely.

Human Rights Defenders make an essential contribution to the promotion of the rights of their fellow citizens. They face growing threats around the world and the UK works with international partners to support them through organisations like Lifeline and Frontline Defenders, and through our overseas network of embassies and high commissions. In June, the UK and India subscribed to the G7 2021 Open Societies Statement, which makes clear our countries' shared belief in the importance of human rights for all, and the role of human rights defenders in promoting fundamental freedoms.

In India we work with Union and State Government, and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), to build capacity and exchange expertise on human rights issues. Human rights discussions will continue to form part of our broad and deep bilateral relationship.

Since 2015, the UK has provided over £11.1 billion in humanitarian funding reaching over 33.7 million people with life-saving humanitarian assistance, with people in need in Africa and MENA regions receiving the most support. The FCDO has committed to spend £906 million this financial year to support the world's most vulnerable communities suffering in crisis.The FCDO is also uniquely placed to bring together diplomatic clout and humanitarian expertise to drive more effective approaches to crisis prevention, preparedness and response, such as the first ever G7 Compact to tackle the drivers of famine or our ongoing work on Tigray.

The UK Government remains committed to supporting Afghanistan through our diplomatic and development work and support to the security sector. We continue to be a substantial contributor to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund and its role in continuing to provide primary health care and tackle Covid-19 and to educate children. We remain committed to providing financial support to sustain Afghan forces. We are working with the government of Afghanistan to tackle illicit finance and corruption. We are supporting the international efforts to energise an Afghan peace process.

UK Government ministers and officials have frequent discussions with representatives of the Afghan Government. Most recently on 16 July, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia, discussed peace and security in Afghanistan with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar. The Prime Minister spoke to President Ghani on 17 June to reaffirm the UK's commitment to Afghanistan and that the UK would continue to support a negotiated peace settlement as the best path to peace in Afghanistan.

The FCDO is committed to advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda through the National Action Plan. We look forward to engaging with partners and stakeholders over the coming months to ensure that the WPS agenda is appropriately supported by the International Development Strategy.

We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. The UK regularly raises the issue of forced evictions from their homes, including in Sheikh Jarrah, with the Government of Israel, most recently with the Ministry of Justice on 12 July. On 8 May I publicly expressed concern over tensions in Jerusalem linked to the threatened eviction of Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah. We monitor the situation in East Jerusalem closely, and officials regularly visit areas at risk of demolition and eviction and attend related court hearings.

The FCDO works with a wide range of partners to deliver our development assistance. As new programmes open, delivery partners can bid for new funding through open competition.

The FCDO provided a total of £1.35 million in ODA to The Gambia in the financial year 2020-21. This included funding from both DFID and the FCO before the creation of the FCDO.

The UK is concerned by the outbreak of violence and looting in South Africa in recent days, which has sadly resulted in loss of life, injuries, and substantial damage to buildings and businesses. We strongly support President Ramaphosa's emphasis on the importance of the rule of law and the government's determination to restore calm. As a long-standing friend of South Africa, the UK partners closely with the South African Government, business and civil society on a shared agenda of security, health, economic and social issues.

CDC has published its full energy portfolio, as at December 2019, on its website - https://assets.cdcgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/11174306/Fossil-Fuels-and-Renewables-portfolio-as-at-31-December-2019-pdf.pdf

Having published its 2020 Annual Review on the 6th July, CDC will publish its full energy portfolio, as at December 2020, on its website in due course.

The UK is deeply concerned by the recent violent confrontations and civil unrest in Eswatini and we continue to monitor developments closely. Alongside the EU and US, the UK has made it absolutely clear to the Government of Eswatini that it must exercise restraint and respect the human rights of its people, including their right to peaceful protest, and called for all alleged incidents of police brutality and mishandling to be investigated. At the same time, the UK and our partners have stressed that protestors must voice their concerns via non-violent means, and desist from looting or the destruction of private property. The UK, welcomes the calling of a Sibaya which allows HM King Mswati III to address his people and presents an initial opportunity for citizens to express their views.

We are appalled at the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence in Tigray. We have raised this issue in a variety of multilateral fora, including the UNSC and G7. We welcome the joint Inquiry of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission into human rights violations and abuses in Tigray, and continue to press for unfettered access to the region and victims. The UK is supporting the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to ensure that their joint investigation into atrocities in Tigray with the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission is independent, transparent and impartial and holds the parties to this conflict directly responsible for these unspeakable crimes.

The UK has recently allocated a further £16.7 million towards the crisis in Tigray. Part of this funding will be used to support survivors of sexual violence, through mobile health teams and by helping to re-start service delivery at health centres that were impacted by violence and looting. The UK has also deployed an individual from the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative to Tigray to complete a scoping mission to identify gaps and provide recommendations for the UK's response.

