Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government can take with its Troika partners to ensure the continued engagement of all parties to the Revitalised Peace Agreement in South Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK recognises that a significant amount of progress has been achieved since the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan on 12 September 2018, including a reduction in fighting between the parties. However, implementation of a number of important agreed tasks is falling behind, including the unification of armed forces, security arrangements for returning opposition leaders, and the future number and composition of states. Further effort is required now from all sides to ensure the conditions to allow an inclusive, transitional government to form. The 12 November 2019 deadline for the formation of a transitional government is an important step in the peace process; we urge parties to show unity, cooperation and compromise.
We engage frequently in Juba, the region and internationally to urge all parties to deliver on their promises made in the 12 September 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan. When I met the President of South Sudan on 13 August 2019 I reaffirmed the UK's support for the people of South Sudan. I urged President Kiir to take the steps necessary to form a government of national unity. In the last month, our Ambassador in Juba has reinforced this message with all sides including with President Kiir; the Ministers of finance, security and foreign affairs; and all signatories to the peace agreement and key interlocutors. On 21 October we, alongside Troika partners (UK, US and Norway) issued a statement urging the all sides to demonstrate their commitment to peace by increasing co-operation and working together to resolve outstanding issues (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/south-sudan-troika-statement-october-2019). The UK Special Envoy will be in Juba and the region next week to reinforce these messages and urge progress.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to improve the political and humanitarian situation in South Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK remains at the forefront of the international response to the humanitarian crisis and the UK is providing lifesaving humanitarian support to hundreds of thousands of people in South Sudan. In 2018 we supported over 221,000 people with food assistance, over 100,000 children with nutrition support and over 142,000 people with emergency water, hygiene and sanitation support.
The UK supports lasting peace in South Sudan and continues to engage parties and region at the highest levels to improve the political situation. During my August visit to Juba, I pressed President Kiir and his ministers to deliver progress and make compromise needed for the peace agreement to succeed. The UK also co-hosted an event with Kenya at the UN General Assembly in September 2019 to urge progress and galvanise regional partners to pressure parties to deliver peace. Additionally, the UK continues to support actions, including sanctions and an arms embargo, to deter those who undermine peace. We, alongside Troika partners (UK, US and Norway) issued a statement urging all sides to demonstrate their commitment to peace by increasing co-operation and working together to resolve outstanding issues https://www.gov.uk/government/news/south-sudan-troika-statement-october-2019.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2019 to Question 1878, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that cross-border points remain (a) open and (b) accessible to humanitarian aid (i) workers and (ii) supplies.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK has consistently advocated for sustained humanitarian access in all areas of Syria, including the north east, and is actively speaking to partners including Turkey and Iraq on this subject. We are committed to the renewal of Resolution 2249, which allows much needed humanitarian aid to be delivered cross-border into Syria, and will soon begin discussions with likeminded countries in the UN Security Council on this subject.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement in South Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK recognises that a significant amount of progress has been achieved since the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan on 12 September 2018, including a reduction in fighting between the parties. However, implementation of a number of important agreed tasks is falling behind, including the unification of armed forces, security arrangements for returning opposition leaders, and the future number and composition of states. Further effort is required now from all sides to ensure the conditions to allow an inclusive, transitional government to form. The 12 November 2019 deadline for the formation of a transitional government is an important step in the peace process; we urge parties to show unity, cooperation and compromise.
We engage frequently in Juba, the region and internationally to urge all parties to deliver on their promises made in the 12 September 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan. When I met the President of South Sudan on 13 August 2019 I reaffirmed the UK's support for the people of South Sudan. I urged President Kiir to take the steps necessary to form a government of national unity. In the last month, our Ambassador in Juba has reinforced this message with all sides including with President Kiir; the Ministers of finance, security and foreign affairs; and all signatories to the peace agreement and key interlocutors. On 21 October we, alongside Troika partners (UK, US and Norway) issued a statement urging the all sides to demonstrate their commitment to peace by increasing co-operation and working together to resolve outstanding issues (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/south-sudan-troika-statement-october-2019). The UK Special Envoy will be in Juba and the region next week to reinforce these messages and urge progress.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to address the key concerns of international observers and the people of South Sudan on potential difficulties in the formation of a Government of National Unity in that country.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK recognises that a significant amount of progress has been achieved since the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan on 12 September 2018, including a reduction in fighting between the parties. However, implementation of a number of important agreed tasks is falling behind, including the unification of armed forces, security arrangements for returning opposition leaders, and the future number and composition of states. Further effort is required now from all sides to ensure the conditions to allow an inclusive, transitional government to form. The 12 November 2019 deadline for the formation of a transitional government is an important step in the peace process; we urge parties to show unity, cooperation and compromise.
