Nagorno-Karabakh

Lord Curry of Kirkharle Excerpts

Monday 18th January 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)]

My Lords, I agree with my noble friend on the principle that peacekeepers need to have the support of all sides to the conflict. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for the European Neighbourhood have engaged directly with their Turkish counterparts on the specific issue of Turkey.

[Lord Curry of Kirkharle (CB) [V]]

My Lords, we all share a deep concern and revulsion at the extent of these atrocities and lots of words have been spoken. However, it still appears that not enough pressure has been brought to bear to try to resolve this issue. Can the Minister confirm what international conversations he has had with the UN and others to bring more pressure to bear to resolve this dreadful situation?

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)]

My Lords, discussions have taken place at all levels. I have already mentioned the support given at the OSCE. There have also been discussions on this at the UN Security Council. The important thing is that the cessation and peace deal that has been negotiated holds, that there is a return of prisoners and that, ultimately, there can be peace in a region which has suffered from conflict for too long.

Biodiversity: Impact of Neonicotinoids

Lord Curry of Kirkharle Excerpts

Thursday 14th January 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con) [V]]

I can commit to conveying that request to the department. I see no reason why the assessment should not be made public, but it is not for me to unilaterally make that decision here and now.

[Lord Curry of Kirkharle (CB) [V]]

I declare my interest as recorded on the register. I thank the Minister but can he confirm that standards of production, including constraints on pesticide use, will apply to imported crops, including sugar, so that UK producers are not disadvantaged?

[Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con) [V]]

The noble Lord makes an extremely important point. The Government are guided, as they pursue new free trade agreements and seek to expand our trading relationships around the world, by a commitment to ensuring that imports do not compromise or undermine the standards that we are proud to apply here in the United Kingdom, whether in environmental or animal welfare standards.

Nigeria: Religious Violence

Lord Curry of Kirkharle Excerpts

Monday 21st September 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)]

First, I assure my noble friend that, as he will know, the Government fully endorsed an inquiry into Christian persecution, and we are carrying out every single recommendation that my right honourable friend the Prime Minister agreed. We will continue to work with the Bishop of Truro, who oversaw that particular inquiry. I share his concern that, yes, any conflict in Nigeria is exploited. Unfortunately, as I said in my original Answer, it is exploited by those divisive voices who erroneously use religion to divide people, and we will continue to condemn all acts of violence, particularly those against Christians and other communities in Nigeria and, indeed, elsewhere.

[Lord Curry of Kirkharle (CB) [V]]

My Lords, I also thank the noble Baroness, Lady Cox, for her commitment to this cause. The all-party group report is a stark warning. What are we are doing in the UN Security Council to prioritise these serious concerns—which now appear endemic in Nigeria—and to seek a resolution that significantly enhances the security given to communities at risk of attack? Can the Minister reassure the House that we are actively pursuing this in the United Nations?

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)]

My Lords, I assure the noble Lord that we continue to look at the issue of the freedom of religion or belief with partners in the UN. Indeed, I am currently working towards a possible resolution, or certainly a debate, during our presidency, on freedom of religion or belief—in which I am sure Nigeria will feature.

Sudan and South Sudan

Lord Curry of Kirkharle Excerpts

Monday 10th December 2018 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Curry of Kirkharle]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to support the release of political prisoners held without charge in Sudan and South Sudan; and, pending any release, what representations they are making to the relevant authorities for such prisoners to be allowed visits by their families and support agencies.

[Lord Curry of Kirkharle (CB)]

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and declare an interest as recorded in the register.

[The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon) (Con)]

My Lords, through our engagement with senior members of the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan, the UK continues to make clear that any detentions for political reasons are unacceptable, and that any detainees must be treated in accordance with international standards and have access to legal representation and to their families. The Governments of Sudan and South Sudan must respect their people’s rights to freedom of expression, opinion and association.

