Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department’s policy paper entitled UK-Occupied Palestinian Territories development partnership summary July 2023, published on 17 July 2023, whether he has made an assessment of trends in the level of educational content that (a) incites violence, (b) glorifies terrorism and (c) contains antisemitism in (i) textbooks and (ii) other curriculum materials provided to children in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Education is an essential component of the humanitarian response in Gaza, and critical to building the foundations for a sustainable and lasting peace for the Israeli and Palestinian people, grounded in a two-state solution. It is therefore essential that partners delivering education services across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) uphold the highest standards of neutrality. The majority of education services across Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem are delivered by the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) or the Palestinian Authority. Catherine Colonna's Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality notes the most recent UNRWA Rapid Review of textbooks from the Palestinian Authority (2022/2023) "found that 3.85 per cent of all textbook pages contain "issues of concern to UN values, guidance, or position on the conflict," either because they are deemed "educationally inappropriate" or because they are not in line with UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) standards." The UK supports the Colonna review's conclusion that "the presence of even a small fraction of problematic content in textbooks, supplemental material and teaching content remains a serious issue." We welcome the initiatives launched by UNRWA to ensure neutrality of its educational material and teaching, in addition to its longstanding work with UNESCO and the Palestinian Authority to reform curricula and educational materials. £1 million of UK funding to UNRWA this financial year has been earmarked for the implementation of the Colonna review's recommendations. We also welcome the Palestinian Authority's commitment to enriching curricula and supporting development of educational material in its Education Sector Strategic Plan (2024-2027), with the support of UNESCO. On January 22nd, I met Marcus Sheff, CEO of the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se), to discuss opportunities for further educational development.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 23546, what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on the Kamtok Dam project.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government stands firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Tibet. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang and Vice Premier He respectively). We also continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations, for example, joining a statement on the situation in Tibet led by Australia at the UN General Assembly last October.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
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 the stability of the (a) hostage and (b) ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure the release of (i) Keith Siegel and (ii) other hostages with links to the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the release of three hostages in Gaza, including dual British national Emily Damari. The ceasefire agreement must be implemented in full. The UK is working with international partners to ensure the stability of the ceasefire agreement and to secure the release of all remaining hostages, including those with strong UK-links.
The UK will continue to work with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the US and regional partners to build consensus for a post-conflict Gaza governance and security framework that supports conditions for a permanent and sustainable peace.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
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 impact of China's Kamtok Dam project on the (a) environment, (b) society and (c) economy in Tibet.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government would refer to credible external sources, including those from the United Nations, in relation to the impact of China's Kamtok Dam project. For example, in July 2024 a letter was issued from 13 UN Special Rapporteurs finding the project risked the "forced displacement" of Tibetans from their ancestral villages, with "irreversible destruction of important cultural and religious sites" alongside "irreversible or significant environmental impacts." It also noted the widespread crackdown on Tibetan individuals peacefully expressing their opposition to the project.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether drones have been used by the military regime against civilians in Myanmar.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to monitor the escalation of the conflict in Myanmar closely, including the use of drones by the Myanmar military. The UK strongly condemns the military's use of airstrikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and places of worship. The UK is exploring a range of measures to disrupt the military's ability to use air capabilities to target civilians. In October 2024, the UK announced sanctions targeting companies involved in the procurement of aviation fuel and equipment for the Myanmar Armed Forces.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
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 increase levels of humanitarian aid into Myanmar.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since the coup in February 2021, the UK has provided more than £150 million for life-saving humanitarian assistance, healthcare, education and support for civil society and local communities in Myanmar. Most recently, the UK Government provided £1.3 million to help address the impact of the severe flooding in September.
The UK takes a multi-pronged approach to improving humanitarian aid and access: i) we work through channels including the UN Security Council and ASEAN to call for funding and unrestricted humanitarian access in Myanmar; and ii) the UK directs funding to local civil society organisations, overcoming humanitarian access restrictions to support the most vulnerable and hard to reach communities.