Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals, if any, they have made, and what further action they will take, to ensure that the voices of women are heard in all future negotiations about Syria.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have consistently urged the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, as well as representatives of the moderate Syrian opposition to ensure that women are fully represented in negotiations with the Syrian regime. This was the case at the Geneva peace talks two years ago where women were represented on the opposition negotiating team. Further UN-brokered talks between the Syrian regime and opposition are planned for late January; we and our partners will continue to encourage the opposition and organisers to involve women fully in the process.