Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the compliance with (a) Article 23 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and (b) Rule 55 of the International Committee of the Red Cross’s Customary International Law Study of the restriction of supplies of food and medicine through the port of Hodeidah in Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK continues to raise concerns with the Saudi led-Coalition about the potential impact of any assault on the port and city of Hodeidah and is monitoring the resumption of hostilities in and around Hodeidah closely.
As we have consistently made clear, the Coalition must ensure that any further military operations in and around Hodeidah are conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law, including on the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and do not disrupt commercial and humanitarian flows both through the port and onwards across the country. For their part, the Houthis must not compromise civilian facilities (such as Hodeidah port as well as schools, hospitals and food storage facilities) and allow unhindered access to humanitarian agencies throughout areas they control.
To date, Red Sea ports remain operational and continue to import most of the food and fuel on which Yemenis rely.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether UK official development assistance supports the work of agencies cited for human rights abuses in the October 2018 Human Rights Watch report Two authorities, one way, zero dissent.
Answered by Alistair Burt
UK Official Development Assistance does not provide financial assistance or assets to support the Palestinian Authority (PA) agencies implicated in the Human Rights Watch report and continues to have a no contact policy with Hamas in its entirety. The report has made some serious and concerning allegations about human rights violations by the PA and we have immediately raised our concerns with the Palestinian Ministry of Interior. We continue to urge the PA to respect human rights, to ensure complaints of mistreatment or arbitrary detention are properly investigated and to continue to improve the performance of the security sector.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) currently delivers training courses and supports the development of training institutions across the Palestinian Authority security sector. Participants from two agencies referenced in the report, the Preventative Security Organisation and General Intelligence Service, have attended courses delivered by the MOD and by training institutions that are supported by the MOD. These courses serve to reinforce accountability, responsible governance and a common approach to the upholding of human rights and human rights law.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether funding allocated by her Department to non-governmental organisations operating in Idlib province in Syria has been used to make ransom payments to obtain the release of kidnapped aid workers in 2018.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Kidnapping for ransom poses a threat to the safety and security of aid workers and NGO staff operating throughout Syria, including in Idlib province. The UK continues to call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians and humanitarian actors, so aid can reach those in desperate need, and those responding to the crisis can help the most vulnerable without fear of attack. Under a duty of care to their staff, humanitarian agencies should be conducting risk assessments and taking appropriate mitigating action to protect workers. The UK will continue to support any action to protect humanitarian actors throughout the country.
The UK does not make ransom payments, on the basis that providing money or property fuels terrorist activity and encourages further kidnappings. Any payment to, or for the benefit of, a proscribed terrorist organisation is contrary to UN sanctions, and therefore illegal. DFID aid complies with UK and international counter terrorism legislation, and our funding agreements commit partners to understand and comply with international counter terrorism legislation. All partners undergo a stringent due diligence process and strict controls and procedures are in place to prevent diversion, to ensure that UK aid reaches its intended beneficiaries.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment her Department has made of the risk of kidnap for ransom to (a) aid workers and (b) other representatives of non-governmental organisations operating in Idlib province in Syria.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Kidnapping for ransom poses a threat to the safety and security of aid workers and NGO staff operating throughout Syria, including in Idlib province. The UK continues to call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians and humanitarian actors, so aid can reach those in desperate need, and those responding to the crisis can help the most vulnerable without fear of attack. Under a duty of care to their staff, humanitarian agencies should be conducting risk assessments and taking appropriate mitigating action to protect workers. The UK will continue to support any action to protect humanitarian actors throughout the country.
