Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to (1) peace builders, (2) women’s rights organisations, and (3) human rights organisations, working in Yemen.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK fully supports the important role women can play in ending the conflict in Yemen. We are a global leader on the Women Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and the penholder on UNSCR 1325. Yemen is a priority country for our National Action Plan on WPS. We have supported the Yemeni Women's Pact for Peace and Security (through UN Women), which aimed to increase female leadership and inclusion in the peace processes. The UK has also funded projects aimed at supporting the work of grassroots women leaders and civil society organisations in communities across Yemen. UK funding of two advisors in the UN Special Envoy's office has also supported the UN in consulting marginalised groups. Furthermore, on 25 February the Security Council adopted a UK-drafted resolution which sanctioned Houthi official Sultan Zabin for the use of sexual violence as a tool of war, the first such sanction in the Middle East. We will continue to support Yemeni women, youth and civil society to help create the conditions for an inclusive and durable peace in Yemen.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Zimbabwe about the human rights situation in that country; and in particular, about (1) reports of corruption and abuse of state funds, and (2) the continued incarceration of Joanna Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We regularly engage with the Government of Zimbabwe to urge their adherence to their human rights obligations and to respect the freedoms and rights enshrined in the Zimbabwean Constitution. The Minister for Africa spoke to the then Zimbabwean Foreign Minister, Sibusiso Moyo in June last year, and wrote to him again in August to raise specific human rights concerns, including over the treatment of opposition members Ms Mamombe, Ms Chimbiri, and Ms Marowa. The Minister for Africa has followed their cases closely, and tweeted on 5 February 2021 to register his concern over their most recent arrests.
On 1 February 2021, the UK announced new sanctions to hold to account those individuals responsible for human rights violations in Zimbabwe. We also continue to urge the Government of Zimbabwe and the Anti-Corruption Commission to take the necessary steps to address corruption and illicit financial flows. The UK Ambassador met the new Chair of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission in December 2020 to reinforce these messages. Her Majesty's Government will continue to speak out, both privately and in public, where we have concerns and we will work alongside the international community to support a better future for all Zimbabweans.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking within appropriate multilateral institutions to develop a strategic response to the proliferation of cruise missiles (1) to foster maximum transparency, and (2) to develop a coherent safeguarding approach within arms control arrangements.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is a member of relevant multilateral export control regimes, such as the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and the Wassenaar Arrangement. The MTCR seeks to prevent the proliferation of sensitive missile systems and technologies, including cruise missiles, to countries and end users of concern. The Wassenaar Arrangement in turn seeks to prevent the regional destabilising accumulation of conventional weapons, including cruise missile systems.
The UK plays an active role in both regimes and through them the UK promotes transparency, the control and greater responsibility in transfers of all missiles types, as well as conventional weapons and related dual-use technologies. In addition, the UK is a State Party to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) which establishes common international standards for regulating the international trade in conventional arms, which includes cruise missile systems. The ATT requires annual reporting on transfers to reinforce transparency among State Parties.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of Israel is planning to remove 37 Palestinian households from the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan areas of East Jerusalem; and what action are they taking, both unilaterally and multilaterally, to prevent any such removals.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We regularly make clear our concerns about the evictions of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem to the Israeli authorities and the Municipality of Jerusalem, both bilaterally and in co-operation with like-minded diplomatic partners. The Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies to all occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, prohibits demolitions or forced evictions absent military necessity.
The UK Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised ongoing demolitions with the Israeli Authorities in a meeting alongside like-minded partners on 25 February 2021. The Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa raised the issue of evictions of Palestinians from their homes, with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 29 October 2020, and the British Embassy in Tel Aviv raises this issue regularly with the Israeli authorities. UK officials from the British Consulate in Jerusalem have made regular visits to areas at risk of demolition and eviction to reiterate UK support for those communities. On 25 November 2020, the UK Consul General Jerusalem visited families at risk of eviction in Sheikh Jarrah, restating UK opposition to evictions of Palestinians from their homes.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) (1) to continue its overseas development work, and (2) to offer voluntary opportunities; and what assessment they have made of the contribution of the experience gained by returning VSO volunteers to wider society in the UK.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The impact of the global pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take the tough but necessary decision to temporarily reduce our aid budget. We are now working through the implications of these changes for individual programmes, including for the Volunteering for Development grant. No decisions have yet been made. We understand the need to communicate with VSO in a timely manner regarding this grant.