[Lord Curry of Kirkharle]

My Lords, I absolutely agree with the Minister’s Answer. The problem is that the leaders of both Sudan and South Sudan have this year declared that they will release political prisoners, but they still retain a significant number. In the case of South Sudan, this was a condition of the peace deal signed by its President. These detainees are still being held without charge, many in dreadful conditions. One is a personal friend. They are being denied access. We have committed this year to address humanitarian aid. We have committed to fund £50 million for Sudan and £130 million for South Sudan. Surely it should be a condition of this aid that they abide by the signature they have made to release these political prisoners, who are still being held without charge. They need to release them immediately. It is a blatant disregard for human rights, as we have just been discussing.

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

My Lords, I agree with the noble Lord. I am aware of the facts of the case he mentioned. I assure him that detentions for political purposes are always unacceptable. As he rightly said, over the past year there has been an increasing number of detentions, particularly in South Sudan and Sudan. The UK Government have made clear our concerns both in public and in private. The noble Lord makes important points on the humanitarian support we are providing to South Sudan and Sudan. I assure him that we prioritise the importance of freedom of expression across all elements of society in our bilateral discussions, as I did myself when I visited Sudan recently.

Religion in the United Kingdom

Lord Curry of Kirkharle Excerpts

Thursday 22nd November 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Curry of Kirkharle]

My Lords, I very much welcome this debate and appreciate the tabling of this subject by my noble friend Lord Singh. The problem is not, as the noble Lord has stated, with other religions. Like him, I am deeply concerned about the increasing dominance of secularism. As a consequence, many Christians find themselves not only marginalised but in some cases victimised. I am sure that this applies to other faiths, too.

The UK is constitutionally Christian. It is explicitly not a secular state. The monarch at her coronation swore an oath to God, not to a secular philosophy. Thank God for her continuing faithful, godly service. History has shown that this Christian constitution provides for a tolerant society in which people of all faiths or none are free to worship or not as they please. It has provided the basis for the kind of stability, peace, prosperity, happiness and individual freedom that still eludes a great many countries in the world that have not had this important influence. It is why many of us are so proud of our heritage. There is much more one could say about the historical influence of Christianity on life in Britain. It is evident all around us in the Palace of Westminster.

It is difficult in the time allocated to the debate adequately to express my concerns. I am sure that we all feel the same. Like the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, I chair one of the Christian charities that make up a huge proportion of our voluntary sector. This has been referred to already. Many of the charities attempt to provide valuable support in a society that our Prime Minister described as “broken”. It is seriously disturbing that many Christians should feel that their contribution to public life is now being not only ignored but denigrated. Atheist groups are actively campaigning to stop Christian and Catholic groups opening new schools—even going to court to get them stopped, as happened recently in Richmond. Christian charities are finding it increasingly difficult to get funding from public bodies.

I will give two examples. The late Earl Ferrers spoke of an example close to his home in Norfolk. A homeless charity run by a Baptist church was told that it would lose its funding unless it stopped allowing people to say grace before meals. Pilgrim Homes, a charity providing homes for elderly people, was denied funding by Brighton Council because it could not in all conscience comply with the diktat that all its Christian residents had to be questioned about their sexual orientation every three months. I find it difficult to believe that this is happening in Britain. I am sure that we are all aware of NHS nurse Caroline Petrie who was disciplined for making a kind, gentle offer to pray for a patient. The banning of prayers and the news last week about the demotion of Adrian Smith, who expressed a personal view about gay marriage, are further worrying challenges.

Most of these cases were resolved in the courts, but the fact that they were raised at all is indicative of how far we have departed from being a faith-based society. Despite the Minister’s assurance and the comments that have been made already, the prevailing political attitude that I am concerned about was succinctly expressed in the famous statement by Alastair Campbell, “We don’t do God”. We all want to live in a society where people, regardless of their religion, can make a full contribution to public life and be respected for it. We should not make compliance with some sort of secularist state orthodoxy a precondition for full participation in society. The power of God can change lives and influence communities and society. It has done so in the past. Doing God and doing good is what millions of people in Britain want the freedom to do today.

