Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support countries affected by Typhoon Yagi.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Typhoon Yagi has had a major impact in many countries in South-East Asia. The UK Government has provided £1m to support the humanitarian response in northern Vietnam and £1.3m to help address the impact of severe flooding in Myanmar. The UK is also a major contributor to two global funds that have allocated funding. These are the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund that has released funds for the Myanmar response; and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Disaster Relief Emergency Fund that is assisting those most affected in Vietnam and Myanmar.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to provide assistance to (a) Ecuador, (b) Paraguay, (c) Peru and (d) Brazil following forest fires in those countries.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has closely monitored recent forest fires in Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Brazil. The UK's support for sustainable development and climate change adaptation should reduce drought impacts and wildfires long-term. In Ecuador and Peru, we are contributing up to £12.3 million through the Andes-Amazon Biodiverse Landscape Fund and in Brazil, through the Amazon Fund (£80 million contributed, with a further £35 million committed). In Paraguay, we support capacity building on forest fire mitigation and response amongst indigenous and local communities. Climate Minister Kerry McCarthy MP visited the Amazon Rainforest last week, meeting firefighters on the front-line using equipment purchased through the Amazon Fund.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations at the United Nations on the potential merits of a UN convention on the rights of older persons.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is fully committed to promoting and protecting the rights of all people, including older people. Building stronger legal frameworks at the domestic and international level is key. We were an active participant in the work of the UN's Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing, and we welcomed the consensus adoption by the General Assembly in September of its recommendations. The UK seeks to play a constructive role on these issues, and we are open to considering further standard-setting, including the possibility of a multilateral instrument, to help further address the issues faced by older people.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to support Palestinian Christians.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK will continue to champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, globally. We are clear that incitement of violence or hatred against individuals based on their religion or belief is unacceptable. Respect for FoRB, and the promotion of interreligious dialogue, plays an important role in securing sustainable peace. Our Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly meets and discusses issues with the Christian community in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is providing emergency humanitarian assistance to help prevent a polio outbreak in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is supporting humanitarian agencies including UNRWA, UNICEF and UK Med to provide essential healthcare to civilians in Gaza. This includes activities to improve water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) - which is important to help prevent the spread of diseases such as polio.
The UK is also supporting the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) which, since 1988, has led global efforts to reduce Polio Virus cases by more than 99 percent. In Gaza, GPEI is working with partners including WHO, UNICEF, UNWRA and local NGOs, to plan a response campaign that will integrate polio vaccination alongside other essential health and nutrition services. This will be dependent on securing safe access and a safe environment in which to conduct the campaign, through either a ceasefire or a temporary cessation of hostilities.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle drought in southern Africa.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Severe drought has tipped Southern Africa into a food security crisis, where acute humanitarian needs are already emerging. The UK is a major contributor to humanitarian funds which have made allocations totalling £36 million to tackle drought and disease risks. We are a founding member and donor of Africa Risk Capacity, which has provided timely disaster risk financing pay outs to member states. The UK is adapting existing programmes to support national responses and deploying a regional adviser to improve humanitarian risk analysis and coordination. We are also raising the humanitarian needs with our international partners, maintaining focus on long-term, anticipatory solutions to climate-related crises in the region.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of efforts to encourage other countries to ratify the Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The implementation and ratification of the Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement is the subject of active and positive discussions at international meetings, such as the Our Ocean Conference that was held in Greece on 15-17 April, the Commonwealth Ocean Ministers Meeting held in Cyprus on 18-19 April, and the upcoming High Level Ocean Action event in Costa Rica on 7-8 June. The government has also been actively engaging with other interested States and international organisations to exchange current policy thinking on BBNJ Agreement implementation and ratification. The FCDO is funding a project by the Commonwealth Secretariat to provide technical assistance to smaller Commonwealth members. The UK is aware that a substantial number of States are actively working to implement and ratify the BBNJ Agreement and encourage other States. A draft UN General Assembly Resolution (A/78/L.41) to establish a Preparatory Commission for the BBNJ Agreement will be voted on shortly. Once the Preparatory Commission is established it will prepare for the first Conference of the Parties to take place within the first year after entry into force of the Agreement (with entry into force taking place 120 days after the 60th ratification). The UK aims to ratify in time for the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025 and to play an active part in the first Conference of the Parties.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 reports of alleged settler violence in the village of Um al-Khair in the southern West Bank.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK continues to take a strong stance against settler violence. Extremist settlers, by targeting and attacking Palestinian civilians, are undermining security and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians.
On 12 February, the Foreign Secretary announced new sanctions against four extremist Israeli settlers who have violently attacked Palestinians in the West Bank. These measures are part of wider UK efforts to support a more stable West Bank, which is vital for the peace and security of both Palestinians and Israelis.
We continue to urge Israel to take stronger action to stop settler violence and hold the perpetrators accountable. We will consider additional actions, including further sanctions, as necessary. The UK continues to work with allies and partners, including across the region, to find a path towards a sustainable ceasefire and permanent peace.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help provide humanitarian support following the recent outbreak of cholera in Zambia.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is providing £670,000 towards the International Federation of the Red Cross emergency appeal, which is operating to support the Government of Zambia Cholera Response Plan. We have also deployed a two-member UK Emergency Medical Team and a three person UK Public Health Rapid Support Team who are providing support to the response. These teams have joined the existing UK Health Security Agency team in Zambia, which has developed a close partnership with Zambian health authorities since 2019, helping to build technical capability and strengthening public health systems.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department is providing emergency humanitarian assistance to help avert famine in Ethiopia.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is committed to providing support to the most vulnerable and those in desperate need. We have already increased our humanitarian support this financial year to £74 million. This includes a £23 million contribution to the Productive Safety Net Programme that will reach a further 350,000 people living in extreme poverty across Ethiopia. Additionally, the UK recently announced £100 million of funding that includes providing lifesaving nutritional support.