The UK does not make ransom payments, on the basis that providing money or property fuels terrorist activity and encourages further kidnappings. Any payment to, or for the benefit of, a proscribed terrorist organisation is contrary to UN sanctions, and therefore illegal. DFID aid complies with UK and international counter terrorism legislation, and our funding agreements commit partners to understand and comply with international counter terrorism legislation. All partners undergo a stringent due diligence process and strict controls and procedures are in place to prevent diversion, to ensure that UK aid reaches its intended beneficiaries.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many facilities and projects in Yemen in receipt of funding from her Department have been hit by Saudi coalition air strikes since the start of the conflict in that country in 2015.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Since the Yemen conflict began in 2015, our partners have reported two incidents to us in which UK funded assets incurred damage as a result of the conflict.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department had allocated funding to the Oxfam-supported (a) water supply system and (b) cholera treatment centres in Yemen which were hit by Saudi coalition air strikes in (i) April and (ii) June 2018.
Answered by Alistair Burt
No. Oxfam were not funded by the UK for either project.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, for what reason the United Nations High-Level Panel meeting on 25 September 2018, Addressing Malnutrition in Yemen, was closed to the media, and if she will publish a copy of the presentation and briefing given to attendees at the event by UK representatives.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK hosted a side event at the 2018 UN General Assembly on ‘Addressing Malnutrition in Yemen’ on 25 September, which I chaired alongside UN Agencies. The meeting discussed the worsening malnutrition in Yemen, the challenges, as well a Call to Action to the UN, NGOs and donors to more comprehensively tackle malnutrition. The roundtable did not have media attendance due to the technical nature of the discussion. A statement was released following the event and a finalised Call to Action will be published imminently.
I also attended an OCHA- led UN High-Level Panel on the ‘Humanitarian Response in Yemen’ on 24 September. The event highlighted the life-saving impact of humanitarian assistance in Yemen.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent representations she has made to her counterpart in South Sudan on the protection of aid workers from violence in that country.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
South Sudan is one of the most dangerous operating environments in the world for humanitarian workers, with at least 100 killed since the conflict began in 2013.
Violence against those individuals delivering lifesaving assistance is completely unacceptable, and the UK has consistently made clear to South Sudan’s leaders that this must stop. We raise this issue regularly at Ministerial level.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much was disbursed from the public purse in voluntary contributions excluding assessed or non-discretionary contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency in each financial year since 2010.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The amount of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in each calendar year since 2010 is given in the table below. This data is published each year in the Statistics for International Development (SID) publication. Figures for 2017 will be released next year.
The UK remains firmly committed to supporting UNRWA and Palestinian refugees across the Middle East and we have so far provided around £50 million in 2017/18.
(£ millions) | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
Bilateral ODA through Multilateral | 2.1 | 4.5 | 5.8 | 18.4 | 29.1 | 30.0 | 21.0 |
Core Multilateral ODA | 27.0 | 30.5 | 47.5 | 22.9 | 36.6 | 34.0 | 33.4 |
Total UK ODA to UNRWA | 29.1 | 35.0 | 53.3 | 41.4 | 65.7 | 64.0 | 54.4 |
Source: Statistics for International Development 2010 - 2017
ODA figures are produced only on a calendar year basis in line with the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation, Development Assistance Committee definitions.
Bilateral ODA through multilateral is funding to multilateral organisations for specific programmes or for specific countries. Core multilateral ODA describes un-earmarked funds from national governments which are pooled with other donors’ funding and disbursed as part of the core budget of the multilateral organisation.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent representations she has made to the Governments of (a) Ukraine and (b) Russia on humanitarian access to eastern Ukraine; what assessment she has made of the effect of recent fighting on civilian infrastructure in that region; and what steps she is taking to assist civilians affected by the ongoing conflict in that region.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The UK has consistently called on all sides to grant humanitarian agencies full and unhindered access to vulnerable people affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Fighting around Avdiivka has resulted in a worrying deterioration in the humanitarian situation. Severe damage to civilian infrastructure and utilities means vulnerable people are forced to face sub-zero temperatures without reliable access to water, electricity or heating. On 31 January, the Foreign Secretary called for a full and sustained ceasefire, in line with the provisions of the Minsk agreements, to facilitate crucial repairs, restore vital utilities, and assist the vulnerable.
UK Aid is helping to save lives and support civilians affected by the ongoing conflict.