Yemen

Lord Collins of Highbury Excerpts

Thursday 29th October 2015 Lords Chamber

[The Earl of Courtown]

My Lords, we continue at all times, as the noble Lord is aware, to have talks at the highest level on all these issues.

[Lord Collins of Highbury (Lab)]

My Lords, in view of the reports of violations of serious international human rights law committed by parties in Yemen, does the Minister support the establishment of an international commission of inquiry to investigate these allegations?

[The Earl of Courtown]

My Lords, the UN Human Rights Council, which I think the noble Lord was referring to, has no mandate to call for IHL investigations. Resolutions contain mechanisms for monitoring the human rights situation in Yemen. There was recently an agreement on a single text in the Human Rights Council to call for consensual resolution of the position in Yemen.