Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2417.

The UK champions UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2417 on conflict and hunger which enables reporting and early warnings to the UNSC when parties to conflict are blocking access to humanitarian support and destroying assets. It is a UK priority to prevent conflict-induced hunger and famine, and we use our seat at the UNSC to implement 2417 and urge swift action when a white note is submitted to the UNSC. On 23 May, the Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia, Commonwealth and UN, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, called for improved implementation of 2417 at the UNSC open debate on protection of civilians in armed conflict.