Conflict and Climate Change in Fragile States: Support for Children

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Tuesday 28th November 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Harlech (Con)]

The noble Baroness makes a very important point: supporting children affected by conflict and climate change, including their education, is absolutely fundamental to their well-being. Recent estimates show that 224 million crisis-affected children are not receiving a quality education, including almost 80 million children who cannot access education at all. In crisis-affected countries, only 27% of refugee girls are enrolled in a secondary school. That is why the UK is committed to supporting education in emergencies and protracted crises and is the leading donor in this space.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)]

Does the Minister agree that some of the children most affected are in the Middle East, particularly Israel? Is he therefore, like me, surprised—as I found out just an hour ago—that the Foreign Secretary and his predecessor have refused an invitation to meet the families of the children who were massacred on 7 October in Israel? Will he go back to the Foreign Office and say that the Foreign Secretary should meet them immediately?

[Lord Harlech (Con)]

My Lords, I can confirm that the Foreign Secretary went to one of the kibbutzim that suffered the atrocities and that the UK Government are concerned about the disproportionate impact on children of the conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. UK humanitarian aid will ensure that the specific needs of children are met. We will remind all parties that in armed conflict children must be protected from all grave violations against them.