Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in Eritrea (1) to uphold the democratic freedoms of Eritreans, and (2) to ensure that cross-border access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance remains open for civil society organisations working in Eritrea.

The British Embassy in Asmara regularly raises human rights issues with the Eritrean Government, encouraging the full implementation of the agreed recommendations of the 2019 UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review. This year the UK, working in partnership with UNICEF, provided £700,000 to support integrated nutrition, health, and sanitation programmes that will reach 200,000 women and children across Eritrea. Throughout the conflict in northern Ethiopia, the UK consistently called for unfettered humanitarian access to all those impacted by the conflict, including through statements at the UN Security Council and UN Human Rights Council.