Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that those responsible for human rights violations against Tamils in Sri Lanka are brought to justice.
Answered by Seema Malhotra
The UK Government is clear that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka needs to be improved. Long-standing grievances and legitimate calls for truth and reconciliation should be addressed properly to ensure justice for all communities and victims' groups, including members of the Tamil community. It is also important that excavations of Chemmani mass graves are carried out in accordance with international legal standards.
We regularly raise these issues with the Sri Lankan government. Most recently, the Deputy Prime Minister discussed human rights during his visit to Sri Lanka in February, with the President, Foreign Minister, civil society organisations and political leaders in the north of Sri Lanka. I also discussed these issues with Sri Lankan Ministers during their visit to the UK last October.
In addition, the UK leads efforts at the UN Human Rights Council with Core Group partners, to ensure that international attention remains on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. We will continue to encourage the Sri Lankan government to uphold its international human rights obligations, protect civic space and make meaningful progress towards an inclusive political settlement that addresses the legitimate concerns of all communities.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) ensure that the human rights of Tamil communities in Sri Lanka are upheld, (b) promote reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, and (c) support efforts towards accountability for human rights abuses committed in the final months of the war in 2009.
Answered by Seema Malhotra
The UK Government is clear that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka needs to be improved. Long-standing grievances and legitimate calls for truth and reconciliation should be addressed properly to ensure justice for all communities and victims' groups, including members of the Tamil community. It is also important that excavations of Chemmani mass graves are carried out in accordance with international legal standards.
We regularly raise these issues with the Sri Lankan government. Most recently, the Deputy Prime Minister discussed human rights during his visit to Sri Lanka in February, with the President, Foreign Minister, civil society organisations and political leaders in the north of Sri Lanka. I also discussed these issues with Sri Lankan Ministers during their visit to the UK last October.
In addition, the UK leads efforts at the UN Human Rights Council with Core Group partners, to ensure that international attention remains on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. We will continue to encourage the Sri Lankan government to uphold its international human rights obligations, protect civic space and make meaningful progress towards an inclusive political settlement that addresses the legitimate concerns of all communities.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that excavations at Sri Lanka’s Chemmani mass graves (a) take place in compliance with international law and standards and with international oversight and (b) are supported by credible accountability mechanisms.
Answered by Seema Malhotra
The UK Government is clear that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka needs to be improved. Long-standing grievances and legitimate calls for truth and reconciliation should be addressed properly to ensure justice for all communities and victims' groups, including members of the Tamil community. It is also important that excavations of Chemmani mass graves are carried out in accordance with international legal standards.
We regularly raise these issues with the Sri Lankan government. Most recently, the Deputy Prime Minister discussed human rights during his visit to Sri Lanka in February, with the President, Foreign Minister, civil society organisations and political leaders in the north of Sri Lanka. I also discussed these issues with Sri Lankan Ministers during their visit to the UK last October.
In addition, the UK leads efforts at the UN Human Rights Council with Core Group partners, to ensure that international attention remains on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. We will continue to encourage the Sri Lankan government to uphold its international human rights obligations, protect civic space and make meaningful progress towards an inclusive political settlement that addresses the legitimate concerns of all communities.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will hold discussions with Iranian authorities on reports of discrimination against the Baha’i community.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided to question 67802 on 6 August 2025.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support mass atrocity prevention in Sudan.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on the Conflict in Sudan on 30 October 2025.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure (a) atrocity prevention capabilities and (b) civilian protection expertise are used during the UK’s response to events in El Fasher, Darfur.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the response provided to the Urgent Question on Sudan: Protection of Civilians on 30 October.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
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 provide additional support for an urgent scale-up of cholera response in Sudan.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The conflict in Sudan and the widespread destruction of sanitation and health services has caused a devastating cholera outbreak with more than 100,000 cases and 2,500 deaths since July 2024. More than 33.5 million people are at risk across all 18 states. The UK Government continues to work with a range of international partners to deliver lifesaving emergency health interventions, including cholera vaccines, treatment, and prevention. Additionally, through a 'match funding' arrangement we have recently partnered with the State of Kuwait to deliver an additional £3.75 million to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), supplementing UK resources already allocated to combat the outbreak. We continue to urge the warring parties in Sudan to facilitate humanitarian access so that aid reaches those most in need.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 60276 on Development Aid, when he expects to complete the resource allocation process.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We expect to publish the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's final 2025/26 Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts on the 21 July.
And over the coming months, we will work through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
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 improve its capabilities to negotiate humanitarian access to conflict areas.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK uses its diplomatic reach and political influence in support of access negotiations by impartial humanitarian actors.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is finalising an internal humanitarian diplomacy training module focused on access and protection, in partnership with the British Red Cross, to bolster capability across the FCDO. The UK also recently published the Conflict, Hunger and International Humanitarian Law: A Practitioner's Legal Handbook, which sets out rules relevant to addressing conflict-induced hunger, including rules on humanitarian access. This is a free resource, available online and intended to support understanding of these issues at a global level. The FCDO regularly briefs UK Defence Attachés on humanitarian access and protection. The UK is also working with partners and allies to maximise collective impact on humanitarian access and protection in crises. This includes partnership with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, who lead access negotiations, and an Australian-led partnership with other states to develop a political declaration to protect humanitarian personnel.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the reduction in Official Development Assistance, whether her Department plans to maintain its full pledge to the 21st replenishment of the International Development Association.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is strongly committed to the International Development Association, and we will prioritise spending our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget through multilaterals. ODA allocations and the impact on programmes are currently being worked through and we will set out our spending plans following the completion of the resource allocation processes.