Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the government of Ethiopia to implement its declared intention to accept the ruling of the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission and to secure the re-opening of the border between those countries.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The joint declaration of 9 July between the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea covered implementation of the boundary commission decision and links between the two countries. As the Minister for Africa said in her statement of 11 July, the UK remains a steadfast partner to the region and stands ready to provide support to both parties as they work through the details necessary to implement the agreement.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to secure the agreement of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition involved in the conflict in Yemen to the UN Plan of Action to protect children who are being killed, wounded and displaced by airborne and other military attacks.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The United Kingdom considers the agreement and implementation of the UN Action Plans to be a vital step in improving the protection of children. We therefore call on all parties listed within the annex of the Secretary-General's report that have not put these measures in place to do so as a matter of priority. We call on all other parties who have put measures in place to honour their commitments in full.
We regularly raise the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law with Saudi Arabia and other parties involved in the coalition supporting the legitiment Goverment of Yemen. The Prime Minister raised the issue with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia during a call on 2 June.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the government and people of Guatemala following the Fuego volcano eruption.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is supporting Guatemala as it responds to this tragedy. We are providing funds for the emergency response in Guatemala through the Start Fund. Teams in the UK are providing support with satellite imaging and hazard mapping of the volcano, which we hope will aid ongoing risk assessments and search and rescue efforts. We have offered further assistance to the Guatemalan Government if required.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Canada following that government's decision to impose targeted sanctions against Major General Maung Maung Soe of Burma because of his role in human rights violations against the Rohingya people.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government continues to work closely with Canada and other key partners to address the ongoing crisis in Rakhine State, Burma. The Foreign Secretary and Canadian Foreign Minister Freeland discussed the humanitarian crisis last month during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and co-chaired a Foreign Minister level discussion on the issue. They discussed the situation further in a telephone call on 10 May.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional humanitarian aid they are providing to (1) Bangladeshi authorities, (2) non-governmental organisations, and (3) Department for International Development operations, dealing with the effects of the current monsoon on Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Answered by Lord Bates
With support from the UK, UN agencies, the Red Cross and NGOs on the ground are working tirelessly on measures to improve conditions in the camps and to prepare for extreme weather. The UK has led the way so far in terms of the scale and speed of our response to the crisis, pledging £129m in humanitarian support. As part of our response we are taking a wide range of measures to improve flood and cyclone preparedness, including improved shelters, water and sanitation, vaccination campaigns and prepositioning of emergency supplies.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other EU governments about expanding the EU arms embargo to cover the sale of all equipment to the military and military-owned firms in Burma.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK was instrumental in renewing and expanding the EU arms embargo on Burma. This was adopted formerly on 26 April via written procedure. We do not support the introduction of financial sanctions (beyond asset freezes on individual military figures) at this stage. On balance the FCO believes targeting companies or sectors, and disrupting Burma's financial system, could harm economic development across Burma and impact worst the most vulnerable.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to develop international support for a UN-mandated global arms embargo against Burma.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Regardless of broader international support, a UN arms embargo would require majority support in the Security Council and the absence of a veto from any Permanent members. It is our assessment that there is insufficient support amongst Council members at this time but this is an issue under constant review. We have therefore concentrated on renewing and expanding the existing EU arms embargo.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with members of the UN Security Council to secure support in principle for referral of Burma to the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged crimes against humanity committed by the Burmese armed forces.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN Security Council visited Bangladesh and Burma from 28 April to 1 May. The importance of accountability was discussed in Bangladesh and Burma and between Council members. Referring Burma to the International Criminal Court does not have the necessary support from Council members at this time.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other EU governments on expanding the EU arms embargo to cover the sale of all equipment to the military in Burma.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to support and comply with the EU arms embargo, which prohibits the supply of equipment or the provision of any training that might strengthen the Burmese military's combat capability. At the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 26 February Council conclusions were adopted on Burma. The UK was instrumental in securing agreement that the embargo should be renewed and strengthened.
Asked by: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other members of the UN Security Council regarding support, in principle, for a referral of the situation in Burma to the International Criminal Court.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We will work to ensure the UN Security Council remains focused on the Rohingya crisis and will consider how best to use the various tools, including resolutions, at the Council's disposal. This involves regular discussions with all Security Council members. There is no consensus within the UN Security Council at this time to refer Burma to the International Criminal Court.