Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support the British Embassy in Colombia is offering to young protestors who remain incarcerated after protests in 2021.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports the right of Colombians to protest peacefully. We have raised concerns with the Colombian authorities since the start of the 2021 protests, urging them to investigate any excessive use of force and for those responsible to be held to account. Colombia is a UK 'Human Rights Priority Country,' and we will continue to work with the Colombian Government and UN agencies to reduce tensions and promote human rights.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the murder of Luis Carlos Pineda in Caquetá on 9 March 2024.
Answered by David Rutley
During my visit to Colombia earlier this month, I [Minister Rutley] raised the human rights situation with Vice Foreign Minister Coy. At the UN Security Council on 11 January and during the visit of the UN Security Council in February, we stressed the importance of security guarantees for former combatants and reiterated our commitment to supporting efforts to tackle the root causes of violence in Colombia. We will continue to support the Colombian Government in its commitment to implement the 2016 Peace Agreement and ensure the protection and safety of signatories of the Agreement.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the alleged murders of (a) José Roa, (b) Luis Eduardo Sterling and (c) Yilber Silva in Colombia on 14 January 2024.
Answered by David Rutley
Supporting the Colombian Government in its commitment to secure a broad and lasting peace remains an important priority of this Government. I [Minister Rutley] raised the human rights situation during my visit to Colombia this month (4-5 February) where I urged the Colombian Government to take further steps to protect vulnerable groups and individuals affected by conflict. In May 2023, the former Foreign Secretary committed £3.6 million from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) in 2023/24 to support the implementation of the Peace Agreement and to improve stability and security, including on human rights. Through the CSSF programme, we continue to support programmes that help to protect former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) combatants and other vulnerable groups affected by violence.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2024 to Question 12870 on Morocco: Western Sahara, whether the Government has made representations to the UN Security Council on the imprisonment of Saharawi civilian prisoners in Moroccan prisons.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK mission to the United Nations has not made specific representation to the UN Security Council on this matter. However, the UK has consistently supported language in relevant UN Security Council Resolutions that encourages all parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara. Human rights forms part of our bilateral dialogue with Morocco and we raise concerns with the Moroccan authorities as appropriate.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2024 to Question 11223 on Morocco: Western Sahara, whether he has had discussions with his Moroccan counterpart on the imprisonment of Saharawi civilian prisoners in Moroccan prisons.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, as we regularly make clear to the parties. Human rights forms part of our bilateral dialogue with Morocco and we raise concerns with the Moroccan authorities as appropriate. We also engage on these issues at the UN and have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to the UN Security Council to press for the release of Saharawi civilian prisoners in Moroccan prisons.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK Government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. We also engage on these issues at the UN and have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards and to avoid any action that may endanger human life.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will ask the UN Secretary General to investigate (a) how many allegations of human rights abuses have been made to the Moroccan National Human Rights Council in Western Sahara and (b) whether those allegations have been investigated.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK Government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. We also engage on these issues at the UN and have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards and to avoid any action that may endanger human life.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has provided funding to Saharawi human rights defenders in Western Sahara in the last five years.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK Government has not provided funding to the specific cause mentioned. However, the UK remains committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. Additionally, the UK supported United Nations Security Council Resolution 2703 on 30 October, which renewed the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) mandate for 12 months. We have also consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent (a) technical and (b) financial support the Government has provided to the global south to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is delivering on our commitment to spend £11.6 billion of International Climate Finance (ICF) between financial year 2021/2022 and financial year 2025/2026, including £3 billion on development solutions that protect and restore nature. This supports developing countries to both mitigate against and adapt to the impacts of climate change. We publish our ICF results on an annual basis. To date, we have supported over 100 million people to better adapt to the effects of climate change, provided nearly 70 million people with improved access to clean energy and reduced or avoided over 86 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, we have supported 125 countries and 1,450 organisations with technical assistance in areas including energy supply, sustainable agriculture and transport.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
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 implication for his policies of the three-month ceasefire announced as part of peace negotiations in Colombia.
Answered by David Rutley
Through our role as penholder at the UN Security Council (UNSC), the UK works closely with international partners to support the peace process in Colombia. During the most recent UNSC meeting on 11 October, the UK and various Council members reiterated their commitment to support implementation of the 2016 peace agreement as the central peace policy in Colombia. At the UNSC session, the UK welcomed the progress made by the Colombian Government to engage with the former FARC-EP that identifies itself as the Estado Mayor Central (EMC). As the second largest UN Trust Fund donor, the UK continues to be a leading advocate in support of Colombia's peace process and supports the work of the UN Verification Mission.