Official Development Assistance
Debate between Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle and Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)
My Lords, antimicrobial resistance is a huge security threat to the United Kingdom, as well as a health threat and an economic threat. The noble Lord, Lord O’Neill, from these Benches, was commissioned by the Government in 2014 to conduct a review on AMR, and that led to the foundation of the Fleming Fund, which has now been killed off. In the other place, the Government said:
“While the Fleming Fund itself is not continuing, the partnerships, the information and the expertise are”.
Can the Minister help me to understand what that actually means, given we have killed a major institutional organisation, which has been genuinely world-leading in the field of AMR?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
I think those comments were made by the Minister for Public Health, Minister Dalton, at the International Development Committee last week. I would invite the noble Baroness to look at how we are focusing on function and not form. The decision from the Department of Health and Social Care, led by Chris Whitty, on research and development, is that the work and benefits of the Fleming Fund, which she quite rightly points out have been outstanding in its work on antimicrobial resistance, must continue. Much has been learned through the Fleming Fund, but it is right that we evolve that into other agencies so that we can get the benefit from that.
Sudan
Debate between Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle and Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
Yes, in short. We need to use a variety of agencies in order to reach people. The noble Lord is also right in what he says about nutrition: we see people who are badly malnourished, and that has other impacts. Cholera is now present, for example. Even the work that we do on the border in refugee camps is hampered by the condition that people find themselves in. Vaccinations become difficult because they are less effective when a child is malnourished. I fear that the impact of this is going to be very long lasting.
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Ahmad, referred to the extreme levels of sexual violence happening in Sudan, particularly against women and girls. As a result of a lack of funding, the UNFPA—the sexual and reproductive health agency—has been forced to withdraw from more than half of the 93 health facilities that it had been supporting in Sudan, meaning that women, girls and men who were victims of sexual violence are not getting the support that they were previously. Does the Minister agree that that is both a tragedy and a huge failure of the international community?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
Yes, I am happy to agree with that; it is dreadful, and if there is a way that we can address this, then we should be doing it. We are doing what we can to support women and girls who have been through the most hideous of experiences. I have sat with them, looked them in the eye and heard what they have had to say. Where support can be provided, it is being provided, but the difficulty for any agency of operating in that context cannot be overestimated. It is incredibly challenging. I commend all those who are doing so, because they are putting their lives at risk every day. We see attacks on aid workers and the deliberate targeting of the delivery of food, including in camps. There is currently nowhere on earth that is as difficult as Sudan to operate in.
G7
Debate between Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle and Baroness Chapman of Darlington(4 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)
My Lords, the Statement refers, rightly, to Israel’s complete blocking of aid to Gaza as being “appalling and unacceptable”. Since the Statement was made, Israel has resumed attacks on Gaza; 400 people have died, including many children, and there is great concern for the remaining Israeli hostages in this situation. Sir Keir Starmer said that he was “deeply concerned” about the Israelis resuming military action, and, in the other place, he refused to rule out the suspension of further arms sales. Surely we are now at the point where we have to suspend all arms sales to Israel.
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
We have been very clear that we think that Israel ought to allow aid into Gaza, and that it is wrong to disrupt that flow and to cut off the electricity supply. What matters is that we can protect that population, feed those children and get the medical supplies where they need to be. On arms and restrictions, as noble Lords know, we take an approach that is based on the law, and we apply the law. We made decisions last year to impose restrictions; we will do so again should we need to in future. The situation today is the same as it was yesterday, and we have made no new decisions on that.
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
I do not need to explain to the noble Lord that it is not straightforward to reopen the embassy in Damascus after such a period of time, but I take on board his desire to see that happen. I understand why he said that; there are very good reasons to take that view. I will consider that alongside Minister Hamish Falconer, who I am sure will respect, as he should, the views of the noble Lord.
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)
My Lords, the Statement refers to the G7 condemning
“the Rwanda-backed offensive in the eastern DRC, which is a flagrant breach of the DRC’s territorial integrity”.
Shortly after the Statement was made, the EU sanctioned nine additional individuals and one entity in association with Rwanda’s backing of the M23. I know that if I ask about Magnitsky-style sanctions, the Minister will answer saying, “We don’t talk about what we are going to do in the future”. Instead, I seek from her a reassurance that the Government are maintaining a focus on this crucial issue of the highest humanitarian damage and disaster, particularly because of violence against women and girls but also more generally. Can she reassure me that the Government are keeping a focus here?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
I thank the noble Baroness for raising that point, and particularly for mentioning women and girls—she is right to do so. On sanctions, obviously we do not talk about designations ahead of time, but it is important. It is too easy, sometimes, to forget about the DRC—and, indeed, Sudan—when we have Ukraine and Gaza so prominent in our minds, so I am grateful to her for raising that.
