El Fasher
Debate between Lord Callanan and Lord Lemos
Lord Lemos (Lab)
I thank the noble and gallant Lord for that important question. The Government’s view is clear: external support to the SAF and the RSF only fuels the conflict. We continue to emphasise to all parties the importance of refraining from actions that prolong the conflict. We ask all those with influence over the warring parties—including the members of the Quad, of which the UAE is one—to bring them to the negotiating table to seek a political resolution. I may say more about this if noble Lords ask me about it, but the most important thing is humanitarian access.
Lord Callanan (Con)
My Lords, more than 5% of the population in Sudan are Christian. Since the start of the civil war in Sudan, there have been reports of both the RSF and the SAF targeting the Christian population. What engagement have the UK Government had with other Governments in the region to help to support and protect their Christian populations?
Lord Lemos (Lab)
I thank the noble Lord for that question. We are very concerned about religious violence in Sudan, and indeed anywhere else in the world, and we certainly have sought to engage with the RSF on this. As the noble Lord knows, this conflict has a long history. I visited Sudan myself many years ago.
West Papua: Deforestation
Debate between Lord Callanan and Lord Lemos
Lord Lemos (Lab)
I thank the noble Baroness for her question. I have already commented on the UK’s stance on human rights in Papua, but I also recognise that, as she said, deforestation is not only associated with the climate. In fact, the biggest contributor to the growth of deforestation in recent times has been wildfires.
Lord Callanan (Con)
My Lords, under the previous Government, the UK played a key role in a number of international agreements that included measures to halt deforestation, and we passed the landmark Environment Act 2021. That demonstrates how important we think this issue is. Can the Minister confirm that the Government will seek to work with businesses in a constructive way to reduce our global impact on deforestation?
Lord Lemos (Lab)
I thank the noble Lord for his question. I am very happy to confirm, as I have said, that the UK continues to build on the work of the previous Government at the forefront of international efforts to champion forests and tackle deforestation. I stress that mobilising finance and business for the protection of forests and the ecosystem services they provide is an essential, and perhaps the most important, part of that.
Ethiopia and Eritrea
Debate between Lord Callanan and Lord Lemos
Lord Callanan (Con)
My Lords, I join in welcoming the Minister to the Front Bench; I well remember my first Question many years ago and I am sure it is a difficult experience.
Ethiopia’s ambition of gaining access to the Red Sea is one of the core driving factors behind tensions in the region, so what discussions have Ministers or UK diplomats had with both Eritrean and Ethiopian counterparts about a fair, equitable and peaceful agreement that could solve this problem between the two parties?
Lord Lemos (Lab)
I thank the noble Lord for that question and for his kind words. The Government’s position is that countries must pursue commercial access to the sea through peaceful, negotiated means. The UK does not support aggressive action or rhetoric that threatens a country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The previous Foreign Secretary spoke to Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion in August, when he warned against the risk of miscalculation and encouraged dialogue with Eritrea. Similar points have been made to the Eritrean Government by our officials there.