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 assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo; and what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on seeking a resolution to the violence.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access, and the withdrawal of all Rwanda Defence Forces from Congolese territory. The Foreign Secretary has been clear that there would be a strong response from the international community in response to the escalating conflict. In recent weeks, the UK has coordinated closely with international partners, including those from the G7 and the International Contact Group on the Great Lakes, on that response. On 25 February the Foreign Secretary announced a package of measures which aim to bring about a ceasefire, avoid regional escalation and bring Rwanda back to the negotiating table under the AU African led peace process. The Foreign Secretary and Lord Collins, the Minister for Africa continue to engage with international counterparts to push for an end to the killing and a return to peaceful negotiations.
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 increase accountability for crimes against children in Sudan.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK plays a leading role in driving accountability efforts in Sudan and consistently calls out reported atrocities by both warring parties against women and children. At the UN Human Rights Council in October 2024, the UK led lobbying efforts to secure a mandate extension for the UN Fact Finding Mission which investigates human rights violations and abuses in Sudan, including crimes against children. The UK strongly supports the International Criminal Court's active investigation into the situation in Darfur, including allegations of crimes committed since April 2023. We are also providing nearly £1 million this year to support the Centre for Information Resilience, a research body gathering open-source evidence about the conflict in Sudan with a view to supporting future accountability. In September 2024, the Minister for Africa co-hosted an event at the UN General Assembly to draw attention to the plight of women and girls in Sudan. The UK co-led a protection of civilians UN Security Council resolution on Sudan which received unanimous support apart from Russia, who chose to veto it. We are working with Council members to explore a way forward.
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 his Department is taking to help reinstate humanitarian aid routes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Answered by Catherine West
The humanitarian situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is critical. Close to a million people have been displaced recently in eastern DRC and hundreds of thousands are in desperate need of lifesaving support. There is a responsibility on all parties to protect the people of eastern DRC who have suffered so much in this conflict.
The UK will continue to call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access, and respect for international humanitarian law. The Foreign Secretary delivered these messages to both President Tshisekedi and President Kagame during his visit to Kinshasa and Kigali on 21 and 22 February. During the visit, the Foreign Secretary announced an additional package of £14.6 million of humanitarian support to help those in eastern DRC who are suffering most.
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 proportion of his Department’s budget he has allocated for child-focused aid in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial years.
Answered by Catherine West
The former Minister for International Development published the FCDO's Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations for 2024/25 in a Written Ministerial Statement on Thursday 6 February 2025.
ODA allocations for future years are being worked through given the Prime Minister's announcement on 25 February 2025 regarding a reduction in UK ODA.
This Government remains fully committed to a globally significant role on development. Our mission remains to help create a world free from poverty on a liveable planet.
We report all ODA spending on a calendar year basis in the Statistics on International Development publication.
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, how much and what proportion of his Department's budget he has allocated for (a) civilian peacebuilding and (b) conflict (i) prevention and (ii) resolution in the (A) 2024-25 and (B) 2025-26 financial years.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending on "civilian peace-building, conflict prevention and resolution", as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) (sector code 15220), for 2024-25 and 2025-26 is not currently available. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) budget allocations for 24/25 will be published shortly. Each year the FCDO publishes its Provisional and Final Statistics on International Development, providing a comprehensive overview of calendar year ODA spend. Final figures for 2024 will be published in autumn 2025.
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 take diplomatic steps to support (a) civil society and (b) independent media in Georgia.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary and I have raised our concerns over the instability and violence in Georgia directly with the Georgian Dream Representatives. I have been clear that Georgia's negative democratic trajectory, violence targeting demonstrators, and journalists is unacceptable. We are working with international partners to support a free and open civil society and media in Georgia. On 30 January our Embassy in Tbilisi issued a statement, on behalf of 14 Media Freedom Coalition members, supporting journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, who has been on hunger strike since 11 January.
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 his Department is taking to support children in countries impacted by climate change.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
We are focused on tackling the climate and nature emergencies and global development challenges together with partners, working for peace and preventing conflict, and supporting the most vulnerable. We know that children are disproportionately at risk from the effects of climate change, and children and young people will be at the forefront of shaping a resilient, sustainable future. The UK-led Glasgow Climate Pact urges Parties and stakeholders to ensure meaningful youth participation and representation in multilateral, national and local decision-making processes.
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 international counterparts on helping to ensure the warring parties in Sudan comply with (a) the Jeddah Declaration and (b) their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The Foreign Secretary has engaged with international partners on the importance of holding the warring parties accountable to international humanitarian law and the commitments they made in Jeddah to allow humanitarian access and ensure the protection of civilians. As penholder at the UN Security Council and leader of the Core Group on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK has consistently condemned reported international humanitarian and human rights law violations. The UK Special Representative to Sudan, Richard Crowder, pressed for a resolution to the conflict and for all parties to comply with the Jeddah Declaration when he visited Port Sudan in December - the UK's first official visit to the country since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023. In November 2024, the UK co-led a protection of civilians resolution at the UN Security Council with Sierra Leone, which called on parties to the conflict to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law and for compliance with the Jeddah Declaration. This received unanimous Council support, apart from Russia who chose to veto it.
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 his Department is taking to use diplomatic ties with (a) Turkey, (b) Qatar and (c) other countries in the region to advance humanitarian efforts in Sudan.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The UK continues to use diplomatic ties with Qatar and other regional partners to advance humanitarian efforts in Sudan. The Foreign Secretary met with the Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed on 7 November and discussed the dire humanitarian situation. The Foreign Secretary has also had bilateral meetings with countries in the region to advance humanitarian access including: the Saudi Foreign Minister; the Sierra Leonean Foreign Minister and the UAE Foreign Minister. The Foreign Secretary has also engaged with the region in multilateral fora, such as a roundtable he hosted during the UK's UN Security Council presidency in November, with African Union, Algeria and Egypt in attendance. Here he urged states to use their influence with the warring parties to push for improved humanitarian access in Sudan. In November 2024, the UK co-led a protection of civilians resolution at the UN Security Council with Sierra Leone, which also called for parties to the conflict to agree humanitarian pauses, and ensure the delivery of adequate humanitarian aid. This received unanimous Council support, apart from Russia who chose to veto it.
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 international counterparts on whether violations of international humanitarian law have been committed by warring parties in Sudan.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The Foreign Secretary has raised the humanitarian situation in Sudan with many of his counterparts, including the Foreign Ministers of Sierra Leone, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar. The Foreign Secretary also hosted a roundtable on the humanitarian situation in Sudan during the UK's UN Security Council presidency in November, including with the African Union, Algeria and Egypt in attendance. As penholder at the UN Security Council and leader of the Core Group on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK has consistently drawn attention to appalling reports of international humanitarian and human rights law violations. In December 2024, the UK Special Representative to Sudan, Richard Crowder, led a UK delegation to Port Sudan, where he met with several members of the Sudanese Armed Forces and pressed directly for improved humanitarian access. On 18 October 2024, the UK led a joint statement, along with ten other donors, which condemned the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian efforts and called upon warring parties to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law.