Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to support the creation of an international commission including the participation of the UN and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, to support and oversee investigations into alleged illegal intelligence gathering and misuse by Colombian state institutions.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We are aware of allegations that Colombian state actors have been illegally gathering surveillance on civil society organisations. We expect state authorities to comply fully with their human rights obligations, and our Embassy in Bogotá regularly raises human rights issues. The United Kingdom is committed to protecting and promoting human rights in Colombia, which is a Human Rights Priority Country.
We work with the Colombian Government, civil society and multilateral partners to support full compliance with human rights obligations in Colombia. Neither the UN nor the IACHR has invited us to support the creation of a commission.
The British Government undertakes extensive risk assessments when designing projects in Colombia and deciding which to fund, including any potential negative impact on human rights. This includes the overseas security and justice assistance (OSJA) process, which is intended to ensure any United Kingdom projects meet our human rights obligations and our values. We continually monitor the effects of our programme work in consultation with colleagues working in Colombia, and make thorough assessments of the impact of our projects.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Colombia about the safety and security of residents in Rio Quinto.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We are aware of reports of violence by illegal armed groups in the Rio Quito. We remain extremely concerned about the continued presence of illegal armed groups in Colombia, and the impact their activity has on local people - even more so at this challenging time.
We regularly raise our concerns about these issues with the Colombian Government and in multilateral fora. Most recently, our Permanent Representative to the United Nations spoke on this at the UN Security Council on 14 April, and we consistently press the Colombian Government to focus on extending the rule of law to all parts of the country.
Colombia has made significant progress in its efforts to end the influence of such groups, and we remain steadfast in our support of the Colombian authorities as they work towards sustainable peace.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the British Embassy in Bogota is taking to monitor the progress of the peace process with regard to the dismantling of illegal neo-paramilitary groups in the regions of Chocó and Urabá in Colombia; and what support, if any, they are providing to the National Commission for Security Guarantees tasked with that responsibility.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We remain extremely concerned about the continued presence of illegal armed groups in Colombia, and the impact their competition for control of illicit economies has on local people and environments, particularly during this challenging time. The UK Embassy in Bogota is closely monitoring the situation.
President Duque's Government has publicly committed to implementing the Peace Accords of 2016 in their entirety, and we remain steadfast in our support of the Colombian authorities - including the National Security Guarantees Commission - as they seek to ensure sustainable peace in Colombia. We are proud to be the penholder on the issue at the United Nations Security Council - most recently, our Permanent Representative to the United Nations spoke on presence of illegal armed groups in Colombia at the UN Security Council on 14 April.
We have committed almost £53 million over 5 years through the United Kingdom Conflict Stability and Security Fund for Colombia to support the implementation of the peace process, including across conflict-affected regions such as Chocó and Uruba. We regularly raise this with the Colombian authorities.
Furthermore, HMG provides overseas development assistance (ODA) to climate change initiatives in the region of Chocó in Colombia through two programmes delivered through the UK's International Climate Finance (ICF), UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) and Partnerships for Forests (P4F). These projects aim to tackle deforestation in Colombia by fostering sustainable alternative livelihoods and the development of the bioeconomy in order to reduce CO2 emissions.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) reports of infighting between illegal armed groups attributed to illegal mining activity in Rio Quito, Chocó, Colombia, and (2) the impact of such infighting on the lives of the local population and the environment.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We remain extremely concerned about the continued presence of illegal armed groups in Colombia, and the impact their competition for control of illicit economies has on local people and environments, particularly during this challenging time. The UK Embassy in Bogota is closely monitoring the situation.
President Duque's Government has publicly committed to implementing the Peace Accords of 2016 in their entirety, and we remain steadfast in our support of the Colombian authorities - including the National Security Guarantees Commission - as they seek to ensure sustainable peace in Colombia. We are proud to be the penholder on the issue at the United Nations Security Council - most recently, our Permanent Representative to the United Nations spoke on presence of illegal armed groups in Colombia at the UN Security Council on 14 April.
