Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported discovery of Emirati passports, allegedly linked to soldiers of the Rapid Support Forces, in battlefields in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
There has been no assessment of the reported discovery of Emirati passports in battlefields in Sudan. In our engagement with international partners, the UK continues to emphasise the importance of refraining from actions that prolong the conflict. Those who have influence with the parties must use it to bring them to the negotiating table and to seek a political resolution to the conflict in Sudan.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much they donated in Official Development Assistance to Myanmar in (1) 2017, (2) 2018, (3) 2019, (4) 2020, (5) 2021, (6) 2022, and (7) 2023.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK provided more than £42 million in Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) in Myanmar in the financial year 2023/24.
Breakdown of ODA figures as reported in FCDO Annual Accounts and Reports (available on gov.uk):
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for the upcoming replenishments of major global health multilaterals, including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is working with the international community to coordinate efforts and ensure sustainable resources for all upcoming global health replenishments. This includes GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Effective coordination across Global Health Initiatives will be needed to deliver for the global health challenges ahead.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the countries that supply arms to the government of Myanmar; and what representations they have made to those countries.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to work closely with international partners to take robust action to reduce the Myanmar military's access to arms, military equipment, fuel and funds, and to call for states to prevent or halt the flow of arms to the Myanmar military, including most recently in June with other G7 Leaders. This Government will continue to use our leadership role at the G7 and at the UN to advocate for further action. We will be clear in public and in private that it is unacceptable to sell arms to the Myanmar military.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the looting and burning of the UN World Food Programme warehouse in the state of Rakhine, Myanmar; and whether they will take any steps in response.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns all attacks on humanitarian infrastructure. In July, through a UN Press statement, the UK along with international partners, called on all actors in the conflict and the Myanmar Armed Forces in particular, to respect international law and to prioritise the protection of humanitarian infrastructure. We monitor the situation in Rakhine State closely.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take in response to recent warnings by UN special rapporteur Thomas Andrews on 4 July that Rohingya in Rakhine state are at risk of facing “genocidal violence”.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has called for the protection of civilians both in public and in private, including through a UN press statement in July and a joint statement with international partners in May. We have regular conversations with a wide range of stakeholders, including Rohingya and Rakhine civil society actors, on the need for de-escalation and inclusive support to all conflict-affected communities. We are concerned about the rise of hate speech and disinformation online and are engaging with social media companies on the need to curb the spread of this to prevent further communal violence.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of countries that are shipping aviation fuel to Myanmar; and what representations they have made to those countries.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to work closely with international partners to take robust action to reduce the Myanmar military's access to arms, military equipment, fuel and funds, and to call for states to prevent or halt the flow of arms to the Myanmar military, including most recently in June with other G7 Leaders. This Government will continue to use our leadership role at the G7 and at the UN to advocate for further action. The UK has so far announced 6 sanctions specifically targeting the import of aviation fuel to the Myanmar military.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the state of disaster declared due to the drought and resultant food shortages in Malawi, and whether they plan to provide additional aid to Malawi.
Answered by Lord Benyon
Malawi, like its Southern African neighbours, faces particularly high food shortages this year partly because of the El Nino drought. The UK has just made a £3 million contribution to the World Food Programme, primarily to import and distribute around 3,000 tonnes of food and provide cash transfers, reaching around 300,000 of the least food secure. This contribution compliments on-going efforts by the UK Government to strengthen the resilience of the Malawian people, to future climate shocks, including through contributing to sovereign drought insurance.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 18 December 2023 (HL838), whether they have had any discussions with the government of Kenya regarding the eviction and destruction of property of the Ogiek people in the Mau forest of that country.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The British High Commission in Nairobi is closely monitoring events in the Mau Forest. I have not raised this issue with the Kenyan authorities.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to their counterparts in Sudan about ending the civil war and ethnic cleansing campaign in Darfur.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The UK condemns in the strongest terms atrocities being committed across Sudan, including in Darfur. Reports of ongoing attacks on innocent civilians including by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are abhorrent and must stop immediately. As part of our diplomatic efforts to achieve peace in Sudan, we speak to all parties. We have used our exchanges with the warring parties to strongly condemn atrocities they have perpetrated and to urge them to commit to a permanent ceasefire and meaningful peace process.