Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she can request that the United Nations Secretary General send his Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict to the Tigray region in Ethiopia, as provided for by Security Council resolution 1888.

I am appalled by reports of sexual violence in Tigray and directly expressed my concerns in the strongest terms to the Ethiopian Ambassador during my first week as Minister for Africa. We support calls for the UN Secretary General to consider sending his Teams of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict to the Tigray region in Ethiopia. The UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, visited Ethiopia earlier in October and held discussions with British Embassy staff on our shared concerns.

In June we deployed an expert from our Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative UK Team of Experts to conduct an initial scoping mission to identify tangible ways to enhance the response to gender-based violence in Tigray. The UK is working with partners in Ethiopia to confirm next steps and implement recommendations from this scoping mission. We continue to explore options for addressing the immediate needs of survivors, preventing further sexual violence and delivering justice and accountability.