The UK Government is proud of the outstanding contribution of returned volunteers to their home communities in the UK, particularly during the UK's Covid-19 pandemic response.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) bilateral and (2) multilateral plans they have to avert a humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad region; and what assessment they have made of (1) the short-term, and (2) the long-term impacts of (i) water shortages, (ii) scarcity of arable land, and (iii) conflict and terrorism, on migration in the Lake Chad region.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is deeply concerned by the conflict in North East Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad Basin, which continues to drive instability, acute food insecurity and malnutrition in the region. We support governments and organisations across the region to address these issues. The UK Government is a leading humanitarian donor and supports the United Nations and non-governmental organisations to provide assistance to people with humanitarian needs. We continue to raise concerns over the humanitarian situation in multilateral fora, most recently by me on 11 March in a food security event at the United Nations.
Conflict also remains the primary driver of displacement and irregular migration across the region, compounded by the effects of climate change, disease outbreaks and the impact of coronavirus. To address these combined challenges, the UK Government provides development and stabilisation assistance to improve civilians' access to healthcare and improve livelihoods. We will also continue to work with countries of the Lake Chad Basin to address climate change. These countries are invited to attend COP26 later this year.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the President of the United States' statement on 4 February that the conflict in Yemen has created a "humanitarian and strategic catastrophe"; and what steps they are taking in partnership with the government of the United States (1) to press for an end to the conflict, and (2) to avoid further acute food and medicine shortages in Yemen.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Yemen remains one of the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with two thirds of the entire population, requiring some form of humanitarian assistance. The recent fighting during February and March has already displaced thousands of civilians, and many more are at risk. The UK is playing a leading role in responding to the crisis in Yemen by contributing over £1 billion to the humanitarian response and through our diplomatic influence.
The Government welcomes the focus of the US administration on Yemen. We are working closely with them, and newly appointed Special Envoy Lenderking in particular, to help make quick progress towards a nationwide ceasefire. The Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa spoke with UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths on 1 March to discuss how the UK can best support the UN-led peace process. Ministers and officials regularly engage with all our international partners including the US to ensure life-saving humanitarian aid reaches the millions of Yemenis in need.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to review the designation of the Houthi movement as a terrorist organisation.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have no plans to proscribe the Houthis, but we keep the use of sanctions under review. We welcomed the US announcement to revoke the previous administration's designation of the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation. The UK had engaged closely with the US administration on this matter, sharing our concerns that designation would disrupt humanitarian operations in Yemen. However, we cannot ignore Houthi actions. We have condemned the Houthis' dangerous military escalation, including cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia and their renewed offensive on Marib. In addition, the UN Security Council recently adopted a UK drafted resolution sanctioning Houthi official Sultan Zabin for the use of sexual violence as a tool of war. We must address the Houthi sense of impunity to make progress on the peace process.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are reducing the amount of aid they provide to Yemen.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is facing the worst economic contraction in over 300 years, and a budget deficit of close to £400 billion. As announced last year, given the impact of this global pandemic on the economy and, as a result, the public finances, we will move to a target of spending 0.5% of Gross National Income as Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2021.
On 1 March, the Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa announced that the UK will provide at least £87 million to Yemen over the course of our next financial year (2021/22), with the UK contributing over £1 billion since the conflict began. Our funding will feed an additional 240,000 of the most vulnerable Yemenis every month, support 400 healthcare clinics and provide clean water for 1.6 million people. We will also provide one-off cash support to 1.5 million of Yemen's poorest households to help them buy food and basic supplies.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the United Arab Emirates about the (1) continued detention, and (2) treatment, of Michael Smith; and when they last made any such representations.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Embassy Dubai sent a Note Verbale to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in August 2019 to clarify the terms of Mr Smith's continued detention. The FCDO Director of Consular Services also raised Mr Smith's detention in August 2019. We continue to speak with the local authorities regarding Mr Smith's welfare. Consular staff most recently spoke to the prison doctor on 28 January 2021.
Consular staff work incredibly hard and do all they can to assist people who ask for our help. We offer tailored support based on an assessment of a person's specific needs and circumstances.