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.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are planning to review the approaches taken to address the involvement of UK citizens and residents in the Yazidi genocide; and whether they are initiating and pursuing judicial proceedings for genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes inflicted on the Yazidi people.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In August 2023, the UK Government announced that it acknowledges acts of genocide were committed by Daesh against the Yazidis. This sends a strong signal of the UK's commitment of support to Yazidi communities and has been welcomed by Yazidi people, including the Yazidi Prince, Kurdish Regional Government Prime Minister Barzani, and British Parliamentarians. The UK is committed to ensuring that those responsible for the commission of serious international crimes do not go unpunished. Universal jurisdiction has been adopted in the case of certain heinous crimes to accord with customary international law and to comply with the UK's international obligations as set out in various treaties. These include the Geneva Conventions and the Convention Against Torture. The UK is committed to help other countries to prosecute offences that take place on their territory or within their jurisdiction, including the investigation and prosecution of crimes to which universal jurisdiction may apply. Hence, the UK has arrangements to provide mutual legal assistance to other countries and permits the surrender of its own nationals subject to statutory safeguards.
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 the health of British citizen Jimmy Lai, imprisoned in Hong Kong, and whether they have sought his release on grounds of compassion.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Diplomats from our Consulate-General in Hong Kong are observing Mr Lai's trial. We are pressing for consular access, which the Hong Kong Prison Authorities have refused on grounds they do not recognise dual nationality.
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 with regard to British judges serving in Hong Kong courts.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Retired UK judges that choose to serve on Hong Kong courts do so in a personal capacity, which is their right as private citizens. The UK judiciary is independent from the UK Government.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are supporting efforts by the United States to encourage the warring parties in Sudan to enter ceasefire talks; and if so, what progress has been made in those talks, and in finding a resolution to the conflict.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is supporting the US and other international partners in pressing the parties to agree to enter ceasefire talks. The Foreign Secretary publicly welcomed the planned talks co-hosted by the US, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland on 14 August and urged the parties to participate. We continue to use all diplomatic levers, including using our position as penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council to press the warring parties to attend talks and commit to a permanent ceasefire, safe, unrestricted humanitarian access, and protection of civilians.
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 fatalities and people displaced in the conflict in Darfur, and what part they are playing in ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The limited access environment and ongoing internet and telecommunication disruptions in Sudan means that reporting on the ground is extremely restricted, so there is no accurate estimate of the number of people killed or injured. Recent estimates suggest that there are 5.2 million people internally displaced in Darfur. We continue to take a leading role in supporting processes for justice and accountability in Sudan. The Human Rights Council adopted the UK-led 'Sudan Core Group' resolution in October 2023, mandating the creation of a Fact-Finding Mission (FFM), which will ensure that credible allegations of human rights violations and abuses, including acts of conflict-related sexual violence by all sides, will be investigated impartially in order to support future accountability efforts.
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 the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pakistani Minorities, Exploitation Of Bonded Brick Kiln Labourers In Pakistan: The Unseen Modern-Day Slavery, published on 29 May; whether they intend to act on the report’s recommendations, especially in regard to the use of UK development aid in combatting the exploitation of Pakistan's minorities, particularly women and children; and whether they will draw the report and its recommendations to the attention of the government of Pakistan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is committed to eradicating all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking anywhere in the world. We regularly raise the rights of minorities with the Government of Pakistan. In Pakistan, our Aawaz II Accountability, Inclusion and Reducing Modern Slavery Programme and Asia Regional Child Labour Programme are working with partners, including the Government of Pakistan and civil society, to reduce child and bonded labour. Meanwhile, our Girls and Out of School Action for Learning programme is improving education outcomes for marginalised children from the most vulnerable sections of society. We will continue to use our funding to support Pakistan's long-term development, focusing on improving governance and human rights, macroeconomic stability and trade, and climate resilience.
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 of women and girls in Afghanistan, including as gender apartheid; and what representations they are making to international bodies, including the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice (including under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) about the plight of women and girls.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
There has been an appalling erosion of women and girls' rights in Afghanistan, particularly in terms of access to education and freedom of movement. The UK government will promote human rights on the international stage including supporting the mandate of the UN's Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett. The UK government strongly supports international rule of law. There is an open investigation into the situation in Afghanistan by the ICC.
The FCDO is aware of calls for the inclusion of gender apartheid as a new crime against humanity. There are complex legal and political questions associated and we will take these into account when forming our position.