The UK is concerned by the outbreak of violence and looting in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal (home to Durban) and Gauteng in recent days, which has sadly resulted in loss of life, injuries, and substantial damage to buildings and businesses. We welcome the South African Government's determination to restore calm and strongly supports President Ramaphosa's emphasis on the importance of the rule of law. Our High Commission remain in regular contact with the South African authorities. As a long-standing friend of South Africa, the UK will continue to partner closely with the South African Government, business and civil society on a shared agenda of security, health, economic and social issues.

The UK is concerned by the outbreak of violence and looting in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal (home to Durban) and Gauteng in recent days, which has sadly resulted in loss of life, injuries, and substantial damage to buildings and businesses. We welcome the South African Government's determination to restore calm and strongly supports President Ramaphosa's emphasis on the importance of the rule of law. Our High Commission remain in regular contact with the South African authorities. As a long-standing friend of South Africa, the UK will continue to partner closely with the South African Government, business and civil society on a shared agenda of security, health, economic and social issues.

The FCDO encourages all its UK and Overseas offices to use British produce and wine at UK-hosted events as far as possible, as we recognise the importance of showcasing British cuisine globally.

The FCDO does not hold data on British wine/food usage at receptions and events overseas centrally.

We are proud to enjoy an excellent bilateral relationship with Israel. We welcome the formation of a new government, and look forward to working together closely to ensure the relationship goes from strength to strength. We engage frequently with the Government of Israel, and will continue to do so.

The UK Government is deeply concerned about the grave humanitarian situation in Ethiopia and shares the concerns outlined in the report on 24 June by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report in June reported high levels of food insecurity in Tigray with 353,000 in 'catastrophe' as per the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) levels. Ensuring assistance gets to those who need it most remains our priority in Tigray. We continue to explore all options with partners to expand humanitarian access by both air and land.

On 14 June I announced that the UK will allocate a further £16.7 million to the crisis in Tigray. This will support civil-military coordination to help aid get to those in need and address famine risk through the provision of healthcare, sanitation, and nutritional support. This allocation is on top of the existing £27 million in 2020-21 already directed to the response, and an additional £4 million allocated to support nutrition and vaccinations in Tigray. This brings UK total funding to support response to the crisis to £47.7 million. We continue to urge all parties to the conflict to protect civilians, allow unfettered humanitarian access and respect international humanitarian law.

All programming and funding decisions for Financial Year 21/22 are being considered in the context of a temporary overall reduction in Overseas Development Assistance. Allocation decisions have been taken by Ministers in line with the objectives set out in the Integrated Review. We are working with suppliers and partners on what this means for individual programmes. Full budgets and programmes per country will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development website and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.

All programming and funding decisions for Financial Year 21/22 are being considered in the context of a temporary overall reduction in Overseas Development Assistance. Allocation decisions have been taken by Ministers in line with the objectives set out in the Integrated Review. We are working with suppliers and partners on what this means for individual programmes. Full budgets and programmes per country will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development website and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.

The UK was concerned by the recent outbreak of violence and looting in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, which sadly resulted in loss of life, injuries, and substantial damage to buildings and businesses. We welcome the South African Government's determination to restore calm and strongly support President Ramaphosa's emphasis on the importance of the rule of law. Our High Commission remains in regular contact with the South African authorities. As a long-standing friend of South Africa, the UK will continue to partner closely with the South African Government, business and civil society on a shared agenda of security, health, economic and social issues.

The UK was concerned by the recent outbreak of violence and looting in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, which sadly resulted in loss of life, injuries, and substantial damage to buildings and businesses. We welcome the South African Government's determination to restore calm and strongly support President Ramaphosa's emphasis on the importance of the rule of law. Our High Commission remains in regular contact with the South African authorities. As a long-standing friend of South Africa, the UK will continue to partner closely with the South African Government, business and civil society on a shared agenda of security, health, economic and social issues.

Since 2011, the UK has allocated over £780 million in humanitarian and development funding to Lebanon. We have provided 1.1 million people with sustainable access to clean water and sanitation, and improved infrastructure and services in over 220 municipalities. In the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion in August 2020, the UK was one of the biggest donors to the response, providing over £27 million of assistance to support the most vulnerable. The UK is at forefront of support to Lebanon's response to coronavirus and has contributed nearly £4.5 million for medical supplies via the World Health Organisation and support through the British Red Cross as well as funding 10 isolation centres.

The UK recognises the growing pressure to extract deep sea resources, and is deeply concerned about the potential impacts of mining activities on the fragile marine environment. We therefore continue to press for the very highest environmental standards to be agreed and activated by the International Seabed Authority. Until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impacts on deep sea ecosystems and strong and enforceable environmental regulations in place, the UK has committed not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects.

