Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure food security during the covid-19 pandemic in (a) Africa and (b) Asia.
Answered by James Duddridge
Building on the Foreign Secretary's Call to Action and through our G7 Presidency, the UK secured the G7's first ever Compact to tackle the drivers of famine - protecting 34 million people at risk and addressing upward trend in humanitarian needs. G7-prioritised funding will alleviate extreme hunger in some of the worst conflict-hit places, including North-East Nigeria, South Sudan, Yemen and Syria. It will ensure people have access to food, water and sanitation, and that their children have access to lifesaving malnutrition treatment and vaccinations. I have seen the importance of this work including during my visits to South Sudan (with UK Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs Nick Dyer) and Nigeria.
We have adapted development programmes in agriculture, food security and nutrition, to reduce the scale of the emergency; build resilience; and prepare recovery. Our Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness (CASA) programme helped food supply chains in Uganda, Malawi and Nepal remain functional, fast-tracked digital innovation, improved processing, storage, and transportation, and protected food security and nutrition. The UK-co-chaired multilateral Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) adapted its portfolio and committed its full balance to mitigating COVID-19 impacts, in line with strategic parameters through UK leadership. GAFSP also launched a call for a greener recovery. We are working with partners to strengthen global food security monitoring and analysis and to better understand what COVID-19 has done to food security.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department spent on ending violence against women and girls in 2020.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The latest data on UK ODA spend was published in the Statistics on International Development: Provisional UK Aid Spend 2020 document on 8 April 2021. A full breakdown of 2020 spend by sector code (including violence against women and girls) will be published in autumn 2021.
2019 spend data shows that a total of £68.9 million of UK ODA was spent on violence against women and girls, £36.2 million of which was through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle Ahmadi persecution in Bangladesh.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.
Bangladesh is a human rights priority country for the FCDO. Ministers and our High Commission in Dhaka regularly raise human rights concerns as part of continued dialogue with the Government of Bangladesh. The UK supports community leaders in Bangladesh to address the causes and effects of inter-religious, ethnic and political conflict. Our development programming supports citizen groups in 31 districts across the country to come together to resolve grievances, mitigate religious violence and advocate for inclusive and peaceful co-existence.
While Bangladesh is a secular people's republic with formal guarantees of religious freedom, we recognise the risk of religious persecution faced by Ahmadiyya Muslims and other groups in Bangladesh, and actively engage with minority communities to understand their concerns. We will continue to monitor this closely and advocate for FoRB as well as other human rights.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department has spent on promoting freedom of religion in (a) Africa and (b) Asia in each of the last three years.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.
Resources dedicated to FoRB work in Africa and Asia, including staff time, are not recorded centrally, but we have a number of human rights-related activities that contribute to supporting the FoRB agenda. This includes two targeted FoRB programmes through UK Aid Connect where we have spent £482,628, £1,683,095 and £2,785,822 in the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively. The programmes are delivered by the Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development which is led by the Institute of Development Studies, and the Freedom of Religion and Belief Leadership Network, managed by the University of Oxford. Both programmes have reach in Africa and Asia.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to encourage the Pakistani Government to appoint a new leader of Pakistan's National Commission for Human Rights since the ruling of the Islamabad High Court accusing the Pakistani Government of deliberately obstructing the Commission by leaving it leaderless.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government is committed to promoting human rights in Pakistan and around the globe. We regularly urge the government of Pakistan at a senior level to guarantee the rights of all people in Pakistan as laid down in the Constitution of Pakistan and in accordance with international standards. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, responsible for human rights, raised our human rights concerns with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 20 February 2021.
We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to take the steps necessary to comply in full with its human rights obligations. This includes ensuring the effective operation of institutional human rights structures and processes.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on the persecution of Ahmadis in that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government remains deeply concerned by reports of discrimination and violence against religious communities in Pakistan, including against the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. We continue to urge the government of Pakistan at senior levels to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of their religion or belief.
Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, raised our concerns about the recent murders of Ahmadi Muslims with Pakistan's Special Representative for Religious Harmony, Tahir Ashrafi, on 23 March. Lord Ahmad also raised our concerns about the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 20 February. In addition, Officials from the British High Commission in Islamabad met with representatives from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Rabwah on 3 November 2020, in order to understand and engage with their concerns.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Pakistani counterpart on the effect of blasphemy laws on religious and belief minorities in that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government remains deeply concerned about reports of discrimination against the Christian community and other religious minorities in Pakistan. We regularly raise at a senior level our concerns regarding blasphemy laws with the Government of Pakistan. On 23 March, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, discussed Freedom of Religion or Belief with Pakistan's Special Representative for Religious Harmony, Tahir Ashrafi. On 20 February, Lord Ahmad raised our concerns about the protection of minority religious communities, including the use of blasphemy laws, with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari. We will continue to urge the government of Pakistan to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of their religion or belief.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of reports that Christian nurses Mariam Lal and Navish Aroojtwo in Faisalabad, Pakistan, have been charged under that country's blasphemy statutes.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government remains deeply concerned about reports of discrimination against the Christian community and other religious minorities in Pakistan. We regularly raise at a senior level our concerns regarding blasphemy laws with the Government of Pakistan. On 23 March, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, discussed Freedom of Religion or Belief with Pakistan's Special Representative for Religious Harmony, Tahir Ashrafi. On 20 February, Lord Ahmad raised our concerns about the protection of minority religious communities, including the use of blasphemy laws, with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari. We will continue to urge the government of Pakistan to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of their religion or belief.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the level of democracy in countries in Africa categorised as Not Free by the Freedom House index for 2020.
Answered by James Duddridge
Promoting democracy and defending democratic freedoms is a fundamental part of the UK's foreign policy in Africa. We believe that strong democratic institutions and accountable governments, which uphold universal rights and the rule of law, are key building blocks for secure and prosperous states. The way we act to support democracy in each country is different and dependent on the context and needs of the country concerned. Our approach is principled but practical, based on an understanding of where and how we can affect positive change. The UK is a strong advocate for the promotion and defence of democracy in Africa. We support a wide range of democracy-building initiatives, including funding Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that increase citizen participation, promoting inclusion of marginalised groups, providing training for legal professionals, promoting freedom of expression, and strengthening political parties and parliaments. As a 'force for good,' the UK will continue to work with its allies, including championing and strengthening democracy through international bodies like the UN.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Somalian counterpart on the recent violence in that country.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK has expressed deep concerns about the outbreak of violence in Somalia at the end of April and the risks of future escalation. With its international partners the UK condemned the violence, and has consistently urged Somali leaders to show restraint and return rapidly to dialogue on the electoral process on the basis of the 17 September agreement. Failure to move quickly towards consensus-based elections in Somalia risks greater insecurity and serious humanitarian consequences. On 1 May the UK welcomed the Somalia Parliament's endorsement of a return to talks. Through the British Embassy in Mogadishu, the UK, with its international partners, continues intensive diplomatic engagement with leaders of the Federal Government, Federal Member States and Opposition parties, to curb risks of violence and restore the political process.