Tag: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-11-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, FCO, Tobias Ellwood MP on 20 July (HC6867), what assessment they have made of the legality of coalition airstrikes in Yemen, and to what extent that assessment differs from those produced by Human Rights Watch.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK supports the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition military intervention in Yemen, which came at the request of legitimate President Hadi to the UN Security Council, the Gulf Co-operation Council, and the Arab League for support by ‘all means and measures to protect Yemen and deter Houthi aggression’. We are aware of reports, including from Human Rights Watch, of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law by the Coalition. We have received repeated assurances from the Saudi Arabian-led coalition that they are complying with International Humanitarian Law and we continue to engage with them on those assurances. The Saudi Arabian authorities have their own internal procedures for investigations and we encourage them to be open and transparent in this. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law and international human rights law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-01-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the situation in Madaya; and what assessment they have made of the likelihood that access will now be possible on a regular basis.

Baroness Verma

The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the Syria crisis. We have pledged over £1.1 billion, making us the second largest bilateral donor after the US.

On 11 January 2016, the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent confirmed that aid convoys of humanitarian assistance had arrived in the hard to reach town of Madaya, and the besieged areas of Foah and Kefraya. Further convoys have since arrived and more are planned. DFID funding to UN agencies is directly supporting the current convoys.

The UN and partners continue to do all they can on a daily basis to gain access to the 4.5 million Syrians in hard to reach and besieged areas. The UK supports UN agencies and its partners who are trying to secure such access and deliver aid in hard to reach and besieged areas of Syria

A wide range of constraints on humanitarian access exist, including continued hostilities, onerous bureaucratic requirements, and attempts by parties to armed conflict to intentionally block access. In the past year, only 10% of all requests submitted by the UN to the regime to access besieged and hard to reach areas have been approved and delivered. That is why the UK played a critical role in co-sponsoring and lobbying for UN Security Council Resolutions 2165, 2191 and 2258 which enable the UN to deliver aid into Syria without the consent of the regime. It is vital we maintain the pressure on the regime to let aid convoys in and to provide sustained, permanent and safe humanitarian access.

The desperate situation in besieged and hard to reach areas shows why we need the international community to come together at the London Conference for Syria and the Region on 4 February to support immediate needs and identify longer-term solutions to address the needs of those affected by the crisis, especially regarding jobs and education. We also hope the Conference will put pressure on the parties to the conflict by shining a spotlight on violations of international law and impediments to humanitarian access in Syria.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the World Bank gender policy, and of whether the bank’s inspection panel has ever been guided by a gender safeguard.

Baroness Verma

The World Bank Gender Policy sets out how Bank staff should assess the gender dimensions of development in their work and is an important part of Bank’s commitment to drive progress on gender equality. The Inspection Panel assesses compliance with Bank policy including not only the Gender Policy but also with the Environmental and Social Safeguards, which includes requirements for a social assessment that may cover gender.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of calls for an investigation into what action should be taken against those in Burma who are responsible for the crackdown by police at the Letpaden meeting of student protesters.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We publicly expressed our concerns at the violence that occurred in Letpadan in March 2015 and supported the EU’s call for a formal investigation to be initiated. The right to peaceful demonstration is a fundamental democratic freedom. Officials from our Embassy and those of other international partners have been attending the protesters’ trials. We look forward to working with the new government in Burma to make improvements across the spectrum of civil and political liberties.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-04-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many appeals lodged against initial asylum refusals by Eritrean nationals were lodged (1) within the UK, and (2) outside the UK, in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, and (c) 2015.

Lord Faulks

The numbers of Eritrean nationals who lodged an asylum appeal in the UK or from overseas in the three years up to December 2015 are:

	Total	Within the UK	Outside the UK
2013	122	122	0
2014	241	240	1
2015	1,856	1,854	2

The numbers of Eritrean nationals who were required to pay a fee for their asylum appeal in the three years up to December 2015 are:

	Total
2013	1
2014	2
2015	23

Notes to tables:

1. Figures include Asylum, Protection and Revocation of Protection appeals.

2. Figures provided are taken from internal management information and not subject to the same quality checks as Official Statistics.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-07-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the South Sudan Troika plans to issue a comprehensive statement on its priorities in Sudan and South Sudan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK, along with our Troika partners (the United States and Norway), has been active in supporting efforts to resolve the crisis in South Sudan. This includes working with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development and regional partners.

We are deeply concerned about the recent fighting and will continue to work with our troika and regional partners to resolve the crisis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what systems they have in place to monitor the use of military equipment licensed for export to Saudi Arabia to establish whether or not that equipment has been used to violate international humanitarian law in Yemen.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government monitors the situation in Yemen closely, including reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). We take these reports very seriously. We have raised our concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities, who have provided assurances to us that they are complying with IHL. We continue to engage with them on those assurances, and we urge all sides to investigate such incidents fully. The Ministry of Defence continues to monitor alleged incidents internally, using available information, which in turn informs our overall assessment of IHL compliance in Yemen. We are offering Saudi Arabia advice and training to demonstrate best practice and to help ensure continued compliance with International Humanitarian Law.

With respect to UK arms exports to Saudi Arabia, all applications for strategic export control licences for military and dual-use goods are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the Criteria), in a manner consistent with the UK’s international obligations. A licence will not be issued for export of items to any country if to do so would be inconsistent with any mandatory provision of the Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of IHL.

The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the Criteria. Our export licensing system allows us to respond to changed circumstances and new information as and when necessary. The principle of responsible export controls is fundamental for the Government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-01-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the legal opinion recently commissioned by Amnesty International and Saferworld, which claims that they are breaking the law by supplying arms to Saudi

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of this legal opinion provided on instructions from certain non-governmental organisations. We are also aware of our legal obligations as regards the licensing of arms for export to Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.

The UK operates one of the most rigorous and transparent arms export control regimes in the world. All arms export licence applications are carefully assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking intoaccountall relevant information, to ensure compliance with our legal obligations, including under international law. A licence will not be issued, for any country, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory Criteria. This includes the export of arms to Saudi Arabia. The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK’s export licensing criteria.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and of criticism by the Institute of Global and International Studies, and others, that there has been too much focus on addressing sexual violence rather than on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government is fully committed to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 in its entirety. The prevention of sexual violence in conflict is an important part of this. We will continue our work on this issue as part of a comprehensive programme of work. At last year’s High Level Review of UNSCR 1325, the Government announced a package of eight ambitious new commitments, which included increasing women’s meaningful participation in peace processes and wider peacebuilding efforts and ensuring that women’s rights are fully taken into account in our overseas counter-extremism work, in humanitarian emergencies, in our early warning and conflict analysis and in our military doctrine.

There is still much that the international community needs to do to deliver the commitments enshrined in UNSCR 1325. Despite clear evidence of the links between women’s participation and the success and sustainability of a peace process, all too often women remain excluded. Women and girls continue to suffer disproportionate levels of violence in conflict situations. The international community must do more to address the full range of human rights abuses that women experience in conflict. The Government will continue to prioritise this work as part of our diplomatic, development and defence work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in deciding to use the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund exclusively to support national institutions in South Sudan, what assessment they made of the potential effect on supporting community-level peacebuilding and fostering a dialogue likely to prevent conflicts between communities.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Across the Sudan and South Sudan Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), we have decided to maintain the same level of funding for community-level peacebuilding programmes in FY16-17.

We have not taken a decision to use the CSSF in South Sudan exclusively in support of national institutions. We will continue to support community level peace building in Eastern Equatorial and Lakes states in financial year 2016-17, and have begun exploring with partners the possibility of expanding existing community level projects in Sudan across the border in order to increase coordination and value for money.