Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to help tackle the illegal wildlife trade.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The United Kingdom is taking steps to help protect endangered animals and plants from poaching and illegal trade to benefit wildlife, local communities and the economy, and protect global security.
HMG has committed over £46 million between 2014 and 2022 on work to directly counter illegal wildlife trade (IWT), including through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund. Our actions include: training border force agents and building capacity through the British military to train rangers and disrupt poaching in targeted African countries; developing behaviour change campaigns to discourage purchases of wildlife products; supporting legislative reform to increase penalties and conviction rates for wildlife crime; and helping communities to protect the wildlife they rely on for their livelihoods.
We are also contributing £250 million to the Global Environment Facility between 2018-2022, which includes the world's biggest fund for tackling IWT, the Global Wildlife Programme (GWP), supporting IWT projects across 32 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In June this year, at the Stockholm +50 meeting, Lord Goldsmith announced the UK Government’s pledge of £330m to the eighth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF8) covering the period 2022 – 2026. The GEF8 replenishment delivered a record breaking $5.33bn with a 46% increase in biodiversity funding. This includes the Wildlife Conservation for Development programme which will combat Illegal and High-Risk Wildlife Trade through a supply-chain approach to curbing poaching, disrupting trafficking, and reducing demand for illegal, unsustainable, and high zoonotic-risk wildlife within and between countries.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of South Sudan regarding the peace process.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Poor implementation of South Sudan's peace agreement is driving violence and a humanitarian crisis. Our Ambassador in Juba regularly meets with South Sudanese Ministers to push for progress. The UK's Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan met with the South Sudanese Minister for the Presidency during his visit to London in September. During visits to Juba in July and August, the FCDO Director General for Africa and Latin America, Director for Africa and the UK's Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan met with members of the South Sudanese transitional government. The UK also raises concerns at lack of progress, at the UN Security Council and through Troika (UK, US, Norway) or joint Troika and EU statements.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Correspondence with the Minister for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean relating to the Government’s response to the Committee’s Report: Lagos calling: Nigeria and the Integrated Review dated 25/07/2022 and 12/07/2022, published by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on 7 September 2022, what plans his Department has to engage the Nigerian diaspora in the UK in conversations about peacebuilding and security initiatives in Nigeria in autumn (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Given the dynamic and localised nature of Nigeria's security situation, FCDO focuses its outreach on peacebuilding and security initiatives on Nigerians who live in Nigeria and have first-hand, current experience of the complex and nuanced situation on the ground. We prioritise bringing direct participants in the peacebuilding process to the table, to help bring a swifter resolution to the conflicts affecting their communities.
FCDO officials also engage diaspora involved in peacebuilding in Nigeria, and value and learn from their knowledge of the political and security landscape of the country. Officials also regularly respond to correspondence from members of the diaspora. This routine engagement will continue, and we are considering options for widening our outreach in the UK in Autumn 2022 and 2023.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 potential impact of the development of a Malaria vaccine on health standards in Latin America.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The UK welcomes progress in the development of vaccines for malaria and applauds the impact of British expertise and innovation. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation in October 2021 for the use of the new Mosquirix (RTS,S) vaccine for the prevention of plasmodium falciparum malaria in children living in Sub Saharan Africa and in other regions with moderate to high transmission is a significant milestone.
Other cost-effective and proven malaria interventions must continue alongside the roll out of any vaccine to ensure high levels of protection against the disease. The UK is committed to tackling malaria, which is closely linked to our ambition to end preventable deaths of mothers, babies and newborns. The UK works with partners such as Gavi, the vaccine alliance, to improve access to life-saving vaccines.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Brazilian counterpart on reports of political violence in that country.
Answered by Jesse Norman
We are closely following reports of political violence ahead of Brazil's forthcoming elections, including the investigation into the recent death of the Brazilian Workers' Party official, Marcelo Arruda.
It is crucial that all candidates in these elections in Brazil, and their supporters, respect core democratic principles and electoral processes. Through our Embassy in Brasilia, the UK continues to engage with the Brazilian Government, political parties and civil society organisations on the elections, including on the issues of the right to campaign freely and peacefully, and of security. In addition, the former Minister for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean met with representatives from the Brazilian Workers' Party in London recently where they discussed a broad range of issues, including the importance of free and fair elections in Brazil in October.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Minister for Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, during her visit to Pretoria on 11 and 12 July, discussed with the government of South Africa former President of Botswana Ian Khama taking refuge in South Africa.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
There have not been, nor are there any planned discussions between former President Khama and representatives of the UK Government on these issues. We are aware of the correspondence between the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings and the Government of Botswana regarding former President Khama. These communications form part of the range of direct interactions between the United Nations and a sovereign State, and other States do not tend to intervene in this process. It would not be appropriate for us to comment on the Government of Botswana's choice of legal representation, or its bilateral relationship with the South African institutions referred to. Former President Khama has not sought the assistance of the UK Government.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to discuss with the government of Nigeria the increased targeting of clergy and church workers following a series of abductions in June.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Rising insecurity in Nigeria, including reports that clergy and church workers have been abducted, is concerning. The UK Government is working with Nigeria to respond. At the first dialogue of our Security and Defence partnership in February, we agreed to work together to respond to security challenges including kidnaps. We are providing mentoring and capacity-building support to Nigerian Police Force units to improve their anti-kidnap capacity, to help reduce harm to victims, and to hold those responsible to account, in support of our shared objective of reducing kidnaps. The Minister for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and our High Commissioner in Abuja, regularly raise insecurity in Nigeria in their meetings with the Nigerian authorities, and will continue to do so in future discussions.
Clergy and church workers deserve to work in safety, and all religious communities should be able to practice their faith without fear. The UK Government will continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence, whilst also ensuring Freedom of Religion or Belief for all.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Costa Rican counterpart on the deployment of Russian troops and equipment to Nicaragua.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Since 2012, Nicaragua's Congress has approved the entry of foreign military personnel, including Russians, into the country. The recent Nicaraguan presidential decree again authorises access to Nicaragua for military assets from the United States, Russia and regional countries for humanitarian reasons and training. The Minister for Latin America, Vicky Ford MP, met with Costa Rica's Foreign Minister, Arnold's Andre, at the Summit of Americas on 9 June 2022 and discussed the 7 June 2022 decree, amongst other issues. We have also discussed this issue with other partners in the Americas and will continue to monitor the situation.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss the lynching of Deborah Yakubu with the government of Nigeria; and what steps they will take to promote the protection of Nigerians against religious persecution.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The murder of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto State, Nigeria, on 13 May was a barbaric and heinous act. In response, the Minister for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean expressed her public condemnation, and urged the relevant authorities to ensure the perpetrators face justice in line with the law.
Defending freedom of religion or belief for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities, is a longstanding human rights priority for the UK Government. The UK Government regularly discusses human rights in Nigeria with the Nigerian authorities, stressing the importance of protecting and promoting human rights for all. During her visit to Nigeria in February, the Minister for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean met with community and religious leaders, with whom she discussed, among other things, the impact of the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria on local people, and their rights. She also discussed growing insecurity and violence with Nigeria's Vice President and Foreign Minister.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policy of the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles in June 2022.
Answered by Vicky Ford
UK policy towards Cuba and Nicaragua is not affected by their Summit participation and we will continue to engage in support of our priorities. The UK does not recognise the result of the illegitimate National Assembly election in Venezuela held on 6 December 2020.