Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will put forward a candidate for the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 2026; and if so, what the process to select that candidate will be, and how they will support that candidate.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Government is fully committed to fulfilling its obligations under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and recognises the important role the CEDAW Committee plays in holding States Parties to account in implementing the treaty.
The UK takes a strategic approach to multilateral elections, running a small number of high priority campaigns each year. After careful consideration, the Government will not be nominating a candidate for the 2026 CEDAW Committee election due to other priorities. However, as with all UN bodies, the Government will carefully consider whether to nominate a UK representative for future vacancies which will arise to the Committee. It remains the UK’s ambition to demonstrate leadership on promoting gender equality which aligns with CEDAW’s principles.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have appointed the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, and if so, when they will announce that appointment.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided on 27 November to Question HL11898.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the announced staff cuts at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps they will take to ensure that gender and conflict considerations will remain central to the UK’s diplomatic and development work.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to becoming a smaller, more agile organisation, better able to deliver tangible benefits for the British people. Staff reductions are being made strategically, with decisions guided by an organisational prioritisation exercise. The FCDO plans to publish indicative Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for the next three years in the coming months, which will continue to reflect our commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the announced 15 to 25 per cent staff reduction at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office align with (1) the Government's foreign policy and development priorities and (2) with the Government’s international commitments to women, peace and security, such as the UK’s Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to becoming a smaller, more agile organisation, better able to deliver tangible benefits for the British people. Staff reductions are being made strategically, with decisions guided by an organisational prioritisation exercise. The FCDO plans to publish indicative Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for the next three years in the coming months, which will continue to reflect our commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, what steps they are taking to ensure that staff cuts at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office do not affect the UK's influence on the women, peace and security agenda.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to becoming a smaller, more agile organisation, better able to deliver tangible benefits for the British people. Staff reductions are being made strategically, with decisions guided by an organisational prioritisation exercise. The FCDO plans to publish indicative Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for the next three years in the coming months, which will continue to reflect our commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether resources are going to be cut to the women, peace and security agenda; and if so, by how much.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to becoming a smaller, more agile organisation, better able to deliver tangible benefits for the British people. Staff reductions are being made strategically, with decisions guided by an organisational prioritisation exercise. The FCDO plans to publish indicative Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for the next three years in the coming months, which will continue to reflect our commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the reasons for the cuts to staff at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to becoming a smaller, more agile organisation, better able to deliver tangible benefits for the British people. Staff reductions are being made strategically, with decisions guided by an organisational prioritisation exercise. The FCDO plans to publish indicative Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for the next three years in the coming months, which will continue to reflect our commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many British citizens were detained in foreign jails at the end of September.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
As of 30 September 2025, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was providing consular assistance to 1,834 British people detained overseas.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to encourage the international community to ensure that the forthcoming elections in Myanmar will be free and fair.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We continue to support the aspirations of the people of Myanmar for a peaceful, democratic future. Any meaningful election needs to be accompanied by an end to violence, a resumption of dialogue among all parties concerned, and it must also address the urgent need to allow access for humanitarian assistance, to end human rights violations, and reverse the collapse of public services. We will continue to engage international partners, including ASEAN and at the UN Security Council, on the challenges facing people in Myanmar.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report on the human rights and humanitarian situation in Myanmar by the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, "Unspeakable Tragedy", published in June.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK strongly condemns the Myanmar military's use of airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and places of worship. On 13 May, the former Minister for Indo-Pacific called for all parties, particularly the Myanmar military, to refrain from airstrikes, safeguard civilians, and protect civilian infrastructure. Earlier this month, our Head of Mission in Yangon raised concerns over the use of airstrikes against civilians with the Myanmar military regime. Since 2021, the UK Government has enacted 19 sanctions packages, including 10 individual sanctions targeting the import of aviation fuel into Myanmar. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Since the military coup in Myanmar, the UK has provided over £190 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance, emergency healthcare and education support, and work to support civil society and local communities. In response to the earthquake in March 2025, we provided £25 million of life-saving support to those affected. We remain committed to supporting civil society, advocating for the release of those arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and working with international partners for accountability. The UK has provided £900,000 to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar since 2021 and established the Myanmar Witness program to collect evidence of human rights violations.