Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy in relation to the provision of development aid to entities within China; and what is the total of UK aid provided to the China in the past 10 years.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Total UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend to China between 2014-2022 was £356.6 million, including FCDO ODA spend such as Chevening scholarships and British Council activity. In a Written Ministerial Statement in April 2021, the FCDO committed to cut ODA funded programmes in China by 95 per cent from the 2021-22 financial year, which it delivered. Final data for 2023 UK ODA spend will be available when the next Statistics for International Development is published on 26 September 2024.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to incorporate the specific demand from the 2024 United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, particularly the call for an end to human rights violations across the entire penal system in that country, into any future bilateral engagements with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to regularly call on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) government, through multilateral and bilateral channels, to address its appalling human rights record and acknowledge the many reports of serious and wide-ranging human rights violations, and to uphold its human rights obligations. The UK was pleased to co-sponsor the Human Rights Resolution on the DPRK, which was adopted by consensus on 4 April. This resolution called for an end to human rights violations across the penal system. The UK uses the Universal periodic review process to raise priority human rights concerns, and we are preparing for the DPRK's later this year. Member states do not disclose their submissions in advance, though they will be published shortly afterwards.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the situation facing the Hazara community in Afghanistan, particularly with regard to the findings of the 2022 Hazara Inquiry and the February report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan; and what consideration they have given to initiating proceedings before the International Court of Justice against Afghanistan for its failure to prevent and punish the crime of genocide, as per Article 1 of the Genocide Convention.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Hazara Inquiry report has done much to raise awareness of the situation of Hazaras in Afghanistan. In line with the report's recommendations, we continue to monitor and document discrimination and abuses against Hazaras. The previous Government also welcomed the Special Rapporteur's February report and noted its recommendations. While the Government currently has no plans to initiate a case against Afghanistan at the ICJ, we continue to consider all available accountability measures.
More broadly, officials from the UK Mission to Afghanistan regularly press Taliban acting ministers and Afghan officials on human rights abuses in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the situation in Darfur, particularly with regard to the findings of the Darfur Inquiry published in April 2023 and subsequent concerns raised, including by the UN Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, about the serious risk of genocide there.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK condemns in the strongest terms the escalating violence across Sudan, particularly in Darfur. We continue to call for those responsible to be held to account. On 13 June, the UNSC adopted a UK-led resolution demanding a halt to the Rapid Support Forces' siege of El Fasher and calling on the warring parties to immediately end hostilities and to allow safe and unimpeded humanitarian access. The UK continues to support the ICC Prosecutor's continuing investigation into the allegations of atrocity crimes committed in Darfur since 1 July 2002, including consideration of the atrocities committed in the ongoing conflict.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what security concerns they raised during the meeting between the Foreign Secretary and the Foreign Minister of China at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting held in Vientiane on 26 July, and whether they discussed the use of Chinese surveillance technology in the UK, the presence of Chinese intelligence agents in the Palace of Westminster, the infiltration by China of research programmes in British Universities, and China’s military threats against Taiwan during this meeting.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 26 July, the Foreign Secretary met China's Director of Foreign Affairs Commission Office and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Vientiane, Laos. The Foreign Secretary outlined this government's vision for a long-term, consistent and strategic approach to UK-China relations. He set out that the government would cooperate where we can, compete where needed and challenge where we must. The Foreign Secretary made clear the UK would always stand firm in prioritising our national security and set out the government's position on Taiwan.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what human rights concerns they raised during the meeting between the Foreign Secretary and the Foreign Minister of China at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting held in Vientiane on 26 July, and whether they raised the case of Jimmy Lai and the imprisonment of pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong, and the reported genocide of Uyghur Muslims in China during this meeting.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 26 July, the Foreign Secretary met China's Director of Foreign Affairs Commission Office and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Vientiane, Laos. The Foreign Secretary outlined this government's vision for a long-term, consistent and strategic approach to UK-China relations. He set out that the government would cooperate where we can, compete where needed and challenge where we must. The Foreign Secretary made clear this government will stand firm in its support for upholding human rights, underlined the importance of Hong Kong to the UK and raised the case of British national Jimmy Lai.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the House of Commons Resolution passed in April 2021 that Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region are suffering Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any judgment as to whether crimes against humanity or genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. It should be decided after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process. Regardless of any court's decision, this Government will stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of Uyghurs and others in Xinjiang.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Ethiopia’s adequacy of draft transitional justice policy in safeguarding human rights; and how they are supporting their counterparts in Ethiopia to ensure that justice and accountability for the Tigray War are prioritised as a pathway to the peaceful co-existence of communities.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We welcome the approval of the national transitional justice policy by the Ethiopian Government's Council of Ministers. The nationally owned policy and recently published roadmap are encouraging steps towards accountability and justice. The test of the policy will be will in the implementation. The UK has continually called for a credible, inclusive, and survivor-centred approach to transitional justice and for all human rights violations and atrocities in Ethiopia to be investigated and perpetrators to be held to account. Through our Human Rights and Peacebuilding Programme, we support survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in northern Ethiopia to lead the recovery from conflict and advance women's leadership and inclusion in regional and national dialogue, accountability and peacebuilding processes.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the humanitarian situation in Tigray since the end of the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia; and how they are monitoring the situation now that no other international or regional mechanisms are reporting on it.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The humanitarian indicators in Tigray remain worrying, with 3.8 million of the region's estimated population of 6 million needing humanitarian assistance this year. This is why the UK has increased funding for Ethiopia this financial year (2024/25) and adapted our programming to mitigate the most severe humanitarian outcomes, with an increased focus on lifesaving nutrition, health and water and sanitation programming for the most vulnerable populations, including in Tigray. We continue to engage with established systems for monitoring humanitarian need and response plans led by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). We are also investing in improving data and evidence to enable the humanitarian community to make informed decisions on the humanitarian response.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of reports that more than 2 million people are now at risk of starvation in Tigray and what action are they taking to support the affected communities.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We remain concerned about high levels of humanitarian need across many parts of Ethiopia, including in the north. Climate shocks, conflict, disease outbreaks and high inflation are driving humanitarian need in Ethiopia, including in Tigray. The humanitarian community is targeting 3.8 million people in Tigray with food assistance over the July-September lean season to stave off hunger. A UK co-led pledging conference in April helped increase humanitarian funding by securing $610 million from international development partners. This includes £100 million from the UK, which will provide lifesaving support for hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians, including over 435,000 children and mothers suffering from malnutrition, and more than 230,000 needing access to emergency healthcare. This includes UK support to the government of Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme which is strengthening food security and resilience for 8 million people living in extreme poverty across Ethiopia.