Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what humanitarian assistance they are providing to internally displaced people in Nigeria’s northern and middle belt states; and what steps they have taken to protect civilians displaced by conflict in that country.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK is deeply concerned by the ongoing conflict in North East Nigeria and is committed to supporting the 1.9 million people who have been forced to flee their homes.
DFID is one of the largest donors to the World Food Programme's emergency operation in North East Nigeria, which provides cash and food assistance to those who have been displaced.?? We also support humanitarian partners including Action Against Hunger, the International Rescue Committee and the United Nations Children’s Fund to deliver emergency healthcare and nutrition, protection services, education to out of school children and access to lifesaving water. We will continue to flex our existing £300 million humanitarian programme to respond to conflict-related shocks and displacement.?The UK does not currently provide humanitarian assistance in the middle belt states.
To protect those at risk of attack as a result of the insecurity, the UK’s humanitarian programme includes a £16 million two-year initiative dedicated to providing support to those affected by the conflict in North East Nigeria, particularly victims of sexual and gender-based violence. DFID works with partners, the UN and NGOs to save lives, strengthen resilience, and protect civilians from attacks and violations of international law.? To improve the effectiveness of security responses and the protection of civilians in Borno state, the UK is providing up to £800,000 from October 2019 to March 2021.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the South Kordofan and Blue Nile Coordination Unit's Humanitarian Update, August 2019.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK regularly receives information on the economic and livelihood conditions of people in Sudan from multiple sources. This includes South Kordofan and Blue Nile states as well as other areas of high humanitarian need. These reports help us to assess damage or losses caused by natural or man-made events and are used to make credible determinations of the best use of available resources to address the basic needs of those affected, using UK taxpayer funds. The findings in the named report are in keeping with a range of other sources. Given the risks to humanitarian actors working in remote and conflict affected locations we are cautious not to draw attention to specific reports or organisations working in these locations.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with governments in the Gulf about the provision of reconstruction assistance to Syria; and what assessment they have made of withholding such assistance.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK has not had discussions with governments in the Gulf about the provision of reconstruction funding to Syria. We remain clear that we will not consider providing such assistance without a credible, substantive and genuine political process firmly underway. The UK calls upon all parties to engage in a political process that helps create a calm, safe and neutral environment, which will be vital if free and fair elections are to take place. The UK is focussed on delivering life-saving humanitarian aid to those affected by the ongoing conflict. We engage with a broad range of international partners to encourage sustained international support for the humanitarian effort in Syria (including governments in the Gulf).
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will urge the government of the United States to use its Al Tanf airbase in Syria to provide assistance to the thousands of displaced persons living in the Rukban Camp; and whether they will call on the governments of Syria and Jordan to help.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK remains immensely concerned by the ongoing situation in the Rukban camp. We have continued to publicly highlight the need for sustained humanitarian access to reach the estimated 41,000 people in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
Aid delivered by road, by trusted humanitarian partners, including the UN and other NGO partners, is assessed as the best way to deliver aid to hard-to-reach areas such as the Rukban camp. We welcomed the successful interagency convoy that delivered life-saving aid to the camp last month. It is crucial that this is not viewed as a one-off event. We urge the Assad regime and its allies, in the strongest possible terms, to ensure there is now regular humanitarian access to the camp. We also welcome Jordan’s support in providing water to Rukban; maintaining access to the UN clinic in Rukban; and assisting with emergency medical cases.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding, if any, they intend to provide to support water and sanitation projects by the International Committee of the Red Cross in Syria.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK is funding UN and NGO partners to address vital water, hygiene and sanitation needs throughout Syria. Last year alone, our support meant that over 4 million people across Syria were provided with clean drinking water and over 2.5 million people with sanitation and hygiene assistance.
DFID is currently not funding the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Syria. This decision was taken following discussions with ICRC about DFID’s reporting and risk management requirements for partners operating in Syria.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Bates on 5 December (HL Deb, cols 1014–16) that “there cannot be a meaningful discussion about how to begin the reconstruction, because that requires a government we can deal with, and we do not have one at the moment”, whether they are seeking regime change in Syria.
Answered by Lord Bates
Syria needs an inclusive government that can protect the rights of all Syrians and unite the country. We are pragmatic about how this can be achieved, and ultimately Syria’s future must be for Syrians to decide. We continue to support the UN-led Geneva process which remains the best forum for reaching a lasting political settlement to end the conflict in Syria.