Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Colombian counterpart on the UK-Colombia Bilateral Investment Treaty.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has consistently been one of the leading international investors in Colombia. UK investors are protected by the Bilateral Investment Treaty and use it to inform their investment decisions. Since the formation of the new government, FCDO and DBT officials have discussed the content and provisions of the Treaty with the Colombian Government, including impact on various sectors. The Colombian Government has committed to working with us to ensure the agreement can continue to deliver benefits for UK businesses and Colombia.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
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 European counterparts on the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Alongside our European allies, we continue to urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to utilise upcoming multilateral meetings to maintain momentum on the peace process to finalise a lasting peace agreement. Officials in London, Baku and Yerevan remain in regular close contact with European counterparts on peace negotiations. We regularly discuss these issues with our European counterparts.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take with his US counterpart to promote expanded humanitarian access to Sudan; and what steps he has taken to remove barriers to humanitarian assistance in that country.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The conflict in Sudan has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, with famine now declared in Zamzam IDP camp in Darfur. 25.6 million people are facing crisis, emergency and famine levels of food insecurity across Sudan. The UK continues to put pressure on the Sudanese authorities to keep the Adre border open and allow for humanitarian assistance to reach those most in need. The UK works closely with key international partners, including the US, to bring an end to the conflict, protect civilians and press for improved humanitarian access. The UK welcomes the formation and work of the newly formed ALPS (Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan) group. The UK will continue to work with the US to put pressure on the warring parties to open up humanitarian access to ensure life-saving assistance can reach people in need. In August, I visited the region where I saw the impact of the conflict in Sudan on South Sudan - a country already facing its own humanitarian emergency. Here, I met with those who had fled both violence and hunger, re-iterating the true cost of this conflict and also met with bilateral partners including the US Ambassador to South Sudan. Lord Collins also co-hosted a side event at UNGA focused on tackling conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in Sudan. This event spotlighted the situation for women and girls on the ground, explored the gaps in the ongoing response to CRSV, including the role of the international community in supporting and facilitating local and women-led efforts, and highlighted the urgent need for accountability.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to implement the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Strategy beyond 2025.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Preventing conflict and empowering women and girls is critical to the delivery of the government's missions, and the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) remains a priority for the UK. We are working to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence, including as vice chair of the International Alliance on PSVI and by supporting thousands of survivors around the world. Decisions on exact future strategies will be taken by ministers in due course.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to disburse the £89 million pledged to Sudan in March 2024.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As of the end of September 2024, £70 million had been disbursed. The rest of the UK's funding to Sudan this year - which now stands at £97 million following further UK support since March - will be distributed by the end of the financial year.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support (a) refugees and (b) host communities in Jordan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Jordan has shown tremendous generosity in hosting an estimated 1.3 million Syrian refugees in addition to 2.3 million Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA. UK support to Jordan includes humanitarian aid, and investment in education, social protection and job opportunities, reaching both refugees and vulnerable Jordanians. FCDO Minister of State for Development Anneliese Dodds visited Jordan on 7-8 August and reaffirmed UK's commitment to supporting Jordan and the refugees it hosts. UK funding allows refugees to live in safety and with dignity until they are able to eventually return home. We acknowledge the increased pressure placed on local services for Jordanian communities.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help gather evidence of potential crimes against humanity in Sudan.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has highlighted and condemned human rights abuses at the UN Human Rights Council and Security Council, and directly with the warring parties. We continue to call for an end to the violence, and for those responsible for human rights abuses to be held to account. We are funding the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), a research body which is gathering open-source evidence about abuses in Sudan, to amplify the voices of those being targeted and to inform future accountability processes. The UK strongly supports the ICC Prosecutor's continuing investigation into the allegations of atrocity crimes committed in Darfur since 1 July 2002, and which encompasses the current conflict, where there are credible reports of further atrocities being committed. We are seeking the renewal at the October session of the UN Human Rights Council of the mandate of the Fact Finding Mission into alleged abuses in Sudan.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his counterpart in Israel on the fire engine donated to Palestinian firefighters in Nablus that has been held by the port authorities in Ashdod since 21 July 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to call on Israel to increase humanitarian and commercial access into the Palestinian territories by ensuring all aid crossings are fully operational, including the port of Ashdod. During his recent trip to Israel, the Foreign Secretary met with Israeli Officials and raised the urgent need for a rapid increase of aid for those most in need. Officials will raise the matter of this donation directly with the Israeli authorities at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
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 that arms are not reaching belligerents in the civil war in Sudan.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There is a longstanding UK arms embargo in place for the whole of Sudan, as well as a UN arms embargo on Darfur. The Sudan Sanctions Regulations 2020 put in place sanctions measures to ensure the UK continues to meet its obligations under the UN sanctions regime relating to Sudan, to encourage the resolution of the armed conflicts in, and the stabilisation of, Sudan. As well as this, the UK has frozen the assets of nine commercial entities linked to the parties involved in the conflict. These sanctions were designed to press the parties to engage in a sustained and meaningful peace process, allow humanitarian access and to commit to a permanent cessation of hostilities. In our engagement with international partners, the UK continues to emphasise the importance of refraining from actions that prolong the conflict. Those who have influence with the parties must use it to bring them to the negotiating table, to seek a political resolution to the conflict in Sudan.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to bring UK sanctions in line with the humanitarian exemption in UN Security Council Resolution 2664.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK played a central role in helping secure UN Security Council Resolution 2664 - a landmark step that introduced a cross-cutting exemption to the asset freeze measures to further support humanitarian delivery. The exception applies to the UK's 7 UN sanctions regimes and 12 mixed UN and UK autonomous sanctions regimes.
Our UK regimes include humanitarian provisions including licensing grounds and exceptions to support humanitarian assistance, whether that be to a specific entity, or via a General Licence. For example, HMG has issued General Licences to facilitate humanitarian activities in Syria, and in relation to the current conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.