Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq who are internally displaced because of the threat posed by Daesh.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK continues to collaborate with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the international humanitarian community as we collectively seek durable solutions (led by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) for those displaced and living in insecure conditions.
Through the International Organization for Migration, the UK is contributing to the immediate stabilisation of those who remain internally displaced by funding quick impact projects and livelihood support activities. For example, we have provided the UN funding facility for stabilisation with £32 million, to restore vital public services such as utilities and education across liberated areas of Iraq. The UK also provides funding to the office of the UN durable solutions adviser to lead the UN's strategic coordination efforts.
We will always strive to ensure that internally displaced persons in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, are protected and that their returns can be safe, dignified, and voluntary.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support survivors of Daesh crimes in Iraq.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK strongly lobbied the Government of Iraq to pass the Yazidi Survivors' Law in March 2021. As a ground-breaking piece of legislation, this represented an important first step towards accountability and justice for survivors of Daesh violence. These survivors are predominantly minority women, who suffered from crimes such as conflict-related sexual violence and domestic servitude.
The UK is funding the General Directorate of Survivors' Affairs with £340,000 over three years (2022/23-2024/25), through the International Organization for Migration. This funding will support the law's full, and survivor-centred, implementation. It will also further develop capacity for Daesh accountability and help survivors access mental health and psychosocial support and rebuild their lives.
Furthermore, the UK will continue to work with Iraq and international partners to ensure that Daesh are held accountable for the crimes they have committed, following the closure in September 2024 of the United Nations investigative team to promote accountability for crimes committed by Daesh.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of proposed changes to the Personal Status Law on the rights of women and children in Iraq.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK continues to assess the implications for minorities', women's and children's rights following the amendment to Iraq's Personal Status Law was passed by Iraq's Parliament on 21 January. We have long emphasised the importance of any legislative change to be compatible with Iraq's international obligations.
We urge all our partners to uphold international norms, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Iraq on the case for legislation that protects children, especially girls, from the harmful impacts of early marriage.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is committed to protecting women and girls' rights and supports projects that strengthen women-led organisations, support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and increase women's participation in political life.
Through our diplomatic presence, we regularly encourage the Iraqi authorities' role in safeguarding the human rights for all. Countering the rollback of and promoting the rights of women and girls is a key focus of the UK's programming and policy work in Iraq. Following successful lobbying by the UK and our international partners, the amendment to the Personal Status Law maintained the same age of marriage as the current law (18, with 15 on exception).
We urge all our partners to uphold international norms, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they provide assistance to parliamentarians visiting Iraqi Kurdistan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) can support parliamentarians' visits overseas that support parliamentary business and the UK's objectives. An appropriate level of assistance from the FCDO is dependent on resource implications and capacity issues of individual missions, including the British Consulate General in Erbil.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking through Official Development Assistance to support the rights of women and girls in Iraq, including in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Countering the rollback of and promoting the rights of women and girls is a key focus of the UK's programming and policy work in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Alongside Official Development Assistance (ODA), programmes are also delivered through the UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF), which is funded through both ODA and non-ODA sources.
While the £2.7 million Women's Voices First programme completed in May 2024, its second phase will provide up to £5 million further over the next 3 years. This continued UKISF programme helps to strengthen grassroots Iraqi women's rights organisations and women-led organisations, advances locally led approaches, and contributes to inclusive peace and security in communities, across Federal Iraq and the KRI.
The UK is also funding the International Organisation for Migration to provide capacity building support to the General Directorate of Survivors Affairs, and to civil society organisations, to advance the Yazidi Survivors' Law and deliver mental health and psychosocial support for Yazidi and other minority survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
In addition, the UK also helps to advance family planning and sexual and reproductive health initiatives through the £14 million Demographic Transition in Iraq project.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Rwanda regarding their support for the rebel group M23 and the possibility of the group's withdrawal from Goma and other territories it has occupied.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK condemns the occupation of Goma and other territories in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by M23 and Rwandan Defence Forces as an unacceptable breach of DRC's sovereignty and the UN Charter, which poses a fundamental risk to regional stability. The humanitarian situation is now critical, with hundreds of thousands of people re-displaced, acute food insecurity and an increased risk of violence against civilians, especially women and girls.
The Foreign Secretary has spoken with President Kagame and President Tshisekedi to call for immediate de-escalation and a return to diplomatic talks. The UK has been at the forefront of encouraging regionally-led peace efforts, including the Luanda and Nairobi Processes. The joint Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East Africa Community (EAC) Summit in Dar es Salaam 7-8 February committed to resuming dialogue and negotiations with all state and non-state parties and supporting this with AU-appointed facilitators, as well as calling for improved humanitarian access.
In the UK's statement on the situation in eastern DRC, we called for the immediate withdrawal of all Rwandan Defence Forces from Congolese territory. We have been clear with Rwanda that an attack on Goma would provoke a strong response from the international community.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to facilitate dialogue and to explore options for a political settlement between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK condemns the occupation of Goma and other territories in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by M23 and Rwandan Defence Forces as an unacceptable breach of DRC's sovereignty and the UN Charter, which poses a fundamental risk to regional stability. The humanitarian situation is now critical, with hundreds of thousands of people re-displaced, acute food insecurity and an increased risk of violence against civilians, especially women and girls.
The Foreign Secretary has spoken with President Kagame and President Tshisekedi to call for immediate de-escalation and a return to diplomatic talks. The UK has been at the forefront of encouraging regionally-led peace efforts, including the Luanda and Nairobi Processes. The joint Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East Africa Community (EAC) Summit in Dar es Salaam 7-8 February committed to resuming dialogue and negotiations with all state and non-state parties and supporting this with AU-appointed facilitators, as well as calling for improved humanitarian access.
In the UK's statement on the situation in eastern DRC, we called for the immediate withdrawal of all Rwandan Defence Forces from Congolese territory. We have been clear with Rwanda that an attack on Goma would provoke a strong response from the international community.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent occupation of the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the rebel group M23.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK condemns the occupation of Goma and other territories in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by M23 and Rwandan Defence Forces as an unacceptable breach of DRC's sovereignty and the UN Charter, which poses a fundamental risk to regional stability. The humanitarian situation is now critical, with hundreds of thousands of people re-displaced, acute food insecurity and an increased risk of violence against civilians, especially women and girls.
The Foreign Secretary has spoken with President Kagame and President Tshisekedi to call for immediate de-escalation and a return to diplomatic talks. The UK has been at the forefront of encouraging regionally-led peace efforts, including the Luanda and Nairobi Processes. The joint Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East Africa Community (EAC) Summit in Dar es Salaam 7-8 February committed to resuming dialogue and negotiations with all state and non-state parties and supporting this with AU-appointed facilitators, as well as calling for improved humanitarian access.
In the UK's statement on the situation in eastern DRC, we called for the immediate withdrawal of all Rwandan Defence Forces from Congolese territory. We have been clear with Rwanda that an attack on Goma would provoke a strong response from the international community.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leeds (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to secure guarantees from Sudan’s warring parties for the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected populations.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The UK continues to speak out publicly and vigorously to press the warring parties to facilitate unhindered, crossline and cross-border humanitarian access. On 27 February, the UK called for the UN Security Council to convene for a closed consultation in response to the SAF's decision to withdraw permission for the movement of humanitarian personnel and supplies into Sudan from Chad via the Adré crossing. On 20 March, we made a UK intervention at the Security Council highlighting the OCHA White Note's clear warning that obstruction of humanitarian access by the SAF and RSF is resulting in people in Sudan starving. On 8 March, the UK led the Security Council to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire for Ramadan and for urgent humanitarian access.