Ukraine
Debate between Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle and Baroness Chapman of Darlington(5 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)
I thank the noble Lord. First, I wish to add the Green Party voice to the widespread expressions of solidarity with Ukraine as a nation and the Ukrainian people. We are having this discussion in the shadow of the US lining up with Russia, Iran and North Korea. As the noble Lord, Lord Callanan, said, it is a wake-up call for us all; I agree with him. Does the Minister agree with me that we need to work with a wide range of other states—European states, obviously, but states around the world that are constructive, co-operative and reliable—and that that demands diplomacy, official development assistance, other soft power arrangements and tackling human security issues such as the climate chaos, food insecurity and cyber issues? By taking money from the aid budget and putting it into defence, are the Government not simply robbing Peter to pay Paul? A more secure and more stable world is better for the Ukrainians and obviously better for us. We do, after all, have an integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy. Do we not have to look at the world that way?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
The noble Baroness is not wrong. Obviously, it would be great to be able to do all the things that she describes everywhere that we would like to do them, but we have to be honest and realistic. At this moment, we had to make a decision to invest more in defence for the reasons that we all understand. It is a trade-off. This is not a decision with no consequence or that we are entirely pleased to be making, but one that I am proud that we have made. It is a clear choice. It will keep the world and our citizens safer. That is the right thing for this Government to have done.
Colombia: Bilateral Investment Treaty
Debate between Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle and Baroness Chapman of Darlington(6 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
I recognise what my noble friend said. I have met with many civil society organisations, including Justice For Colombia, very recently. It is important that these agreements provide a win-win. The UK wants to be a responsible partner with all our trading partners, but—I think it is fair to say—especially with Colombia.
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)
My Lords, following on from the last question, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to development has said that ISDSs are crippling for many countries in terms of the impact on development. They have been described as a form of modern-day colonialism. Does the Minister agree with that? Does she agree that ISDSs are a significant barrier to delivering the sustainable development goals to which the whole world has signed up?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
I certainly would not describe our relationship with Colombia in any way as being to do with colonialism, and Colombia would not, either. We have a respectful, equal relationship of partnership. We have supported Colombia for a very long time, across multiple Governments both here and there, towards its goal of total peace, and that is what we will continue to do.
West Papua
Debate between Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle and Baroness Chapman of Darlington(8 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
Every circumstance is different. All the situations where we have concerns are unique. Sometimes it is not possible to raise concerns through dialogue. Sometimes the nature of the relationship is such that that is completely unproductive; we can all think of examples where that is the case. In the case of Indonesia, we have a good relationship with the Government there. We seek to use that relationship to raise these concerns. I think that is the right approach.
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)
My Lords, I am sure the Minister is aware that the alien and invasive crop of palm oil, which was imposed on the people of West Papua little more than a decade ago, has caused enormous destruction and is very much associated with the human rights abuses that the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Harries, raised in his Question. I do not know whether she is aware of an excellent anthropological study of this, In the Shadow of the Palms: More-Than-Human Becomings in West Papua, which describes how, for the indigenous people of West Papua, oil palms are like sessile triffids that have come in and destroyed their environment and their communities. Can she assure me that no palm oil from West Papua is coming into the UK?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
We have worked with the Indonesian Government on sustainable palm oil. I have not read the anthropological study that the noble Baroness refers to, but if she wants to send it to me I would be very happy to look at it. We very much support the role of indigenous communities, particularly in promoting biodiversity and preventing deforestation. They are vital partners and we will achieve very little unless we work closely with indigenous communities.
British Indian Ocean Territory: Negotiations
Debate between Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle and Baroness Chapman of Darlington(9 months, 4 weeks ago)
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Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
There will be a right to visit Diego Garcia, and it is important that we recognise that. The details of what Mauritius will agree on the rest of the islands will be included in the treaty. However, at this stage, it is the intention that those islands will be able to be reinhabited by Chagossians if that is what they wish to do.
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)
The Green Party welcomes the ending, finally, of UK colonialism in Africa, although it regrets deeply that the Chagossian people, who were so shamefully and secretively dispossessed as late as the early 1970s, were not involved in the talks with Mauritius. The UK has benefited over decades from holding on to this colonial possession. Can the Minister assure me that the UK will continue to provide support and resources to Mauritius to protect the magnificent, unique and irreplaceable marine and coastal habitats of the Chagos archipelago after the handover?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
The security of the marine conservation area is very important; I think it was Foreign Secretary Miliband who instigated it. We will see it continue, and Mauritius has agreed to that.