Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking to (a) support an extension of the mandate for the Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council, (b) support the (i) resourcing and (ii) access of that Mission’s mandate and (c) engage with African members of the Human Rights Council on that Mission.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is proud to have led efforts in the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) last year to establish the independent and international Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan (FFM). We fully support the FFM's mandate to ensure credible allegations of human rights violations and abuses in Sudan will be investigated impartially. We are concerned about the impact of the ongoing UN liquidity crisis on its work, and accordingly will support an extension to its mandate to ensure it is given the necessary time, resources and access. We will continue to engage States, including African States who are members of the HRC, on the continued need for and importance of the FFM.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has (a) made an assessment of the adequacy of resources available to the BBC World Service in advance of the next Spending Review and (b) had recent discussions with the BBC on the potential impact of its resourcing decisions on the UK's soft power.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The World Service is two-thirds funded by the Licence Fee, with the remainder provided by government. The FCDO is providing £283 million to the World Service over the current Spending Review (SR) period, plus an exceptional uplift of £20 million as part of the Integrated Review Refresh (2023). Government funding for the World Service after 2024-25 will be determined as part of the next SR. The BBC is operationally independent and therefore responsible for setting its own budgets.
The FCDO engages regularly with the BBC at all levels. The Foreign Secretary meets the BBC Chair annually to discuss World Service performance and progress towards targets. [https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-02-01/HLWS232]
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of (a) food insecurity and (b) other humanitarian needs in the Central African Republic.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Conflict is the main driver of food insecurity and humanitarian need in the Central African Republic (CAR), having displaced over a quarter of the population, left 2.9 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and 2 million people - a third of the population - severely food insecure. Since 2014 the UK has been a major contributor to the humanitarian response plan in CAR, having contributed over £138 million. The UK is currently supporting the World Food Programme, amongst others, in CAR to address levels of food insecurity. In 2024 the UK support will help provide over 266,000 people with humanitarian assistance in CAR.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment he has made of the seriousness of the risk of atrocities in Kas in the South Darfur state of Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK condemns the continuing violence and suffering being wrought by the warring parties on the people of Sudan, including in South Darfur. The UK remains committed to ensuring that those responsible for these serious atrocities in Sudan are held to account. The UK welcomed the publication of the Panel of Experts report in early March. The credible evidence of external military support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) highlighted in the report is concerning. As well as the work of the UN Panel of Experts, we continue to support the essential work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR) and the International Criminal Court in investigating and documenting reports of these serious atrocities. In addition, on 11 October, the Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted the UK-led 'Sudan Core Group' resolution to establish an independent and international Fact-Finding Mission to ensure credible allegations of human rights violations and abuses in Sudan will be investigated impartially. The HRC joint statement on behalf of 44 counties also reinforces UK support for better humanitarian access and a ceasefire in Sudan.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with (a) his Togolese counterpart, (b) the Economic Community of West African States and (c) the African Union on the impact on democratic accountability in Togo of recent constitutional reforms; and what steps he is taking to support monitoring of the forthcoming elections in that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government engages with the Government of Togo through our High Commission in Accra. We encourage a peaceful and inclusive dialogue in Togo, to work through constitutional reforms; and we urge the Government to set a new date for legislative and regional elections without delay. The UK will continue to engage partners, including ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), and monitor for further developments.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of 12 March 2024, Lords Official Report, column 1910, If he will publish a summary of Treasury advice received by his Department on legislation concerning private creditors.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Government recognises the importance of private sector lending to low-income countries. The UK, alongside international partners, expects private creditors to participate in debt restructurings on terms at least as favourable as bilateral (i.e. country) creditors.
At this time, the Government is focused on delivering a market-based (contractual) approach to private sector participation in debt restructuring, which the IMF have found to be largely effective in recent years. As part of this, the UK has led the development of Majority Voting Provisions for private syndicated loans. We engage regularly with the Treasury on this issue.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the impact of the halting of oil exports from South Sudan via Sudan on (a) security and the humanitarian situation in South Sudan and (b) prospects for (i) escalation and (ii) de-escalation of the conflict in Sudan; and whether he is taking steps to engage (A) other countries affected and (B) China in discussion of the potential impact of the halting of such oil exports.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
There has been recent damage to the oil pipeline that carries oil from South Sudan to Sudan, which has significantly reduced the South Sudanese government's oil production capabilities and subsequently their income. This economic deterioration is exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan, as food prices and the cost of humanitarian assistance delivery have increased. We are continuing to monitor the impacts of this closely, including on the security and humanitarian situation in both Sudan and South Sudan.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of (a) recent violence in the Abyei Administrative Area and (b) the capacity of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA ) to protect civilians affected by that violence; and what recent discussions he has had with (i) UNISFA , (ii) the authorities in South Sudan, (iii) the African Union and (iv) the Intergovernmental Authority on Development on the situation in Abyei.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK condemns the recent escalation of violence in Abyei. We released a statement alongside Troika (US, Norway) partners on January 29, to condemn the armed attacks in Abyei and urge the Government of South Sudan to urgently withdraw its troops in line with its commitments under the 2011 Status of Forces Agreement. The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei's (UNISFA) mandate was renewed in November 2023 and amended to better equip the mission to respond quickly to security incidents and to place greater emphasis on community engagement. The UK is using its position as a permanent member of the Security Council to urge both the government of South Sudan and the de facto Sudanese authorities to ensure UNISFA can fully and effectively implement its mandate. We echo the UN Secretary-General's encouragement for the African Union to intensify its mediation efforts to help reach a political solution for Abyei and we encourage The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to engage in this process.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) his counterpart in Mozambique, (b) representatives of the Southern African Development Community and (c) his counterparts in states neighbouring Mozambique on potential support in tackling security threats posed by IS-Mozambique.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
In May 2023, the Minister of State for Development and Africa visited Mozambique and met President Nyusi. They discussed UK support for the Government of Mozambique's response to the ongoing IS-Mozambique insurgency in Cabo Delgado, including through new programmes aimed at building local resilience to violent extremism, security and human rights training that has been delivered to over 200 Armed Forces personnel to date. During the same visit to the region, the Minister of State for Development and Africa met South Africa's Deputy Minister for International Relations & Cooperation to discuss a range of topics including peace and post conflict development in Mozambique. Our UK Special Representative to SADC also regularly engages with SADC missions on peace keeping in the region.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an estimate of the daily capacity for humanitarian deliveries through the (a) Al-Tina and (b) Renk crossings into Sudan; and if he will take steps with his international counterparts to monitor the number of daily humanitarian deliveries through these crossings.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are unable to estimate the daily capacity for humanitarian deliveries through these routes. The UK strongly condemns the decision on 21 February by the Sudanese Armed Forces to withdraw permission for cross-border deliveries of humanitarian aid from Adré in Chad. We note the SAF's commitments on 5 March to facilitate crossline and other cross-border routes, such as these, for the delivery of life-saving assistance to Darfur and the Kordofans. As penholder on Sudan, the UK has proposed a UN Security Council resolution, calling for an immediate ceasefire before the holy month of Ramadan and urging all parties to allow for unhindered cross-border and cross-line humanitarian access. We continue to monitor the situation closely and urge the warring parties to allow safe humanitarian access.