Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the Alliance for COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
As a founding donor, the UK is a strong supporter of the Access for COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. The UK has a seat on the Facilitation Council, provides strategic guidance, and mobilises financial support in its role. The UK has contributed up to £813 million to ACT-Accelerator partners. This includes the Prime Minister's announcement at the United National General Assembly of up to £500 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment to support access to coronavirus vaccines for up to 92 developing countries.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the peace agreement signed between Sudan’s transitional government and the Sudanese Revolutionary Front on 3 October.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK welcomes the signing of the Juba Peace Agreement on 3 October 2020 between the Government of Sudan and the Sudanese Revolutionary Front. This is an important step towards a comprehensive peace deal to help bring to an end decades of conflict in Sudan. The UK and our Troika partners, the US and Norway, welcomed this progress in a statement on 4 October calling for all parties to implement this agreement in the spirit of cooperation and compromise. We called for further engagement to seek an agreement with groups who have not, thus far, joined peace talks. Through the UK Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, and our officials in Khartoum, we remain in contact with all parties to urge progress for the sake of those who have suffered for too long from conflicts in Sudan.
In addition, we are supporting the establishment of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission Sudan (UNITAMS), which will help in the implementation of the peace agreement and will have a central role for international community support. The UK also delivers programmes that promote long-term stability in conflict-affected areas, support marginalised groups, and encourage reconciliation within conflicted communities. On 25 June, as demonstration of the UK's wider commitment to support Sudan as it transitions to democracy, the Minister for Africa announced £150 million in assistance to help reform Sudan's economy, stabilise inflation and provide humanitarian assistance.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the peace agreement signed between Sudan’s Civilian-led Transitional Government, the Sudan Revolutionary Front, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Minni Minawi and the Sudanese Alliance on 3 October; and what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision of the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North not to sign that agreement.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK welcomes the signing of the Juba Peace Agreement on 3 October 2020. This is an important step towards a comprehensive peace deal to help bring to an end decades of conflict in Sudan. The UK and our Troika partners, the US and Norway, welcomed this progress in a statement on 4 October, calling for all parties to implement this agreement in the spirit of cooperation and compromise. We also called for further engagement to seek an agreement with those groups who have not, thus far, joined peace talks. In this regard, we welcome the agreement of 3 September to re-start negotiations between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North. Through the UK Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, and our officials in Khartoum, we remain in contact with all parties to urge progress towards a lasting peace.
In addition, we are supporting the establishment of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission Sudan (UNITAMS), which will help in the implementation of the peace agreement and will have a central role for international community support. The UK also delivers programmes that promote long-term stability in conflict-affected areas, support marginalised groups, and encourage reconciliation within conflicted communities. On 25 June, as demonstration of the UK's wider commitment to support Sudan as it transitions to democracy, the Minister for Africa announced £150million in assistance to help reform Sudan's economy, stabilise inflation and provide humanitarian assistance.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are supporting Georgia’s preparations for full membership of NATO.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Government supports NATO's Enlargement process. The UK plays an active role in the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP), a set of initiatives aimed at strengthening Georgia's defence capabilities and developing closer security cooperation and interoperability with NATO Allies. We will continue to provide substantial support, both bilaterally and through NATO. A recent example includes facilitating a NATO-level evaluation of the Georgian Coast Guard on board Royal Navy vessel HMS Dragon.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are supporting Ukraine’s preparations for full membership of NATO.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Government supports NATO's Enlargement process. The UK played an active role in helping Ukraine achieve Enhanced Opportunity Partner status in June 2020, deepening Ukraine's interoperability with the NATO Alliance. As members of the G7 Ambassadors Group and Ukraine's Defence Reform Advisory Board, the UK continues to provide substantial support to assist Ukraine in pursuing the vital reforms needed to bring the country further in line with Euro-Atlantic standards.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina’s preparations for full membership of NATO.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK supports Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) Euro-Atlantic trajectory. We welcomed the agreement by the Presidency to submit a tailored 'Reform Programme' to NATO in December 2019, which secured further NATO cooperation and unblocked defence reform. We are encouraging BiH to submit a further Reform Programme for 2020-2021 and to work with NATO - both in Brussels and through the NATO Office in Sarajevo - to draw on best practice. Bilaterally, the UK will continue to build on our strong defence relations and support capacity building and modernisation of the Armed Forces of BiH, including upgrading military training facilities, improving military selection and supporting gender integration. Such reforms will help BiH bring their defence and security sector in line with Euro-Atlantic standards.