Tag: Baroness Helic

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2016-09-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, ahead of the referendum in the entity of Republika Srpska on 25 September, what support they have given High Representative Valentin Inzko to enable him to exercise his mandate under the Dayton Peace Accord to uphold the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

As members of the Peace Implementation Council, the UK issued a statement on 30 August 2016 urging the Republika Srpska authorities not to hold the proposed referendum and making clear our support for the High Representative. The Government is in close contact with the High Representative and international partners about the proposed referendum and is committed to upholding the territorial integrity and structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as a single, sovereign state comprising two entities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made through the Permanent Mission to the United Nations regarding the incitement of violence in Burma against the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government supports the Special Rapporteur, Professor Yanghee Lee, and deplores the hateful and threatening language that has been used against her by MaBaTha monk Wirathu. We have also called for Burma’s Ministry of Religious Affairs to take action on the matter. I was able to convey my sympathy and concern to Professor Lee in person during her visit to London in March. Last week, we publicly reiterated our support for Professor Lee and her mandate at the UN General Assembly in New York, at a dedicated session discussing her most recent report on the Human rights situation in Burma.

Unfortunately, statements like those of Wirathu are symptomatic of a troubling rise in intolerance, discrimination and hate speech in Burma. We have repeatedly raised our concerns over this trend, both bilaterally and in company with our international partners. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), did so with senior Burmese government ministers during his visit to Burma in July and, most recently, with Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin in September in New York.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2016-09-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of the $6 billion of humanitarian aid pledged at the Supporting Syria and the Region conference in February has been disbursed.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Syria Conference raised a record amount of more than $12 billion – the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. $6billion was pledged for 2016 and a further $6.1billion for 2017-20 to enable partners to plan ahead. According to the UN, as of 26 August, $4.8 billion has been committed by donors to implementing partners for humanitarian assistance in 2016.

The UK continues to urge donors to deliver on the commitments made in London including at the forthcoming UN General Assembly in New York, where the Secretary of State for International Development will co-host a Conference follow-up event. The Department for International Development has set up a tracking mechanism that will report on the delivery of all the financial commitments made at the conference, including humanitarian and development funding and loans. The first report from the tracking mechanism will be published in September.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they give to the office of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government supports the Special Rapporteur, Professor Yanghee Lee, and deplores the hateful and threatening language that has been used against her by MaBaTha monk Wirathu. We have also called for Burma’s Ministry of Religious Affairs to take action on the matter. I was able to convey my sympathy and concern to Professor Lee in person during her visit to London in March. Last week, we publicly reiterated our support for Professor Lee and her mandate at the UN General Assembly in New York, at a dedicated session discussing her most recent report on the Human rights situation in Burma.

Unfortunately, statements like those of Wirathu are symptomatic of a troubling rise in intolerance, discrimination and hate speech in Burma. We have repeatedly raised our concerns over this trend, both bilaterally and in company with our international partners. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), did so with senior Burmese government ministers during his visit to Burma in July and, most recently, with Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin in September in New York.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2016-09-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made since the Supporting Syria and the Region conference in February in implementing loans by multilateral development banks and bilateral donors to help vulnerable Syrians and host communities in the Middle East.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Syria Conference raised a record amount of more than $12 billion – the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. This was supported by Multilateral Development Banks and donors’ pledges of around $41 billion loans, including $1.7 billion on highly concessional terms.

The World Bank launched the MENA Finance Initiative to support Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon at the Spring Meetings in April. Donors pledged $140 million in grants and over $1 billion in concessional loans. Grant pledges have since increased to $225 million.

As part of this initiative, the UK is providing an £80 million concessional loan to the World Bank MENA Finance Facility to support employment opportunities for Syrian refugees in Jordan. In July, a successful first meeting of the Steering Committee saw two Jordan projects approved.

The UK continues to urge donors to deliver on the commitments made at the London Conference in London. The Department for International Development has set up a tracking mechanism that will report on the delivery of the financial commitments made at the London Conference, including humanitarian and development funding and loans. The first report from the tracking mechanism will be published in September.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the influx of refugees and migrants into the Western Balkans on the security situation in that region, and what discussions they have had with (1) NATO, and (2) the EU, about that issue.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government makes ongoing assessments of the impact of refugees and migrants on the security situation in the Western Balkans. There have been limited discussions in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) on migration as the issue is largely a national and EU competence. NATO can address some of the causes of migration by helping to improve the security and resilience of countries in the region through its partnership frameworks and Defence Capacity Building activity. We have been in regular contact with the EU on addressing all aspects of the crisis. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Teresa May), participated in an EU Conference with Western Balkans and other countries in Luxembourg on 8 October, which agreed a comprehensive package of measures for dealing with the challenges of migration through the Eastern Mediterranean route. We consider it important that the actions agreed at this Conference, and other actions agreed between the EU and the Western Balkans – notably the 17-point Plan of 25 October – are implemented as soon as possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Locarno Group was last convened.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Locarno Group was formed in 2011. It consists of former senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials and functions as a high-level advisory group for the Foreign Secretary – offering strategic support and challenge on foreign policy issues.

The Locarno Group has met formally on eight occasions, most recently on 26 January 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina about the refugee and migrant crisis in the Western Balkans, and what provisions are in place to offer (1) UK, and (2) EU, support to the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the event of an influx of refugees and migrants into that country.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are in contact with all governments of the region on the migration crisis. On 23 September, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), pledged a UK contribution of £308,078 to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)’s Sarajevo office for contingency planning. This was part of a wider pledge of £3.1 million of aid to international agencies to support Western Balkans countries affected by the migration crisis. On 1 November, the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), announced a further £5 million of humanitarian aid to the countries on the Eastern Mediterranean route. We are also contributing substantially through EU assistance programmes in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The EU has provided €8.5 million of migration-related assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some of this has been spent on technical assistance for effectively managing migration and asylum. It has also been spent on supply of equipment and on the construction of a reception facility for migrants. The EU is due to spend a further €2 million to support BiH’s border police.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Saudi-led coalition regarding attacks on medical facilities in Yemen, and what their policy is on that issue.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of reports of alleged airstrikes on medical facilities in Yemen. It is important that the Saudi-led Coalition conducts thorough and conclusive investigations into incidents where it is alleged that International Humanitarian Law has been breached. They have the best insight into their own military procedures and will be able to conduct the most thorough and conclusive investigations. This is the standard we set ourselves and our allies. The Saudi led Coalition Joint Investigations Assessment Team announced the outcome of 8 investigations on 4 August.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of institutions in Bosnia-Herzegovina to cope with a potential influx of refugees and migrants, in the light of the political and security situation in that country.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) earlier this month gave a positive assessment of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)’s contingency planning, particularly in Bijeljina and Trebenje, which are two areas that could be at risk of overspill. The British Government remains concerned about BiH’s limited capacity to register an influx of arrivals, and to conduct security screening, including through the use of biometrics. We welcome the fact that BiH and the UNHCR have identified the establishment of reception centres close to likely border crossing points as a priority, and look forward to the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s provision of a comprehensive needs assessment to inform planning for external support.