Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recommendations made by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar in his Annual Report to the UN General Assembly.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK strongly supports the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar which are in line with the UK's strategic objectives to resolve the crisis. In particular, the UK has been at the forefront of the international effort to target the military's access to money and arms. The UK has announced seven tranches of sanctions since the coup, targeting the regime's credibility and their revenue streams, we are working with partners to consider further measures. The UK is clear that the international community should work to prevent the flow of arms to Myanmar. To this end we have secured a G7 commitment and a UN General Assembly Resolution which reaffirm this commitment. We are working with partners to put pressure on those who continue to sell arms to the military. The UK is clear in our condemnation of the coup and will continue to work to deny the regime credibility. We will continue to support the voices of those who oppose the coup, including the National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG) who have a strong democratic mandate from the November 2020 election.
As set out in the UN Special Rapporteur Report, meeting humanitarian needs remains a major priority. 70% of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's aid spend in Myanmar is being used to respond to health and humanitarian issues. As ASEAN's newest Dialogue Partner, the UK pledged a further $100k in Technical Assistance to support the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre in its response to the crisis in Myanmar and to support regional stability. The UK has provided humanitarian assistance to over 500,000 people since the coup. Our humanitarian assistance includes water and sanitation, nutrition and lifesaving food. This is delivered by the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and international and local Non-Governmental Organisations.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the warning from the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar on the risk of further mass atrocity crimes by the military in that country.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK shares the concerns of the UN Special Rapporteur regarding the risk of further mass atrocity crimes in Myanmar. The UK has developed strong mechanisms, in consultation with civil society experts, to monitor emerging atrocity risks. The UK has set up the Myanmar Witness programme which is gathering and reporting open-source information on serious human rights violations. The UK is closely monitoring the situation on the ground, particularly in North West Myanmar and Rakhine, and released a statement on 15 October regarding troop build ups in Chin, Sagaing and Magwe, calling on the military to cease the violence. We convened a UN Security Council on 8 November and secured a press statement on violence, protection of civilians, humanitarian access and vaccines.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will convene an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in response to the military escalation in Myanmar.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is gravely concerned at escalating conflict across the country, particularly in Chin, Sagaing and Magwe. Significant troop movements by the Myanmar Armed Forces and multiple civilian casualties have been reported in these areas.
The UK is calling for a peaceful and inclusive resolution to the crisis. In response to escalating conflict we convened the Council again on 8 November, securing a strong press statement on violence, humanitarian access and the role of ASEAN. We reiterate our support for the ASEAN Five Point Consensus, noting in particular the call for a cessation of violence. We will continue our engagement with the wider international community to support a lasting solution for the people of Myanmar.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of demand for food assistance in Myanmar (a) for internally displaced people, (b) in Kachin, and (c) in Northern Shan.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK remains one of the leading donors supporting the humanitarian response in Myanmar. Since the coup, we have provided £15.3 million in humanitarian funding for the Red Cross, UN, and local and International Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Where necessary, we have also reprioritised humanitarian funding towards urgent needs, including food and Covid assistance, in Kachin, Shan, Chin and the Southeast. Over the last year the UK has been building up the humanitarian response capacity of communities themselves through partners. This has enabled the UK to get support to very hard to reach communities. Through a network of local responders and communities, 25,000 newly displaced people have been reached with cash and emergency food support in Northern Shan. In Kachin, our partners have reached over 7,500 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with food and cash assistance. UK support has been critical in covering major food gaps in several IDP camps between March and August 2021, when other partners could not reach or support these people. The UK remains strongly committed to helping those most in need in Myanmar.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the political situation in Myanmar.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK Government condemns the military coup in Myanmar, the violence against the people of Myanmar and the detention of members of the civilian government and civil society, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint. The state of emergency, and all restrictions on rights and freedoms, should be lifted immediately and power should be returned to a democratically elected government. I [Minister Milling] am particularly concerned at recent reports of significant, indiscriminate violence by the military in Chin State, and elsewhere in the country. The UK is committed to supporting a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on the case of Karim Ennarah, a human rights activist who faces terrorism charges, travel restrictions and an asset freeze.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are concerned that human rights defenders in Egypt are being subjected to arrests, travel bans and asset freezes. The Foreign Secretary has raised concerns about human rights defenders with his Egyptian counterpart directly. Senior officials in London and Cairo underlined these concerns with the Egyptian authorities; the Prime Minister raised human rights when he spoke to President Sisi in March 2021 and Minister Cleverly has also recently raised our serious concerns at a senior level. Human rights defenders make a vital contribution to society, and we continue to call on the Egyptian authorities to allow these people to be able to conduct their work and live their lives unimpeded, fully benefiting from their rights under the Egyptian Constitution.