We have committed almost £53 million over 5 years through the United Kingdom Conflict Stability and Security Fund for Colombia to support the implementation of the peace process, including across conflict-affected regions such as Chocó and Uruba. We regularly raise this with the Colombian authorities.
Furthermore, HMG provides overseas development assistance (ODA) to climate change initiatives in the region of Chocó in Colombia through two programmes delivered through the UK's International Climate Finance (ICF), UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) and Partnerships for Forests (P4F). These projects aim to tackle deforestation in Colombia by fostering sustainable alternative livelihoods and the development of the bioeconomy in order to reduce CO2 emissions.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the compliance of British mining companies operating in Peru with the health and safety regulations set up by the government of Peru to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 to their workers, families and the wider community.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK Government does not specifically undertake work with UK mining companies operating in Peru to assess their compliance with local health and safety regulations. We expect them to comply fully with all measures put in place by the Government of Peru to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the UK's investment of funding to support the biodiversity hotspot on the Pacific coast of Colombia, of the (1) activities of paramilitary groups in the region, and (2) threat of displacement to the indigenous communities.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The United Kingdom recognises the unique biodiversity of Colombia's Pacific coast and is committed to helping Colombia safeguard its environmental assets. Although this region is not the focus of our programming, the United Kingdom has implemented some climate change-related projects in the region, as well as some Newton Fund research projects on biodiversity and sustainability.
We are aware of reports of violence affecting certain areas in this region, and of the continuing presence of organised armed groups competing for control of illicit economies.
The British Government takes into careful consideration such factors when designing projects and deciding which to fund, and we continually monitor the effect of such risks on our programme work in consultation with colleagues working in Colombia. We also make a thorough assessment of the impact of all of our projects, including on the human rights of local communities.
We are steadfast in our support of the Colombian peace process, and UK-funded programmes across a range of issues from biodiversity to climate change help to improve the socio-economic conditions in rural areas and tackle the root causes of insecurity, building towards a sustainable peace.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of collusion between the Colombian security forces and illegal armed groups.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are aware that organised armed groups operate in parts of Colombia, and of occasional reports that some members of the security forces are complicit in these groups' activities. We support the Colombian government's efforts to root out any such collaboration, including via our specific programme work to foster good governance and tackle corruption in security forces.
Colombia has made significant progress in its efforts to end the influence of paramilitary groups. We have seen little recent evidence of any widespread collusion between security forces and organised armed groups.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat to the security of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities, especially the Embera–Wounaan, on the Pacific coast of Colombia, following reports of armed skirmishes between paramilitaries, the Army of National Liberation and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia for control of the land.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are aware of reports of violence on Colombia's Pacific coast. The presence of organised armed groups, fighting for control of illicit economies, disproportionately affects a number of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities. Our Embassy regularly raises concerns about specific communities with the relevant state actors in Colombia. We support the Colombian government's deployment of further security forces to attempt to guarantee security. More widely, long-term security depends on socioeconomic development of the region and vice versa, key reasons why Her Majesty's Government remains steadfast in its support for the 2016 peace process and why the United Kingdom maintains significant development programming in Colombia.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants from each department have taken language courses at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Language Centre over the past 12 months, and in which languages.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We do not hold data capturing the total number of officers who have participated in developmental language classes at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on an annual basis, but we can provide the number of officers per department, per language who have enrolled in classes this term (Autumn 2019). These overall numbers are similar for the previous two terms this year, although some officers have continued from one term to the next while others have left and been replaced.
The information is captured in the table which is attached due to its size.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken, or plan to take, to ensure that the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, made on 31 October 2000, on the involvement of women in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction are being fully complied with in the Stockholm Agreement process on ending the war in Yemen.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The British Government has lobbied the conflict parties for greater inclusion of women in formal peace talks and have raised the importance of doing so. Through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), we support UN Women initiatives, such as the Yemeni Women Pact, to increase women’s participation in and leadership of official peace processes.