FCDO's 21/22 planned country allocations (budgets) will be published in our Annual Report later this year alongside our audited 20/21 accounts. HMG's final 2021 ODA spend, including country data will be published in the 'Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend' in autumn 2022. We will continue to publish our spend information by project on DevTracker.

COVID-19 is making an already bad food security situation worse and dozens of countries are in or at risk of a generalised food security crisis. As Oxfam's report states, 2020 saw a sharp increase in severe hunger in countries affected by conflict, and according to latest estimates, the number of people at emergency levels of food insecurity in 2021 has risen further to 41 million.

Humanitarian preparedness and response is one of the seven priority areas for the UK's aid budget this year. FCDO will spend £906 million to maintain the UK's role as a force for good at times of crisis, focusing on those countries most affected by risk of famine. We are combining this funding with our diplomatic and aid expertise: following our 2020 Call to Action to Prevent Famine, our Presidency this year secured the G7's first ever Compact to tackle the drivers of famine. In addition, we have adapted many of our programmes to address impacts of COVID-19 and the longer-term climate crisis. For example, the UK co-chaired multilateral Global Agriculture and Food Security Program has adapted its portfolio to mitigating COVID-19 impacts and to deliver a greener recovery in the poorest countries most affected by the triple threat.

COVID-19 is making an already bad food security situation worse and dozens of countries are in or at risk of a generalised food security crisis. As Oxfam's report states, 2020 saw a sharp increase in severe hunger in countries affected by conflict, and according to latest estimates, the number of people at emergency levels of food insecurity in 2021 has risen further to 41 million.

Humanitarian preparedness and response is one of the seven priority areas for the UK's aid budget this year. FCDO will spend £906 million to maintain the UK's role as a force for good at times of crisis, focusing on those countries most affected by risk of famine. We are combining this funding with our diplomatic and aid expertise: following our 2020 Call to Action to Prevent Famine, our Presidency this year secured the G7's first ever Compact to tackle the drivers of famine. In addition, we have adapted many of our programmes to address impacts of COVID-19 and the longer-term climate crisis. For example, the UK co-chaired multilateral Global Agriculture and Food Security Program has adapted its portfolio to mitigating COVID-19 impacts and to deliver a greener recovery in the poorest countries most affected by the triple threat.

We do not publish Partnership Principles Assessments. We have an active dialogue with the PA on the issues identified through these channels and we assess that the PA continues to demonstrate a credible commitment to our agreements and the 'partnership principles'.

We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. The UK regularly raises the issue of forced evictions from their homes with the Government of Israel. The Foreign Secretary raised ongoing evictions, demolitions and settlement activity with the Israeli Authorities during his visit to the region on 26 May. We continue to urge Israel to cease such actions, which in all but the most exceptional cases are contrary to International Humanitarian Law.

Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle any language and actions that could incite violence or hatred. We have a regular dialogue with the Palestinian Authority in which we reiterate the need for both sides to prepare their populations for peaceful coexistence, including by promoting a more positive portrayal of each other. We continue to urge the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to avoid engaging in, or encouraging, any type of action and language that makes it more difficult to achieve a culture of peaceful coexistence and a negotiated solution to the conflict.

Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle any language and actions that could incite violence or hatred. We have a regular dialogue with the Palestinian Authority in which we reiterate the need for both sides to prepare their populations for peaceful coexistence, including by promoting a more positive portrayal of each other. We continue to urge the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to avoid engaging in, or encouraging, any type of action and language that makes it more difficult to achieve a culture of peaceful coexistence and a negotiated solution to the conflict.

The UK warmly welcomed the normalisation agreements between Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Sudan. These are historic steps which see the normalisation of relations between friends of the UK. We also welcome the suspension of plans for Israeli annexation of the West Bank - a move the UK has opposed - as it would have been counterproductive to securing peace in the region.

Restoring cooperation is an important and constructive step towards peace, and shows both sides are willing to put the needs and security of both Israelis and Palestinians first. We need to build on this momentum through further dialogue and compromise to move towards a two state solution and a lasting solution to the conflict. The United Kingdom will continue to work towards a more peaceful and prosperous future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

The UK warmly welcomed the normalisation agreements between Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Sudan. These are historic steps which see the normalisation of relations between friends of the UK. We also welcome the suspension of plans for Israeli annexation of the West Bank - a move the UK has opposed - as it would have been counterproductive to securing peace in the region.

