Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help support women and girls in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We trebled our aid commitment during Financial Year 23-24 to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme and the Egyptian Red Crescent. This includes £4.25 million to the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, to provide life-saving support to vulnerable women and girls in Gaza. This support is expected to reach about 111,500 women, around 1 in 5 of the adult women in Gaza. It will support up to 100 community midwives, the distribution of around 20,000 menstrual hygiene management kits and 45,000 clean delivery kits.
We have also provided targeted support for children through a £5.75 million contribution. This is supporting work to assist over 5,800 children with severe malnourishment and 853,000 children, adolescents and caregivers affected by the conflict, to receive emergency and child protection services, including mental health and psychosocial support.
Through our Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict programmes and dedicated funding totalling £60 million since 2012, we are leading work internationally to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and strengthen justice and support for all survivors. We stand ready to use our PSVI expertise and tools to ensure victims and survivors of CRSV, both Israeli and Palestinian, receive the holistic and survivor-centred support they need.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are working with the United Nations and World Health Organisation in their efforts to strengthen laws and policies to protect women and girls from female genital mutilation in The Gambia, as committed to in the International Women and Girls Strategy 2023 to 2030.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's position is clear that female genital mutilation (FGM) is a human rights violation. The Deputy Foreign Secretary spoke to The Gambia's Foreign Minister on 9 April and met with the Minister for Public Services on 29 April, to relay the UK's deep concern about the progress in The Gambia's National Assembly of the bill that would legalise FGM. He highlighted the serious implications if the bill were to become law, including for The Gambia's international reputation. The UK continues to engage broadly through regular contact with senior Gambian Government officials and other stakeholders. We are working with international partners to coordinate and complement messaging and activity.
Written Evidence May. 28 2024
Committee: Public Accounts CommitteeFound: Nations, ‘Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women’ ( United Nations
Written Evidence May. 15 2024
Inquiry: Climate change and securityFound: Women, Climate, and Security In 2017, the United States put forward its Women, Peace, and Security (WPS
Jan. 25 2011
Source Page: UK’s policy position on safe and unsafe abortion in developing countries. Practice Paper. 15 p.Found: Our position is consistent with the Ca iro Programme of Action, agreed at the 1994 United Nations International
Feb. 25 2024
Source Page: UK steps up health support for women and girls in GazaFound: UK steps up health support for women and girls in Gaza
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the number of Israeli (a) civilians, (b) women and (c) children killed since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Any civilian death is a tragedy. Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October 2023 according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). 253 hostages were also kidnapped and taken into Gaza on 7 October, of whom 124 have been returned to Israel (112 alive and 12 deceased). We continue to call for the immediate release of all remaining hostages.
Dec. 12 2023
Source Page: UK commits to enhanced training offer for UN peacekeepersFound: Support for UN peacekeeping efforts pledged by Minister for the Armed Forces at United Nations Peacekeeping
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department has taken to distribute humanitarian aid to Afghanistan since the recent earthquake.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
UK funded prepositioned supplies supported humanitarian partners in the immediate aftermath of the October earthquake. An additional £1 million was allocated to the Red Cross and £1 million to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) to help meet emergency needs. A further £1 million has been allocated to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to provide targeted support to affected women and girls. This support ensured affected communities received emergency shelter, food and health assistance. Overall, $10 million has been allocated from the AHF and a $5 million from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, which the UK supports.