Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
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 Ethiopian counterpart on the conflict in Amhara region.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK regularly discusses the conflict in Amhara with the Ethiopian government, condemning violence and calling for a peaceful resolution. On 15 August, the Foreign Secretary discussed the conflict with the then Ethiopian Foreign Minister, including its impact on civilians and on stability in the region. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa and I have both recently visited Ethiopia and raised the conflict in Amhara at the highest levels.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
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 implications for his policies of the matters raised in the Amnesty International press release entitled Ethiopia: Human rights bodies failure to act as justice continues to elude victims of atrocities, published on 6 August 2024.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Amnesty International press release on 6 August has drawn attention to the conduct of actors across northern Ethiopia. Their reporting is consistent with UN investigations which found that all sides committed major human rights abuses, some of which might amount to crimes against humanity. The UK has consistently called for accountability for victims across Ethiopia and is supporting Ethiopia's transitional justice efforts, including by working with national human rights organisations to enhance evidence collection that could support criminal procedures.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
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 help ensure that UK aid is able to pass into the Amhara region of Ethiopia.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
With active conflict leading to humanitarian access restrictions across much of Amhara, we are aware that aid agencies struggle to deliver assistance to civilians across the region. We are providing funding for a UN-led civil-military coordination team in Amhara, which negotiates humanitarian access throughout the region. This will improve the ability of partners to deliver humanitarian support, including UK-funded aid to affected peoples.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
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 implications for his policies of the report by Defense for Children International - Palestine entitled Targeting childhood, Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank, published on 9 September 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is deeply worried by the situation in the West Bank. The risk of instability is serious and the need for de-escalation urgent. The allegations in this report are deeply disturbing. Israel has a right to self-defence in line with international law, but we are deeply worried by the methods Israel has employed and by reports of civilian casualties, including children. Israel must respect the rights and vulnerabilities of children. We continue to call on Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, take greater action to hold violent settlers to account and clamp down on the actions of those who seek to inflame tensions. The UK has sanctioned eight people and two groups responsible for perpetrating and inciting human rights abuses against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
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 implications for his policies of Save the Children's press notice entitled Physical abuse, infectious disease spreading as conditions for Palestinian children in Israeli military detention deteriorate, published on 22 July 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We engage regularly with Save the Children and received this report directly from the organisation. Save the Children is part of the BOND Occupied Palestinian Territories working group, and regularly raises the impact of the conflict on children. The most effective means of addressing these concerns is through UK funding to humanitarian partner organisations, and our advocacy work.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
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 implications for his policies of Save the Children's press notice entitled Gaza's missing children: Over 20,000 children estimated to be lost, disappeared, detained, buried under the rubble or in mass graves, published on 24 June 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is deeply concerned by the devastating impact of the conflict on children in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary has publicly condemned the tragic loss of civilian life since this war began and has made clear that all parties must comply with International Humanitarian Law. On 2 September, the Foreign Secretary noted in his Statement on the Middle East that Israel could reasonably do much more to ensure life-saving food and medical supplies reach civilians in Gaza.
Israel must respect the rights and vulnerabilities of children and the critical infrastructure that serves their basic needs. On 7 August, during her visit to the region, the Minister of State for Development announced £6 million in funding for UNICEF to support vulnerable families in Gaza with lifesaving water, healthcare and specialist treatment for malnourished children. On 4 September I signed an agreement with Kuwait to deliver £4.5 million of joint support via UNICEF into Gaza and Yemen.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
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 help protect freedom of religious belief in Tibet.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. We will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.
We will stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Tibet. We will champion freedom of religion or belief for all abroad, and work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
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 support the preservation of the Tibetan language and culture across Tibet.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. We will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.
We will stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Tibet. We will champion freedom of religion or belief for all abroad, and work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of potential implications for his policies of the human rights situation in Tibet.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. We will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.
We will stand firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Tibet. We will champion freedom of religion or belief for all abroad, and work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
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 impact of the closure of the Prosperity Fund in 2021 on his Department's work to reduce poverty.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The cross-government Prosperity Fund ended on 31 March 2021 and prosperity programming moved to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. While some programmes closed, other programmes continued to run and continue to support fighting global poverty.
The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) regularly reviews FCDO programming. Their 2023 impact review, covering the organisation's reports from 2019 to 2023, noted that, despite pressures, many aid programmes are still making a positive difference globally.
The new government is committed to strengthening international development work within the FCDO. We will continue to prioritise support for economic transformation, tackling unsustainable debt, empowering women and girls, supporting conflict prevention, and unlocking climate finance.