Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support and funding, if any, they give to Indigenous Women’s Commissions in the various Colombian Indigenous Tribes (1) to support the legal training the commissions offer about sexual and gender-based violence, (2) to train magistrates in the Indigenous Justice System about gender, and (3) to support the work they do with indigenous women and girls, victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Colombia is a priority country for the UK's Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Strategy. The UK has supported the Special Jurisdiction for Peace for those documenting cases of sexual violence in conflict. With women's organisations, our support has ensured survivors of sexual violence, including indigenous women, receive justice and support. The UK has also supported Colombia's first Women Peace and Security National Action Plan, ensuring indigenous women's experiences were heard. During his visit to Colombia in November, Lord Collins met civil society and women's organisations to underline UK support.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether their Embassy in Bogotá has been monitoring the return of the displaced Wiwa Indigenous Communities of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia, and what is their assessment of the security in that region for indigenous communities.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We remain concerned at the violence facing the Wiwa community. Embassy officials visited and discussed security concerns with Wiwa communities in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in October 2024, and raised these issues with local authorities, the Ministry of Defence, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace. Supporting Colombia in its commitment to secure a lasting peace is an important priority of this Government. We are working with the Colombian government and other partners to implement the 2016 Peace Agreement, including the Ethnic Chapter. We support the protection of the Wiwa indigenous peoples through our funding of civil society organisations and UN agencies.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether UK aid is being used to address the depletion of important ecosystems in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We remain concerned about the environmental damage from organised crime in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and Embassy officials have raised this with the Ministry of Environment. Through the Magna Carta Fund, the UK has supported civil society to protect indigenous environmental defenders. This has included the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, where we support protection and judicial mechanisms for environmental defenders, and contribute funding to conservation and restoration schemes to protect fragile ecosystems.

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