Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have (i) met and (ii) had discussions with UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.

I am not aware of any recent meetings by FCDO Ministers or senior officials with UNSR Francesca Albanese. The Foreign Secretary regularly engages with UN representatives to discuss aspects of shared interests and concerns. Minister Dodds and I met Sigrid Kaag, the UN Senior Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, on 21 October, where we highlighted the urgent need to increase aid and protect civilians in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary spoke with Secretary-General António Guterres on 16 October, to discuss the indispensable role of the UN in addressing the challenges in the Middle East.