Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the Government plans to ratify the Global Oceans Treaty.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is completely committed to ratification of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement, also known as the Global Oceans Treaty or the High Seas Treaty), which is in line with our determination to reinvigorate the UK's wider international leadership on climate and nature. Work is in hand on the measures needed to implement the detailed and complex provisions of the Agreement before the UK can ratify.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of the (a) national unity government and (b) ethnic revolutionary organisations in Myanmar on the delivery of aid to people most in need.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to discuss the humanitarian situation and the delivery of aid in Myanmar with a range of opposition stakeholders, including the National Unity Government (NUG) and a number of Ethnic Resistance Organisations (ERO). Since the coup, the UK has provided more than £150 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance, emergency healthcare and education support, and we continue to support civil society and local communities on the ground. The UK is committed to supporting a plurality of voices in Myanmar, and we are clear that any future settlement for Myanmar must be inclusive and involve a wide range of opposition actors, including EROs and the NUG. The Myanmar military must engage with them and all other opposition groups.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to pages 21-23 of the Peace Brigades International UK report entitled, The Case For Change: Why human rights defenders need a UK law on mandatory due diligence, published in November 2024, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of that report's findings; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce requirements on companies operating internationally to demonstrate (a) human rights and (b) environmental due diligence.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK recognises the essential role that human rights defenders and civil society organisations play in promoting and protecting human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The UK supports voluntary due diligence approaches taken by UK businesses to respect human rights and the environment across their operations and supply relationships, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Going forward, the Government will assess the best way to prevent environmental harms and human rights and labour rights abuses in both private and public sector supply chains.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of an extension of a ceasefire between the Colombian government and the Estado Mayor Central group.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports Colombian efforts to achieve a sustainable and long-lasting peace, including through implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement and support from the UN Verification Mission. We welcome the renewal of the UN's mandate, which included willingness to consider future monitoring and verification of the ceasefire with Estado Mayor Central. Through our role as penholder at the UN Security Council the UK works with the Government, civil society, and international partners to support peace in Colombia. We regularly discuss the peace process with the Colombian Government at the highest levels. The PM met President Petro in the margins of the G20 and Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Murillo at COP29 and reiterated the UK's support for peace. Baroness Chapman also reiterated the UK's support for peace in Colombia during her visit to Bogota in November, including during her discussion with Vice Foreign Minister Jorge Rojas.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the new transitional justice legislation in Nepal.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A legitimate and effective transitional justice process in Nepal remains necessary even 18 years after the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. It will help ensure reconciliation and underpin lasting peace. The UK welcomes Nepal's recent step forward with its new transitional justice legislation. The UK continues to engage with the Government of Nepal, the UN and others on how best to provide constructive support for Nepal's transitional justice efforts that are victim-centric, fair and in-line with international standards. We also continue to work to address the injustices, inequalities and exclusion that sowed the seeds of the civil war.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring] frozen Russian assets held in the UK to Ukraine to support the war effort.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Russia's obligations under international law are clear: it must pay for the damage it has caused to Ukraine. That is why on 22 October the Chancellor announced that we will provide £2.26 billion in additional support to Ukraine, as part of the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) Loans to Ukraine scheme. In line with the Government's commitment to ensure that Russia pays for its illegal invasion of Ukraine, the UK's contribution will be repaid using the extraordinary profits generated on immobilised Russian sovereign assets. We will continue to consider all possible lawful avenues by which Russia can be made to meet its obligations to Ukraine under international law.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department are taking to help reunite Nadia Ayoub McCulloch with her family.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO are aware of Nadia Ayoub McCulloch's situation and have been in contact with her directly. The FCDO's Consular team have been providing, and continue to provide, support to Nadia at what we recognise will be a distressing time for her, her family and her friends.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing targeted sanctions on (a) people responsible for serious crimes in Sudan in line with those sanctioned by the United States, Canada and the European Union, (b) people identified in the UN Panel of Experts report of January 2024 and (c) commanders and officials obstructing humanitarian assistance.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The use of sanctions is one of the tools the UK employs to respond to ongoing conflict in Sudan. Since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023, the UK has sanctioned five entities linked with the RSF and four entities linked with the SAF. Six of those sanctions were issued on 12 July 2023 under the UK's Sudan Sanctions (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. The UK announced a package of three further sanctions designations on 15 April 2024. These sanctions froze the assets of three commercial entities linked to each warring party. The UK welcomes the Panel of Experts' report from January. Although we do not speculate on future measures, our sanctions policy is continually under review. We continue to engage closely with key international partners on Sudan.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps at the United Nations Security Council to (a) widen the existing arms embargo on Darfur to cover all of Sudan, (b) enforce the existing arms embargo, and (c) to sanction (i) individuals and (ii) companies that (A) have violated and (B) are violating the arms embargo.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There is a UN Arms Embargo and Sanctions Regime on Darfur, which the UN Security Council (UNSC) renewed in September 2024, which complements a longstanding bilateral UK arms embargo in place for the whole of Sudan. These regimes have been used to constrain the flow of weapons into the country, and individuals and entities who breach the UN arms embargo may be subject to targeted measures as stipulated in resolution 1591. Since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023, the UK has sanctioned five entities linked with the Rapid Support Forces and four entities linked with the Sudanese Armed Forces. We consistently use our position as penholder on Sudan at the UNSC to call on States urgently to refrain from enhancing either side's fighting capability.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a new UN convention on the rights of older persons.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is fully committed to promoting and protecting the rights of all people, including older people. Building stronger legal frameworks at the domestic and international level is key. We were an active participant in the work of the UN's Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing and we welcomed the consensus adoption by the General Assembly in September of its recommendations. The UK seeks to play a constructive role on these issues and we are open to considering further standard-setting, including the possibility of a multilateral instrument to help further address the issues faced by older people.