Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent support his Department has provided to the Bangladeshi Government in the context of (a) climate change, (b) air pollution and (c) flooding affecting that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A core UK priority is to support Bangladesh, as one of the world's most climate vulnerable countries. At COP26, we announced a six year £120 million Climate and Environment Programme in Bangladesh to support Bangladesh's ambitions to accelerate adaption and expand renewable energy. The programme will increase access to climate finance and support improvements in pollution reduction and solid waste management. The UK has supported public awareness raising on air pollution levels and piloted approaches to improved management of hazardous waste. The UK provided over £1.6 million of humanitarian support for the floods in Bangladesh in May and June last year. This funding will provide water, shelter, livelihoods opportunities and improved nutrition for people affected in Sylhet.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department is taking to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting the Government of Bangladesh with the Rohingya response and has contributed £345 million to the crisis since 2017. Although our Official Development Assistance (ODA) bilateral funding has reduced, due to the fiscal situation, the UK remains committed to working with the UN and the Government of Bangladesh to provide support to the Rohingya whilst they remain in Bangladesh.
Our support continues to provide food, water, sanitation, shelter, healthcare and protection services to Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities. We work closely with UN agencies and the Government of Bangladesh to provide basic services to Rohingya who have sought refuge in Bangladesh.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK is taking steps to increase humanitarian support for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting the Government of Bangladesh with the Rohingya response and has contributed £345 million to the crisis since 2017. Although our Official Development Assistance (ODA) bilateral funding has reduced, due to the fiscal situation, the UK remains committed to working with the UN and the Government of Bangladesh to provide support to the Rohingya whilst they remain in Bangladesh.
Our support continues to provide food, water, sanitation, shelter, healthcare and protection services to Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities. We work closely with UN agencies and the Government of Bangladesh to provide basic services to Rohingya who have sought refuge in Bangladesh.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support the delivery of publicly-owned health care in Bangladesh.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's health programmes in Bangladesh aims to address the fundamental challenges in Bangladesh's public healthcare provision. The FCDO's £84 million 'Better Health in Bangladesh Programme' provides financial and technical assistance to the Government of Bangladesh's national health sector programme. Our support helps empower women and girls through better sexual and reproductive health and rights, and over the last four years, we have helped deliver over 89,000 babies safely, provided 987,892 family planning users with contraceptives, reached 1.5 million under five children with nutrition services, and screened over 630,000 women for cervical cancer. We also support the Government of Bangladesh to include health in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) on Climate Change, and tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We will maintain our strong partnership with Bangladesh's Ministry of Health and its departments to deliver our commitment on ending preventable deaths, through need-based and responsive technical assistance support.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent support his Department has provided to the Bangladeshi Government on (a) climate change, (b) air pollution and (c) flooding.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A core UK priority is to support Bangladesh, as one of the world's most climate vulnerable countries. At COP26, we announced a six year £120 million Climate and Environment Programme in Bangladesh to support Bangladesh's ambitions to accelerate adaption and expand renewable energy. The programme will increase access to climate finance and support improvements in pollution reduction and solid waste management. The UK has supported public awareness raising on air pollution levels, and piloted approaches to improved management of hazardous waste. The UK provided over £1.6 million of humanitarian support for the floods in Bangladesh in May and June last year. This funding will provide water, shelter, livelihoods opportunities, and improved nutrition for people affected in Sylhet.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government is taking steps to increase humanitarian support for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has been a leading donor to the Rohingya response in Bangladesh, providing £345 million since 2017. This funding provides life-saving assistance through food, shelter, water and sanitation, healthcare and protection to Rohingya refugees and host communities. Although our ODA bilateral funding has reduced due to the fiscal situation, the UK remains committed to working with the UN and the Government of Bangladesh to provide support to the Rohingya whilst they remain in Bangladesh, as well as continuing to push for a long-term solution enabling their return to Myanmar on a safe, voluntary and dignified basis, when the conditions there allow.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his international counterparts on the rights to (a) protest and (b) freedom of expression outside foreign embassies in the UK.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary has not had discussions on this specific subject with international counterparts. Peaceful protest and freedom of expression are fundamental parts of British society. Everyone in the United Kingdom has the right to express their views in a peaceful and lawful way.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations she has made to her Bangladeshi counterpart on allowing the former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia to travel abroad to access healthcare treatment.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Lord Ahmad, the Minister for South Asia, visited Bangladesh on 15 November to 17 November and met with the Government of Bangladesh, civil society actors and other key figures. During the visit, Lord Ahmad reiterated the UK's commitment to supporting human rights and democratic values.
We will continue to stress to the Government of Bangladesh, both in public and in private, the importance of respect for human rights and the rule of law. We expect those in detention, including Khaleda Zia, to be treated in accordance with Bangladesh's international commitments on human rights. We regularly engage with the Government of Bangladesh on the treatment of those in detention and on the integrity and independence of the judicial process.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations she has made to her Bangladeshi counterpart on the deteriorating health of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and access for her to adequate healthcare.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Lord Ahmad, the Minister for South Asia, visited Bangladesh on 15 November to 17 November and met with the Government of Bangladesh, civil society actors and other key figures. During the visit, Lord Ahmad reiterated the UK's commitment to supporting human rights and democratic values.
We will continue to stress to the Government of Bangladesh, both in public and in private, the importance of respect for human rights and the rule of law. We expect those in detention, including Khaleda Zia, to be treated in accordance with Bangladesh's international commitments on human rights. We regularly engage with the Government of Bangladesh on the treatment of those in detention and on the integrity and independence of the judicial process.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the circumstances surrounding the armed attack that killed trade unionist María Dorfenis López Cordón and injured Rigoberto Cabanzo Arévalo in the Colombian region of Meta on 29 August 2021.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The British Government remains concerned about the persistent level of violence towards human rights' defenders and social leaders in Colombia. Through our Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF), which has provided £68 million in support of peace agreement implementation, security, and stability in Colombia since 2015, we will continue to prioritise funding interventions to protect human rights' defenders, including trade unionists, and social leaders.
Colombia is a UK 'Human Rights Priority Country,' and we consistently raise our concerns regarding violence against human rights defenders and social leaders at the UN Security Council, as we did at meetings in July, and on 14 October. We look to the Colombian Government to further integrate its presence in conflict-affected areas, and strengthen the institutions that can investigate and prosecute the criminal actors responsible. We will continue to raise our concerns with the relevant state actors in Colombia.