Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the President of Burkina Faso to amend the country’s constitution to permit him to seek a third term in office.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The decision by President Compaoré to attempt to amend the constitution has proved disastrous for democracy in Burkina Faso. The UK and our international partners had cautioned President Compaoré against seeking a third term, highlighting the potential risks that taking such action would pose. In the event, the demonstrations resulted in President Compaoré being swept from power and an interim military government being installed.
We now call on the Burkinabe military and security forces to move swiftly to restore a democratically elected civilian government in Burkina Faso. We urge all parts of society to work calmly and collaboratively in this endeavour. We also support the efforts of the African Union, the Economic Community Of West African States and the UN to bring this crisis to a swift and peaceful resolution.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risks of (1) domestic, and (2) regional, destabilisation as a result of current political events in Burkina Faso.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK and our international partners cautioned President Compaoré against amending the constitution ahead of the elections in 2015, highlighting the risks that such a course of action would pose. We have seen these consequences manifest themselves:
1) Domestically, demonstrations have seen President Compaoré swept from power, the constitution suspended and a military government installed. We now urge the interim authorities to work with all parties to bring about a swift return of civilian democratic governance.
2) Prolonged instability in Burkina Faso could have a wider impact given the underlying security and development challenges in the region. Therefore, we support the efforts of the African Union and the Economic Community Of West African States, alongside the UN, to bring about a resolution to the crisis.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what work the United Kingdom Special Envoy has undertaken in Burkina Faso since being appointed to the post.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Since being appointed in October 2012, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for the Sahel has devoted much of his time to helping to resolve the crisis in Mali. He has visited most countries in the North and West Africa region, but has not yet visited Burkina Faso in his current role. The then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for International Development, the right Hon. member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), visited Burkina Faso in February 2014.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent events in Eritrea, and of the impact of those events on the number of refugees seeking refuge in Western Europe.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We remain deeply concerned by the political situation in Eritrea and the impact on migration in Western Europe. Although the number of claims has increased, the profile of Eritrean asylum claims seen by the Home Office has not changed significantly. Our Ambassador regularly monitors events in Eritrea and works closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, through whom we receive monthly updates on migration. We also support multilateral initiatives to tackle illegal migration such as the African Union-EU Khartoum process. The last meeting was on 13-16 October 2014.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent events in Ethiopia, and of the impact of those events on the number of refugees seeking refuge in Western Europe.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We remain concerned by events in Ethiopia that contribute to the number of Ethiopians seeking refuge in Western Europe. Although the number of claims has increased, the profile of Ethiopian asylum claims seen by the Home Office has not changed significantly. We regularly monitor events and support multilateral initiatives to tackle illegal migration such as the African Union-EU Khartoum process to tackle these issues.Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the individual cost of preparing deployable civilian experts, civil servants and police officers for service abroad with the Stabilisation Unit broken down by (1) medical examinations, (2) security clearance, (3) Hostile Environment Acclimatisation Training, and (4) helmet, bullet proof jacket and first aid equipment.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The varied nature of Stabilisation Unit activity results in there being no uniform cost for deployment. The costs of Stabilisation Unit deployments are dependent upon the hostility of the location in which the work is to be undertaken, the duration of the task and the status of the individual being deployed. Costs also vary depending on whether those deploying have been trained previously, have travelled to similar destinations and possess relevant vaccinations. The Stabilisation Unit’s contractual mechanisms are regularly reviewed to maximise value for money.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider assisting the international community in its fight against international trafficking originating from the Central African Republic, by creating a mechanism to fight against diamond, gold, and ivory trafficking and militarised poaching.
Answered by Baroness Warsi
International mechanisms to tackle illegal trafficking already exist, including the Kimberley Process to regulate the global trade in rough diamonds, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to protect endangered species. However, these are reliant of having an effective national government in the Central African Republic (CAR). To this end, our immediate priority is to de-escalate the levels of violence and improve the level of security, so that a legitimate government can be established in CAR with the support of the UN and other international organisations.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to consider (1) supporting the European Union and United Nations Development Programme in creating an operational and democratic justice system of police and judiciary in the Central African Republic, and (2) providing technical assistance to the police force, prosecution service and judiciary in that country.
Answered by Baroness Warsi
We continue to support the UN and other major international partners, to develop a coherent and effective strategy to improve security and justice in the Central African Republic. We will consider what support the UK might be able to provide on the basis of this strategy.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to deploy the Stabilisation Unit to assist the G5 countries in providing capacity-building assistance to civil society organisations so that they can monitor public sector financial management in the Central African Republic.
Answered by Baroness Warsi
The UK will continue to work with and through international organisations, such as the World Bank and the UN, to ensure a coherent strategy for the Central African Republic, including on public financial management and public sector reform. We would be happy to consider the deployment of Stabilisation Unit experts to support the work of these international organisations, as necessary.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to deploy Stabilisation Unit experts to work as counterparts to the Central African Republic's civil servants, to assist in financial, taxation and budgeting reform in that country.
Answered by Baroness Warsi
The UK will continue to work with and through international organisations, such as the World Bank and the UN, to ensure a coherent strategy for the Central African Republic, including on public financial management and public sector reform. We would be happy to consider the deployment of Stabilisation Unit experts to support the work of these international organisations, as necessary.