Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they have received about any issues in relation to safeguarding or sexual abuse of Rohingya women and children in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh; and what action they intend to take in response to such issues.
Answered by Lord Bates
We recognise that Rohingya women and girls face risks in the camps including domestic violence, sexual harassment, forced labour and sexual exploitation. DFID is helping to provide services including psycho-social counselling, reproductive health services, child-friendly spaces, safe shelters and legal advice. We are also providing essential support for personal safety, including improved lighting and alarms to help keep women and girls safer.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the breakdown of financial support for (1) Ethiopia, (2) Sudan, and (3) Somalia, in the past three years.
Answered by Lord Bates
The amount of direct bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) the UK has provided in the last three years is set out in the table below:
Table: UK bilateral ODA to Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia 1
£ million.
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
Ethiopia | 322 | 339 | 334 |
Sudan | 50 | 55 | 65 |
Somalia | 124 | 122 | 152 |
1. All figures rounded to the nearest million
Source: Statistics on International Development 2017
ODA is a measure of official resource flows (aid) to developing countries that promotes the economic benefit and welfare of developing countries as the main objective.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current humanitarian situation in Yemen in relation to the military action taken by the government of Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK condemns the attempted missile strike on Riyadh on 4 November and recognises the need for Saudi Arabia to take measures to stem the flow of weapons into Yemen. At the same time it is vital that Yemen remains open to commercial and humanitarian imports: the UN has warned that we could face the worst famine seen for decades unless the current Saudi-led Coalition restrictions are lifted. The UK has publicly called for the immediate reopening of Hodeidah port and the resumption of United Nations flights into the country. The Foreign Secretary raised the urgency of the humanitarian situation with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia on 23 November.
We welcome the Saudi-led Coalition statement on 22 November announcing plans to open Hodeidah port to humanitarian aid and Sana’a airport to UN flights as an initial step. This alone will not be enough to avert disaster - it is critical commercial imports are also allowed as Yemen relies on these for 85-90% of its food.
The UK continues to be a leading donor to Yemen - committing £155 million for the Financial Year 2017/18, making us the fourth largest humanitarian donor overall.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the need for tunnels to be used in the Gaza area to provide food and medicine to the people of Gaza.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK believes any imported food and medicine should be provided through established Gaza crossing points. We remain deeply concerned by attempts to rearm and rebuild militant infrastructure, including the tunnel network in Gaza. This activity undermines efforts to improve the situation in Gaza and harms the prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East. We have a regular dialogue with the Israeli Government about its security concerns in Gaza. We also consistently call on the Israeli Government to ease movement and access restrictions covering the import of goods. Additionally, we have encouraged the Palestinian Authority to ensure their policy in Gaza, which has included restrictions on the shipment of medical supplies, does not unnecessarily affect the civilian population. The UK is a long-term supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), which provides basic services to 1.3 million people in Gaza, including basic health care.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK is, or will be, contributing humanitarian aid for Rohingya refugees; and if so, how much has been contributed to date.
Answered by Lord Bates
We are working at the highest levels with the government, other donors and the UN to improve access and ensure that aid reaches those that need it most. However this is a changing situation and there is not yet access to the conflict areas for a needs assessment. We are working with others to establish a picture of what is happening, where people are and what shape they are in. The UK has long been one of the biggest contributors of humanitarian aid for the displaced population in both Burma and Bangladesh. DFID has already committed £5.9 million to meet the needs of displaced Rohingya and the host communities who support them in Bangladesh. This is reaching 55,188 people with a range of support including food, education and protection of the safety and dignity of the most vulnerable, including women and girls. A further £5 million is being made available to provide urgent assistance to newly arriving refugees with needs such as food, shelter, and water and sanitation. Within Rakhine State we have provided over £30 million in humanitarian assistance since 2012, including food and sanitation for over 126,000 people. The UK Government is deeply concerned about the violence against the Rohingya and other communities in Burma’s Rakhine State, and the plight of thousands fleeing their homes.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the needs of refugees fleeing violence in the Rakhine region of Myanmar.
Answered by Lord Bates
We are working at the highest levels with the government, other donors and the UN to improve access and ensure that aid reaches those that need it most. However this is a changing situation and there is not yet access to the conflict areas for a needs assessment. We are working with others to establish a picture of what is happening, where people are and what shape they are in. The UK has long been one of the biggest contributors of humanitarian aid for the displaced population in both Burma and Bangladesh. DFID has already committed £5.9 million to meet the needs of displaced Rohingya and the host communities who support them in Bangladesh. This is reaching 55,188 people with a range of support including food, education and protection of the safety and dignity of the most vulnerable, including women and girls. A further £5 million is being made available to provide urgent assistance to newly arriving refugees with needs such as food, shelter, and water and sanitation. Within Rakhine State we have provided over £30 million in humanitarian assistance since 2012, including food and sanitation for over 126,000 people. The UK Government is deeply concerned about the violence against the Rohingya and other communities in Burma’s Rakhine State, and the plight of thousands fleeing their homes.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support, if any, they plan to give to the government of Bangladesh to accommodate Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
Answered by Lord Bates
We are working at the highest levels with the government, other donors and the UN to improve access and ensure that aid reaches those that need it most. However this is a changing situation and there is not yet access to the conflict areas for a needs assessment. We are working with others to establish a picture of what is happening, where people are and what shape they are in. The UK has long been one of the biggest contributors of humanitarian aid for the displaced population in both Burma and Bangladesh. DFID has already committed £5.9 million to meet the needs of displaced Rohingya and the host communities who support them in Bangladesh. This is reaching 55,188 people with a range of support including food, education and protection of the safety and dignity of the most vulnerable, including women and girls. A further £5 million is being made available to provide urgent assistance to newly arriving refugees with needs such as food, shelter, and water and sanitation. Within Rakhine State we have provided over £30 million in humanitarian assistance since 2012, including food and sanitation for over 126,000 people. The UK Government is deeply concerned about the violence against the Rohingya and other communities in Burma’s Rakhine State, and the plight of thousands fleeing their homes.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 26 April (HL7737), what representations they have made to the government of Israel about why it rejected Turkey’s proposal of a floating power-generating ship to help solve the electricity crisis in Gaza.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The UK has not made representations to Israel about this specific issue. We are in regular discussion with Israel, the Palestinian Authority and other development actors, specifically the UN and EU, about Gaza’s energy crisis. Improving Gaza’s provision of electricity will in turn improve Gaza’s water supply and wastewater treatment. We regularly call on both parties to work on solutions to increase the electricity supply, including press for the extension of the 161 power line and progress towards the conversion of the Gazan power station to gas.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the state of the latest humanitarian truce in Yemen, in the light of the airstrikes by the Arab states coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The UK fully supports the UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire in Yemen to ensure life-saving assistance can reach all populations in need.
During the humanitarian pause in Yemen from 12 to 17 May 2015, according to the UN, humanitarian partners were able to deliver: a month's worth of food to more than 400,000 people; access to safe water for 1.2 million people; emergency shelter and medical supplies for more than 400,000 patients; and nutritional supplies to treat almost 35,000 malnourished children.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the proposed establishment of an international enclave, protected by the United Nations, in Syria and Iraq to house internally displaced people.
Answered by Baroness Verma
The UK welcomes any option compliant with international law that might save lives in Syria and Iraq. The situation in Syria and Iraq is incredibly complex, and international enclaves are not currently feasible. For such a safe area to work in any context, all parties to the conflict would need to agree on its establishment. In the absence of such an agreement, this would require foreign military intervention, authorised by a UN Security Council resolution.