Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they will have with the government of Uganda about its decision to close the offices of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights in that country in August 2023.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK regrets the decision by the Government of Uganda not to renew the mandate of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' (OHCHR) country office in Uganda. Since its establishment in 2006, with an initial mandate focused on the human rights situation in conflict-affected areas of Northern Uganda, OHCHR has made an important contribution towards the promotion and protection of human rights in Uganda. The UK makes regular representations to the Government of Uganda on human rights and will continue to work with all Ugandans to advocate for democratic freedoms and the respect for human rights.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the World Food Programme to cut the daily food ration to Rohingya refugees by 17 per cent; and whether they will contribute to making up the shortfall in funding.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a leading donor to the Rohingya response in Bangladesh, providing £345 million in vital humanitarian support since 2017. We are monitoring the impact of the food ration cut on the refugees closely. The UK provided £8.8m for food assistance to the Rohingya during 2022 and will continue to provide support during 2023. Global humanitarian funding is under unprecedented strain, and we are concerned that total donor funding for the Rohingya response will not revert back to previous levels. We continue to raise with the Government of Bangladesh and the UN on the importance of improving the Rohingya's self-sufficiency through income generating opportunities to reduce the reliance on humanitarian aid.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will ask the UN Human Rights Council to undertake a fact-finding mission concerning the blast at the Port of Beirut on 4 August 2020.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
From the outset, the British government called on Lebanon's leaders to urgently and transparently investigate the blast and to hold to account those responsible. We continue to lobby the Lebanese authorities on the importance of a credible and transparent investigation. There must be full accountability and those responsible for any criminal wrongdoing should face justice, and if any multilateral initiatives are brought forward we will engage constructively on them.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the government of Israel to prohibit Palestinians under the age of 22 from entering Israel to participate in organised peace-building activities and the impact that this will have on UK-funded cross-community peace building work in the region.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to call upon the Government of Israel to fully respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of Palestinians and civil society organisations and to allow them to freely operate in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). Israel must abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Lord Ahmad, has raised human rights concerns in several recent engagements with the Israeli Ambassador, including a call on 16 February. The UK is committed to making progress towards a negotiated two-state solution. In support of this, we continue to fund peacebuilding projects focused on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The UK remains committed to a two-state solution, as I [Lord Ahmad] made clear in meetings with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki, during my visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 10-13 January.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 31 January (HL4816), what consideration they have given to increasing the £350,000 given in aid to the Start Fund for Nagorno-Karabakh due to the ongoing blockade of (1) food, and (2) medicine, caused by the closure of the Lachin corridor.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Officials continue to discuss the developing situation in the region with humanitarian partners. In 2020, the UK Government was the first to respond to the outbreak of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and allocate £1 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross and, should further requests come in in relation to the Lachin Corridor, we will consider accordingly. At this time we have received no additional requests for funds from humanitarian organisations.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, if any, of the number of Iraqi refugees and asylum seekers in Jordan; and what assistance they have provided to such refugees and asylum seekers.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported 65,724 Iraqi refugees registered in Jordan in November 2022. In 2022 the UK supported 70,000 vulnerable refugees in Jordan with cash assistance to cover basic needs such as food and shelter and 150,000 refugee children to access education. The UK does not distinguish its support between Iraqi and other refugees but instead targets its support to the most vulnerable through UN agencies.
Since the expansion of Daesh in 2014, the UK has committed over £370 million in humanitarian and stabilisation assistance in Iraq to support communities across Iraq, including the reconstruction of areas affected by conflict and creating the conditions for displaced Iraqis to be able to return home. This includes £5 million to provide technical assistance to the Government of Iraq to improve its capacity to support displaced communities to return home and improve the coordination of services available to them. We continue to work with the Government of Iraq to ensure that areas affected by conflict are adequately support and that any returns are safe, dignified and voluntary.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they have provided to the government of Iraq to establish the conditions necessary for Iraqi refugees to return from Jordan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported 65,724 Iraqi refugees registered in Jordan in November 2022. In 2022 the UK supported 70,000 vulnerable refugees in Jordan with cash assistance to cover basic needs such as food and shelter and 150,000 refugee children to access education. The UK does not distinguish its support between Iraqi and other refugees but instead targets its support to the most vulnerable through UN agencies.
Since the expansion of Daesh in 2014, the UK has committed over £370 million in humanitarian and stabilisation assistance in Iraq to support communities across Iraq, including the reconstruction of areas affected by conflict and creating the conditions for displaced Iraqis to be able to return home. This includes £5 million to provide technical assistance to the Government of Iraq to improve its capacity to support displaced communities to return home and improve the coordination of services available to them. We continue to work with the Government of Iraq to ensure that areas affected by conflict are adequately support and that any returns are safe, dignified and voluntary.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of Iraqi refugees in Jordan that have (1) applied for, and (2) been granted, asylum in the UK since 2014.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The Home Office publishes data on asylum and resettlement in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of asylum applications and initial decisions by nationality are published in table Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 respectively of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to Q3 2022.
Please note, to apply for asylum in the UK, individuals must be physically in the UK. Published statistics therefore relate to Iraqi nationals who have applied for asylum while in the UK. The Home Office does not collect information on the location of refugees after they have received their decision.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representation they have made to the government of Israel to safeguard and protect religious minorities in that country following the desecration of graves at the Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion, Jerusalem.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As a defender of freedom of religion or belief for all, the UK urges respect for all burial and holy sites, which must be treated with dignity. The UK is committed to promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities and condemns all attacks on the right to freedom of religion or belief. Israel has made clear its commitment to freedom of religion and we are grateful for the Israeli authority's swift condemnation of these acts. As Minister for the Middle East, I reinforced this message during a visit to a UK donor funded school facing demolition on 12 January, in Masafer Yatta.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan regarding ending the blockade of the Lachin corridor that links Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty MP, issued a statement highlighting the importance of re-opening the Lachin corridor on 13 December and our Ambassadors in the region and other senior UK officials have reinforced this message with key interlocutors, including representatives of the Azerbaijani Government. The United Kingdom also called for early resolution of this issue in our interventions in Vienna at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on 15 December and in New York at the UN Security Council on 20 December.