We engage frequently in Juba, the region and internationally to urge all parties to deliver on their promises made in the 12 September 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan. When I met the President of South Sudan on 13 August 2019 I reaffirmed the UK's support for the people of South Sudan. I urged President Kiir to take the steps necessary to form a government of national unity. In the last month, our Ambassador in Juba has reinforced this message with all sides including with President Kiir; the Ministers of finance, security and foreign affairs; and all signatories to the peace agreement and key interlocutors. On 21 October we, alongside Troika partners (UK, US and Norway) issued a statement urging the all sides to demonstrate their commitment to peace by increasing co-operation and working together to resolve outstanding issues (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/south-sudan-troika-statement-october-2019). The UK Special Envoy will be in Juba and the region next week to reinforce these messages and urge progress.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of diplomatic relations between UK and Bahrain.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK and Bahrain continue to have a close and important relationship, which has flourished for more than 200 years. We cooperate on a number of pillars: defence; security; trade and investment. We work together on shared concerns about regional issues and the UK continues to provide technical assistance to Bahrain’s ongoing reform agenda.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) human rights issues and (b) human rights abuse cases the Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa raised with his Bahraini counterpart at the UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group on 17 October 2019.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain, including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group. We welcome the progress made by Bahrain on their reform programme, including the introduction of the new legislation on alternatives to punishment and new proposed legislation on juvenile justice. Bahrain remains a Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights priority country and the British Government continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meet its human rights obligations, in both public and private conversations.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what matters the Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa and the Bahraini Minister of Foreign Affairs discussed at the UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group on 17 October 2019.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain and I discussed a wide range of areas of bilateral co-operation, including recent political and security developments in the Middle East, economic growth, security, human rights, healthcare, education, and trade.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much of the £40 million fund for Chagossians has been allocated to date by his Department; for what purposes that money has been allocated; and how much of that spending has been classified as Official Development Assistance.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Of the £40 million support package for Chagossians, approximately £21.3 million is Official Development Assistance (ODA) for DFID to progress in Mauritius (an ODA-eligible country). The remainder (£18.7 million) is non-ODA for the FCO to progress in the United Kingdom and Seychelles. As of now, the FCO has allocated £3.3 million for an extended and ongoing programme of 'heritage visits' to BIOT and a number of projects in development. Officials are continuing work to develop further projects and activities in line with the areas of support announced by Ministers in 2016: Health, Social Care, Education, Employment, and Culture (awareness and retention).
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Malaysian counterpart on the (a) consistency with international human rights laws and conventions and (b) application to people on death row of alternative sentences to the mandatory death penalty in that country.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We have been supporting the Malaysian Government's ambitions to ratify UN instruments on human rights, reform security legislation and abolish the death penalty. The former Foreign Secretary the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt discussed our support for human rights reforms in Malaysia, including on the death penalty with his counterpart Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah during his visit to Kuala Lumpur 3-4 January.
We welcomed the Malaysian Government's announcement, in October 2018, of its plan to abolish the death penalty. The former Minister for Asia and the Pacific, the Rt Hon Mark Field MP, urged early progress during his visit to Malaysia that month.
The abolition bill has been postponed until the next sitting of the Malaysian Parliament. We have been using every opportunity to encourage Malaysia to pass it as soon as possible.
It is a longstanding policy of the British Government to oppose the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. The Malaysian Government is fully aware of our position and we continue to raise our objection to capital punishment at the highest levels.