Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposals in the Blue Smoke publication Unveiling Equalities: a briefing examining senior appointments at key UN environment and development bodies, published in November.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting efforts to ensure merit based and inclusive multilateral appointments across all international organisations. Diversity of talent is critical in tackling our shared global challenges. The UK Government is proud to support the objectives of the UN's Senior Women Talent Pipeline, including programme funding totalling £61,292 in 2023/24, and will continue to support the UN with efforts to ensure diverse and merit-based appointments.
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 mark United Nations Day on 24 October.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This year's UN Day marks the 78th anniversary of the birth of the United Nations since the UN Charter came into force in 1945. The UK is proud to have been a strong supporter of the UN since its inception and we remain fully committed both to the UN and to the values it works to uphold. On 24 October, HMG will recognise UN Day through a series of posts across social media and other communications platforms as well as by attending relevant events at the UN in New York.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many organisations submitted proposals by the closing date of 31 July setting out how they could deliver a key component of the British Embassy in Kinshasa’s Humanitarian Action and Recovery after Crisis programme; and which organisation has been selected to deliver that programme.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A large number of organisations submitted proposals setting out how they would deliver a key part of the British Embassy in Kinshasa's Humanitarian Programme. The decision as to which organisation will be selected to deliver is still ongoing and all those involved will be informed of the result in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial contribution they have made to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the financial year 2022–23; and what contribution has been allocated for this support in the financial year 2023–24.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to supporting efforts to build stability and reduce violence in DRC including through the UN Peacekeeping Mission MONUSCO, where the UK contributed £51 million in 2022/23, and have allocated £48 million for 2023/2024.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they provided funding for research into atrocity prevention in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo via the Jo Cox Memorial Grant; what was the level of that funding; and what progress has been made with the project.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Three projects in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo received £1 million in funding from the Jo Cox Memorial Grant (JCMG) to identify and prevent identity-based violence. These projects were undertaken between July 2019 and July 2022. Workshops supported by the JCMG have helped to inform British Embassy Kinshasa's current atrocity prevention approach including monitoring and calling out hate speech and ethnically motivated attacks against Tutsi and Rwandaphone communities in DRC.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian situation and the level of food insecurity in North and South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and what assistance they are providing for the provision of shelter and food supplies to internally displaced persons in camps in the region.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The humanitarian emergency in eastern DRC is one of the most catastrophic globally. Since March 2022, 2.8 million people have been displaced with the majority living in unacceptable conditions and at risk. The UK leads by example, delivering life-saving humanitarian assistance with our £21 million programme in East DRC as well as urging the international community to give more resources and lobbying the DRC Government to take responsibility to improve access, reduce sexual abuse and to provide protection. In July 2023, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated an additional $13 million to support a DRC system-wide scale up. The UK is the largest overall contributor to CERF since its inception.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether UK Ministers and/or officials who represent the UK at the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will (1) participate fully in discussions with the Russian delegation about preparations for the 2023 RevCon, and (2) make representations to the Russian delegation about the invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK officials will deliver statements highlighting Russia's illegal war of aggression and condemning the Russian Government's reprehensible actions which are an egregious violation of international law and the UN Charter. The UK will not have bilateral meetings with Russian state representatives but remains open to attending meetings among the five Nuclear Weapon States in order to fulfil our obligations under the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, and reduce risks around miscalculation.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which Minister will represent the Government at the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), scheduled to hold its first session from 31 July to 11 August 2023 at the Vienna International Centre in Austria; and what proposals will the UK present to the PrepCom.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO Director for Defence and International Security and the UK Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament will represent the UK at the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference. The UK remains committed to the full implementation of the NPT. The UK is focused on increasing efforts to expand access to nuclear technology to support delivering the Sustainable Development Goals; and will also underline the importance of the non-proliferation system in protecting global security.
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 have taken to consult with civil society organisations about the proposals they will put to the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) which is scheduled to hold its first session from 31 July to 11 August 2023 at the Vienna International Centre in Austria; and which civil society organisations have submitted their views to the Government in advance of PrepCom.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK engages in and encourages transparent consultation with civil society organisations on proposals for the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Senior UK officials held a briefing with civil society organisations on Tuesday 25 July 2023, which forty representatives attended. The UK delegation also intended to engage with civil society at the Preparatory Committee.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the outcomes from the discussions at the EU Indo–Pacific Forum held in Stockholm on 12 May; and what plans they have made to attend such meetings in the future.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations], represented the UK at the EU Indo-Pacific Forum in Stockholm on 13 May. I had substantive dialogue with many EU and Indo-Pacific Ministers during the meeting, as well as bilaterals with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marsudi, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Rabbani Khar, Bangladesh's Minister of Information, Mahmud and Sweden's Foreign Minister Billström. Discussions at the Forum were useful and demonstrated strong collective commitment to promoting peace and security, stability and shared prosperity across the region. The UK will continue engaging with our EU and Indo-Pacific partners in multiple formats to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.