Restoring cooperation is an important and constructive step towards peace, and shows both sides are willing to put the needs and security of both Israelis and Palestinians first. We need to build on this momentum through further dialogue and compromise to move towards a two state solution and a lasting solution to the conflict. The United Kingdom will continue to work towards a more peaceful and prosperous future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

We have taken note of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom's factsheet entitled Nonbelievers in Africa. Protecting freedom of religion or belief for all faiths, and none, remains a priority for the UK Government. Members of non-religious communities continue to be victims of harassment and persecution, despite progress over recent years with the promotion of freedom of religion or belief for all. The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the severity and scale of violations and abuses of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all in many parts of the world, including in Africa. As the Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon underlined these points at the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group Annual General Meeting on 24 May.

Lord Ahmad works closely with the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP. In addition to championing FoRB, Mrs Bruce represents the UK at meetings of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance to advocate for the rights of individuals being discriminated against or persecuted on the basis of their faith or belief, including members of non-religious communities.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Secretary is leading work on the new International Development Strategy, which will ensure close alignment of UK development activity with the objectives of the Integrated Review. The strategy will refer to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As stated in my reply of 6 July, officials in the FDCO and MOD, centrally and across the global network, work collectively to deliver strategic outcomes as part of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and wider work. Given the breadth of the WPS agenda and global focus, information on the number of officials working on this issue is not held centrally.

We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Eritrea. The UK Government takes every opportunity to voice our concern about arbitrary arrests and detentions in Eritrea and has called for the release of those arrested and detained in this way. We have done so directly with the Government of Eritrea and publicly through our annual reporting on human rights and at the UN Human Rights Council, most recently in a statement by the UK's Ambassador for Human Rights on 21 June during the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur at the 47th session. Eritrea remains a priority country under our annual human rights reporting, and we will continue to monitor the situation there.

The Government has committed to implementing in full the recommendations in the Bishop of Truro's review, which was commissioned by the then Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. Work continues to implement them in a way that will bring real improvement to the lives of those persecuted due to their faith or belief. Of the 22 recommendations we have fully delivered ten, made good progress on a further eight, and are confident that all 22 will be delivered by the time of the independent review in 2022.

Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is a priority in the FCDO's multilateral work. It was a key strand of the UK's successful campaign to be re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council. As part of our longstanding and continuing work, we advocate for countries to appoint FoRB Envoys. The Government is currently considering how the recommendation on the scale of persecution can be implemented in a way that delivers and supports the work we are doing globally to address the challenges faced by religious minorities. We will commission an independent review into the recommendations in good time to take place at the completion of the three-year implementation period.

We continue to support a peaceful resolution of border issues between India and China, which are a bilateral matter. We welcome ongoing discussions between India and China aimed at reducing tension along the Line of Actual Control.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Secretary is leading work on the new International Development Strategy, which will be cross-government in scope. The International Development Strategy will set out the UK's approach to development, in line with the Integrated Review. It will refer to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). FCDO officials will be engaging with external stakeholders on the development of the strategy. This will build on the extensive engagement and call for evidence that was undertaken to inform the Integrated Review. We intend to publish the strategy later this year.

Recent arrests of Tigrayans in Addis Ababa and elsewhere in Ethiopia are extremely worrying, and discrimination against or targeting of any group is unacceptable. The UK is following the situation closely. We have consistently raised the importance of respect for human rights throughout this conflict, and will raise these concerns directly with the Government of Ethiopia.

The Government has committed to implementing in full the recommendations in the Bishop of Truro's review, and work continues to implement them in a way that will bring real improvement to the lives of those persecuted due to their faith or belief. Of the 22 recommendations we have fully delivered ten, made good progress on a further eight, and are confident that all 22 will be delivered by the time of the independent review in 2022.

I [Lord Ahmad] meet monthly with the Envoy to discuss freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) activity. The Envoy also works closely with FCDO Ministers in promoting FoRB in their respective geographic areas, and through her Private Secretary in the FCDO, with support from the FCDO FoRB team and other officials on specific aspects of her role, as well as the FCDO media office and Special Advisers. Geographic and thematic policy desks have the opportunity to feed in to policy recommendations and offer advice on activities. We have committed to holding a Ministerial conference on FoRB, which will bring countries together to make global progress on this important issue.

We are seeking clarification from the Nigerian Government about the circumstances of the arrest and detention of Nnamdi Kanu. The UK has requested consular access to Mr Kanu from the Nigerian Government, and we stand ready to provide consular assistance.

Attendance at the conference will be confirmed shortly.

Spending on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) is mainstreamed across wider government activity rather than funded through one budget, to ensure a broad range of activity and support for the agenda. Progress in meeting commitments and objectives under the 2018-2022 WPS National Action Plan is assessed each year as part of the Annual Report to Parliament. The Government publishes the Annual Report and also presents it to the All Party Parliamentary Group on WPS for scrutiny.

The UK Government neither encourages nor offers support to individuals or companies who operate in settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Ultimately, it will be the decision of an individual or a company whether to operate in occupied territories.