Sudan and South Sudan: EUC Report

Lord Curry of Kirkharle Excerpts

Wednesday 17th October 2012 Grand Committee

[Lord Curry of Kirkharle]

My Lords, I, too, thank the committee for producing this valuable report. It is a very good analysis of the issues faced by Sudan and South Sudan. I need to declare an interest: I am a trustee of Anglican International Development, which is working in South Sudan. I visited South Sudan again in September, about three weeks ago; I met Archbishop Daniel Deng and a number of other bishops. I fully endorse the comments made by the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of York and the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Exeter about the key role that the Church can play in international development generally, but specifically in South Sudan.

My comments today do not concern the continuing unrest in the border region or in Darfur—however serious that is, it has been well articulated this evening—other than to reinforce the message that, notwithstanding the dreadful suffering that continues as a consequence of the strife, it is a complete distraction at this present time from the desperate need for political stability and economic development.

The lack of oil revenue this year as a result of the tap being turned off has had a significant negative impact on the economy of South Sudan and has eroded the nation of vital resources at this critical time. There is a shortage of fuel and many projects are being seriously delayed. If I can refer to paragraphs 250 and 251 in the report, it is very pleasing to see that a number of EU member states now have a presence in Juba. Our own embassy is up and running and I had very helpful meetings with the ambassador and representatives from DfID. However, the situation is extremely serious, as has been reinforced by all speakers this evening. South Sudan is stuck at the bottom of global development indices and by most measures it is still going backwards. There is an imposing sign on the outskirts of Juba advertising the anti-corruption commission, in front of an empty piece of land. The noble Lord, Lord Chidgey, referred to this. The commission does exist in embryonic form but has an uphill task in undertaking its role.

Paragraph 269 of the report is a critical statement about the need for good governance and a well-functioning justice system, free from corruption. It expresses concern that no major donor has emerged to lead on this. That must be addressed. It would be highly irresponsible of us and of the EU and the United States if we did not do all that we can to influence South Sudan in establishing good governance and good justice systems. Some progress is being made but we must seize this unique moment in time to establish and achieve the outcomes that are necessary for the long-term interests of the people of South Sudan.

The report makes a very good point about the lack of coordination to which other speakers have referred. Lots of very well meaning representatives of NGOs and aid organisations are falling over themselves in their desire to help. Coordination is absolutely critical and desperately needed. AID is working with a number of potential investors in agriculture in South Sudan as well as trying to help small-scale farmers. I absolutely endorse the comments made by the noble Lord, Lord Cameron of Dillington—the potential is huge.

The need, however, is very clear. The people produce very little of their own food—the Minister estimated about 7%. Inflation is rampant and I am amazed that even more people who have no income are not dying of starvation or malnutrition. The need to diversify their economy to become less dependent on oil is very clear. The response to the report in paragraph 256 states that the Government aim to encourage economic growth and diversification in Sudan and South Sudan and the creation of conditions for private sector investment to generate employment for the people. This is absolutely correct and needs to happen. However—I need to choose my words carefully here—the impact of a generation growing up with civil war, a lack of education and a huge dependence culture, which is not just emerging but is endemic, has led to a lack of a work ethic in the men in South Sudan. Employing Sudanese people is a real challenge and many organisations are taking their own staff to South Sudan or recruiting staff in Uganda or Kenya rather than recruiting people in South Sudan. That is a real concern and there is a desperate need for further teaching and training.

There is little or no infrastructure and, until there are some decent roads, at least between the key population centres—which reinforces what the noble Lord, Lord Cameron said—and into Uganda and Kenya, it will be very difficult to attract the level of inward investment needed to diversify the economy. The two need to go hand in hand. It is a massive issue and must be a priority for international development support in conjunction with the Government of South Sudan. There were compounds full of earth-moving equipment standing idle three weeks ago.

South Sudan is a high priority. We must not relax our efforts to assist and to help to influence the transition from civil war to independence, to stable and sound governance with good healthcare and education facilities and economic stability. I hope that our Government will seriously address these issues. We have a huge responsibility. I apologise to noble Lords but I have a long-standing commitment and may have to leave before the end of debate because of the overrunning of the previous debate.