Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what topics, industries and sectors they intend to prioritise through discussions in the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Ukraine Recovery Conference will focus on the role of the private sector in supporting recovery and reconstruction. It will provide a platform for the Government of Ukraine to set out its priority reforms, particularly in the business environment, and for international partners to signal their support and their offer to Ukraine. The conference will look at how to unblock obstacles to investment and how governments, the private sector and civil society can work together to support recovery and reconstruction efforts in the longer-term.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of sanction breaking corridors or transit hubs affecting the efficacy of sanctions regimes implemented in relation to the situation in Ukraine; and if so, where these corridors or hubs are located.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In the London declaration signed with Ukraine, the Prime Minister committed to taking determined action with partners to tackle all forms of sanctions circumvention. The UK Government is working with international partners to close loopholes, combat circumvention and undermine Russia's attempts to build global resilience to sanctions. This includes working jointly with US and EU sanctions co-ordinators to raise the issue with a number of countries that may be undermining the sanctions imposed by the UK and its allies. The UK Government will continue to assess where and how third-countries may be allowing UK business to circumvent sanctions and take action accordingly.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Penn on 30 January (HL4895), with which government agency in Ukraine they are engaging in regards to the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Ukraine Recovery Conference will be a high profile event, co-chaired jointly by the Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy, aimed at building an effective and lasting economic recovery.
HMG Ministers and officials continue to have regular discussions with members of the Government of Ukraine on a variety of topics, including the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023. We are working closely with Ukrainian partners to ensure it delivers tangible progress. Prime Minister Shmyhal's office is coordinating the input of Ukrainian ministries, including the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to offering a war risk insurance plan for investors from the UK in order to facilitate (1) trade, and (2) jobs, in the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to helping Ukraine rebuild to emerge from the war with a modernised economy resilient to Russian threats. UK Export Finance (UKEF) is supporting the Government of Ukraine with £3.5 billion of financial capacity available for priority projects. UKEF is open to cover war and political risks in Ukraine through a number of different products to support UK exports and investors as part of reconstruction.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether British organisations will be able to participate in the procurement process for infrastructure projects that will be funded by the EU in its €150 billion investment in infrastructure in Africa under the Global Gateway programme.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
EU Global Gateway projects are developed and delivered through Team Europe Initiatives. The EU, EU Member States, and European financial institutions work together with European businesses as well as governments, civil society and the private sector in partner countries.
UK entities are eligible to participate in procurement procedures for actions financed under the "Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) - Global Europe" geographic programmes and the Global Challenges thematic programme where contracts are implemented in Least Developed Countries or highly indebted poor countries that are eligible to receive Official Development Assistance (see Article 28(1)(f) of the Regulation (EU) 2021/947- EUR-Lex - 32021R0947 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)). The UK does not contribute to the NDICI, which includes the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+). The EFSD+ is the main financial tool for mobilising investments under the Global Gateway, providing guarantees for de-risking activities and leveraging private investment. The UK does not contribute to EFSD+ investments and UK entities are not eligible for guarantees or other financial instruments.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen the relationship with the government of Uzbekistan given the unfolding humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK government recognises the importance of Uzbekistan's role as a partner in the international response to the crisis in Afghanistan, including in efforts to alleviate the unfolding humanitarian situation. On 16 December 2021, the Minister for Europe and Americas, Wendy Morton MP, and I [Lord Ahmad] met Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister Gayrat Fazilov to discuss the UK-Uzbekistan bilateral relationship, including our cooperation on issues relating to Afghanistan. The Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey MP, and I [Lord Ahmad] also made visits to Uzbekistan in September. The UK recognises the role that Uzbekistan can play in supplying humanitarian aid to Afghanistan through their infrastructure hub in Termez and is encouraging UN agencies to use all available routes for humanitarian assistance. The UK has committed £2 million in aid to the World Food Programme and UNHCR for preparations in the region in the event of assistance being required in Central Asia.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, for the Prime Minister to extend an invitation to the Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic to mark 30 years of bilateral relations and to support a continuing commitment to democracy, sovereignty and national development in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The United Kingdom looks forward to celebrating 30 years of bilateral relations with the Kyrgyz Republic in 2022. Plans for how best to mark this important occasion are still under consideration. We continue to strongly support the democratic development of Kyrgyzstan, as the Minister for Europe and Americas reiterated when she met the outgoing Kyrgyz Ambassador, Edil Baisalov, on 2 December.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the systemic challenges presented by the government of China’s stated ambitions and assertive behaviour, as identified in the communiqué issued on 14 June by the Heads of State and Government participating in the Brussels NATO summit.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in the Integrated Review the Government is investing in enhanced China-facing capabilities. This investment will enhance our understanding of China and its people, while improving our ability to respond to the systemic challenge that it poses to our security, prosperity and values and those of our allies and partners. At the same time, we will increase protection of our critical national infrastructure, institutions and sensitive technology, and strengthen the resilience of our critical supply chains, so that we can engage with confidence.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will distribute the surplus COVID-19 vaccines pledged by the UK for poorer countries.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to equitable access to safe and effective vaccines leading the G7 to commit to donate an additional 1 billion doses. We will share 100 million doses within the next year and 80% of the vaccines shared will go to COVAX. As the multilateral mechanism set up to support international co-operation on vaccines, COVAX remains best-placed to allocate vaccines to where they will be most effective. So far, COVAX has helped deliver over 87m doses to 130 countries and territories.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider that declaring acts as genocide should be a determination made by (1) the Government, (2) Parliament, or (3) the courts; and in particular, which of these bodies it considers should determine whether the events of 1915 in Armenia constituted genocide.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The events of 1915-1916 were a tragic episode in the history of the Armenian people and they must never be forgotten. The UK Government of the day condemned the massacres and this Government fully endorses that view.
It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that determination of genocide should be made by a competent court, rather than by the UK government or a non-judicial body. It should be decided after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process. Competent courts in respect of genocide include international courts and domestic criminal courts meeting international standards of due process.