Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Minister for Africa held during his recent visit to Botswana regarding their policies on promoting gender equality, progress on LGBT+ rights and their priorities in formulating policies on sexual and reproductive rights.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I met with a wide range of civil society groups on my visit to Botswana in January, including Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals of Botswana, Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations, and Feminist Alliance Botswana. Discussions included the challenges that LGBT+ groups and women face living in Botswana, as well as the political space they have to promote further equality. We also discussed the challenges of gender-based violence and women's representation in politics. I set out UK thinking on these issues, and where we feel we can support Botswana's policy goals to address them.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to combat global activism against sexual and reproductive rights.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK government is proud to defend and promote universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including safe abortion. In the face of increasing anti-SRHR activism we will harness UK political leadership and strategic funding to elevate the voices of those most marginalised in the global south, convene and coordinate likeminded and non-traditional partners and protect SRHR from rollback at both global and national levels.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to include a reference to allocating 10 per cent of national development budgets and development assistance budgets to the implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action in the National Statement to be delivered by the UK at the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in March 2025.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK's National Statement at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will highlight our commitment to reaffirming the principles of the Beijing Declaration and putting women and girls at the heart of everything we do. This will include our commitment to defending and promoting their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
The FCDO is committed to maintaining a strong portfolio of SRHR programming and spend. There are currently no plans to set spending targets on SRHR.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to include a reference to allocating 10 per cent of Official Development Assistance to sexual and reproductive health and rights to achieve gender equality in the National Statement to be delivered by the UK at the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in March 2025.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK's National Statement at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will highlight our commitment to reaffirming the principles of the Beijing Declaration and putting women and girls at the heart of everything we do. This will include our commitment to defending and promoting their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
The FCDO is committed to maintaining a strong portfolio of SRHR programming and spend. There are currently no plans to set spending targets on SRHR.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are their priorities in formulating their policies on sexual and reproductive rights.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The empowerment of women and girls is a top priority for the UK government, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are key to this. When women and girls around the world are able to have control over their lives and their own bodies, they can avoid a life of early, multiple and often dangerous pregnancies and births, and instead complete their education, take up better economic opportunities and fulfil their potential. The UK therefore prioritises bodily autonomy and the rights of women and girls in the development of SRHR policies, in line with the Guttmacher-Lancet integrated definition of comprehensive SRHR for all.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations joint report Hunger Hotspots: FAO-WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity, published on 5 June, what steps they are taking to prevent further food insecurity in the 22 countries mentioned; and assistance they will provide to (1) Haiti, (2) Mali, (3) Palestine, (4) South Sudan, and (5) Sudan, who were found to be at the highest risk of famine.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is deeply concerned by the findings of the 2024 Hunger Hotspots report. We are the third largest government donor to the World Food Programme (WFP) and in 2024 have contributed over $600 million (£495 million) to WFP programmes, including in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Sudan, South Sudan and Haiti. In November 2024, the UK doubled its support for those affected by the war in Sudan and we committed £112 million to the OPTs this financial year. On 30 December 2024, the Minister for International Development announced further humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities, including up to £8 million for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations joint report Hunger Hotspots: FAO-WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity, published on 5 June, what assessment they have made of the project in that report that the La Niña weather phenomenon is expected to exacerbate acute hunger in many regions; and what assistance they are providing to the countries and territories which are most impacted.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is closely monitoring the potential development of La Niña conditions and in particular the risk of food security impacts in the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa.
The UK is a committed humanitarian donor, channelling over £277 million in Humanitarian Aid to the Africa region in 2023 and is already operating humanitarian programmes in those countries of concern highlighted in the Hunger Hotspots report. Those programmes are standing-by to adapt as required. On 22 August, Minister Dodds, Minister for Development, announced an additional £15 million of vital assistance to Sudan, South Sudan and Chad.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Collins of Highbury on 13 September (HL Deb cols 1811–16), what steps are they taking, together with the African Union, United Nations and Intergovernmental Authority on Development, to support the development of a civilian protection mission in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have repeatedly used our position as penholder at the UN Security Council (UNSC) to call for a ceasefire, and for all warring parties to protect civilians in Sudan. On 13 June, the UNSC adopted UK-led resolution 2736 demanding a halt to the Rapid Support Forces' siege of El Fasher and requested the Secretary-General to provide recommendations on the protection of civilians. The UK is engaging with the UN on the development of those recommendations which will be released in October ahead of the next 120-day meeting on Sudan, just ahead of our Presidency of the UNSC in November. We will continue to work alongside our international partners, including those in the region, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU) to urge the warring parties to engage constructively to secure a ceasefire, protect civilians and open up humanitarian access.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to engage in diplomacy that specifically highlights the connection between conflict and hunger, as acknowledged in United Nations Security Council Resolution 2417 in 2018 and the G7 famine prevention and humanitarian crises compact in 2021.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK champions UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2417 which enables reporting and early warnings to the UN Security Council when parties to conflict are causing food insecurity and famine risk, including by blocking access to humanitarian support and destroying agriculture and food and water production systems. We use our seat at the Security Council to implement 2417 and urge swift action when such warnings are submitted. We did this when formal warnings were issued earlier this year on Gaza and Sudan. On 13 June, the UK penned UNSCR 2736 on Sudan, with specific calls to warring parties to withdraw fighters to enable agricultural activities throughout the planting season.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Collins of Highbury on 13 September 2024 (HL Deb cols 1811–16), what steps they are taking (1) to pursue accountability for ongoing atrocities and other violations of international human rights law in Sudan; (2) to support the International Criminal Court (ICC) with its ongoing Darfur investigations; and (3) to ensure that the ICC has the financial resources needed in its regular budget to carry out its mandate (a) in Darfur and (b) across its docket.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In October 2023, the Human Rights Council adopted the UK-led resolution to establish an international and Independent Fact-Finding Mission to investigate evidence of human rights abuses and violations in Sudan. Following publication of its first report in September, the UK co-led renewal on 9 October 2024 of the Fact-Finding Mission's mandate for a further year, with the Resolution passing by a higher vote margin this year. The UK continues to support the work of the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) to gather open-source evidence on the ongoing fighting, with a view to supporting future accountability efforts. We continue to support the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor's ongoing work to investigate the allegations of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. Our practical support to the ICC more broadly includes witness protection; sentence enforcement; commitment to the ICC's reform process; and work to ensure that the Court has the resources it needs to operate effectively.