Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions the UK Representative to the UN Human Rights Council has had with relevant stakeholders on the alleged human rights abuses in (a) Uganda, (b) Ethiopia, (c) Eritrea, (d) Tanzania and (e) Nigeria in the last three months.

The UK Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Julian Braithwaite, and the UK's International Ambassador for Human Rights and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Rita French, regularly hold discussions with relevant stakeholders on ongoing and emerging human rights situations of concern, including with representatives of other governments, international organisations, human rights defenders and other members of civil society.

In addition to discussions with stakeholders, the UK also speaks out publicly against human rights violations and abuses through the Human Rights Council, including during its current (46th) regular session which began on 22 February. On 24 February at an Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on Eritrea, Ambassador French delivered the UK's statement expressing concern at the involvement of Eritrean forces in Tigray and at reports of human rights violations and abuses by all those involved in the conflict. The statement called for independent, international investigations into allegations of human rights abuses and violations, to ensure that perpetrators of proven allegations are held to account. On 26 February, in our Item 2 General Debate statement, we called on the Nigerian authorities to ensure those responsible for alleged human rights violations during the #EndSARs protests were held to account. The UK also joined a joint statement on Ethiopia with 41 other countries in which we condemned in the strongest terms the reported killings of civilians in Tigray, called on Ethiopia to grant full access to the region for unhindered humanitarian access and assistance and to protect the human rights of all people in the conflict-afflicted zone, and also called for the withdrawal of all Eritrean troops from Ethiopia.