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1058904

	registered interest
	date	11/02/2019
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office, what programmes his Department (a) promotes and (b) funds to rehabilitate and reintegrate former child soldiers into their communities.
	tabling member constituency	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	tabling member printed	John Lamont
	uin	219527
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2019 answer text <p>​The UK is firmly committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and to protecting all children affected by armed conflict.</p><p>The UK is an active member of the United Nations Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), which leads the international response to the issue of child soldiers and child protection. This includes pressing those parties to conflict listed in the UN Secretary-General's annual report on CAAC to enter into concrete action plans with the UN to verify and release any child soldiers associated with armed groups and forces and to prevent re-recruitment. We apply diplomatic pressure to listed governments and armed groups, and fund projects to help protect and rehabilitate vulnerable children. We also press for the inclusion of child protection in peacekeeping responses through UN mandate renewals and resolutions.</p><p>The UK is the largest single financial contributor to the office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for CAAC contributing £800,000 in the last five years. We have shown our support for the SRSG's recently launched Global Coalition for Reintegration (GCR) by joining the 'Friends of Reintegration' group, a forum to generate new ideas for supporting reintegration programmes for children formerly associated with armed groups. The GCR is working to provide more reliable funding to ensure higher quality, longer-term reintegration programming and prevention of re-recruitment for all children formerly recruited and used by armed groups and forces. The UK has confirmed that it will be increasing its funding to the office of the SRSG for CAAC to £450,000 for the FY19/20 to continue assisting the SRSG with her current mandate, and will be giving an additional £50,000 to fund extended activities pertaining to the GCR.</p><p>In 2018, the UK endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, a political commitment to reduce the impact of conflict on education, and the Vancouver Principles, a political commitment to ensure that child protection and preventing the recruitment and use of children by armed forces and armed groups are operational priorities during the conduct of United Nations peace operations. As a member of the Group of Friends of CAAC in Geneva, we also participated in a joint statement to the 37th session of the Human Rights Council in March 2018, in which we reiterated our strong support for the mandate of the SRSG for CAAC. We worked very closely with Sweden and others to agree Resolution 2427 adopted by the UN Security Council in July 2018, to strengthen protection mechanisms for children in armed conflict.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field grouped question UIN 219529 question first answered 19/02/2019 16:24:51 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	4608 label Biography information for John Lamont

1058906

	registered interest
	date	11/02/2019
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office , what funding his Department has allocated to programmes to prevent the recruitment of children by armed forces and groups.
	tabling member constituency	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	tabling member printed	John Lamont
	uin	219529
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2019 answer text <p>​The UK is firmly committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and to protecting all children affected by armed conflict.</p><p>The UK is an active member of the United Nations Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), which leads the international response to the issue of child soldiers and child protection. This includes pressing those parties to conflict listed in the UN Secretary-General's annual report on CAAC to enter into concrete action plans with the UN to verify and release any child soldiers associated with armed groups and forces and to prevent re-recruitment. We apply diplomatic pressure to listed governments and armed groups, and fund projects to help protect and rehabilitate vulnerable children. We also press for the inclusion of child protection in peacekeeping responses through UN mandate renewals and resolutions.</p><p>The UK is the largest single financial contributor to the office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for CAAC contributing £800,000 in the last five years. We have shown our support for the SRSG's recently launched Global Coalition for Reintegration (GCR) by joining the 'Friends of Reintegration' group, a forum to generate new ideas for supporting reintegration programmes for children formerly associated with armed groups. The GCR is working to provide more reliable funding to ensure higher quality, longer-term reintegration programming and prevention of re-recruitment for all children formerly recruited and used by armed groups and forces. The UK has confirmed that it will be increasing its funding to the office of the SRSG for CAAC to £450,000 for the FY19/20 to continue assisting the SRSG with her current mandate, and will be giving an additional £50,000 to fund extended activities pertaining to the GCR.</p><p>In 2018, the UK endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, a political commitment to reduce the impact of conflict on education, and the Vancouver Principles, a political commitment to ensure that child protection and preventing the recruitment and use of children by armed forces and armed groups are operational priorities during the conduct of United Nations peace operations. As a member of the Group of Friends of CAAC in Geneva, we also participated in a joint statement to the 37th session of the Human Rights Council in March 2018, in which we reiterated our strong support for the mandate of the SRSG for CAAC. We worked very closely with Sweden and others to agree Resolution 2427 adopted by the UN Security Council in July 2018, to strengthen protection mechanisms for children in armed conflict.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field grouped question UIN 219527 question first answered 19/02/2019 16:24:52 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	4608 label Biography information for John Lamont

1058907

	registered interest
	date	11/02/2019
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office, what assessment his Department has made on the effectiveness of steps by the international community to reintegrate and rehabilitate children previously recruited by armed forces and groups.
	tabling member constituency	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
	tabling member printed	John Lamont
	uin	219530
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2019 answer text <p>The UK is firmly committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and to protecting all children affected by armed conflict.</p><p>To mark the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers (Red Hand Day), the UK took part in an UN Security Council (UNSC) Arria meeting on protecting children in shrinking humanitarian spaces. The UK called for better integration of the Children and Armed Conflict portfolio into UNSC country specific discussions and for all states to sign up to the key international commitments traversing this CAAC portfolio: the Paris Principles, the Vancouver Principles and the Safe Schools Declaration. The UK also highlighted the importance of mainstreaming child protection in peacekeeping missions and the need to consider whether denial of humanitarian access should be a violation which triggers a listing in the Secretary-General's annual report on CAAC. Sharing experiences on UK engagement on the CAAC agenda with other states serves to open up the humanitarian space and understand how collaborative engagement can strengthen the protection of children in armed conflict. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon also met youth participants in the newly launched World Vision campaign '<em>It takes a World…to end violence against children</em>' to discuss their views and recommendations for the UK government regarding children in armed forces and groups, including how the UK can galvanise the international community to better support this agenda.</p><p>The UK can see a strong case in principle for re-galvanising our approach to reintegration and remains committed to supporting the valuable work of the SRSG's office in this respect. The UK has shown its support for the SRSG's recently launched Global Coalition for Reintegration (GCR) by joining the 'Friends of Reintegration' group, a forum to generate new ideas for supporting reintegration programmes for children formerly associated with armed groups and sharing best practice and lesson learnt with key member states. The GCR is working to provide more reliable funding to ensure higher quality, longer-term reintegration programming and prevention of re-recruitment for all children formerly recruited and used by armed groups and forces. The UK has confirmed that it will be increasing its funding to the office of the SRSG for CAAC to £450,000 for FY19/20 to continue assisting the SRSG with her current mandate and will be giving an additional £50,000 to fund extended activities pertaining to the GCR.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/02/2019 16:40:02 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	4608 label Biography information for John Lamont

1039582

	registered interest
	date	11/01/2019
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce the number of child soldiers and (b) prevent the recruitment of new child soldiers.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
	uin	207556
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>The UK is firmly committed to a global policy of ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and to protecting all children affected by armed conflict.</p><p>The UK is an active member of the United Nations Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), which leads the international response to the issue of child soldiers and child protection. This includes pressing those parties to conflict listed in the UN Secretary-General's annual report on CAAC to enter into concrete action plans with the UN to verify and release any child soldiers associated with armed groups and forces and to prevent re-recruitment. We apply diplomatic pressure to listed governments and armed groups, and fund projects to help protect and rehabilitate vulnerable children. We also press for the inclusion of child protection in peacekeeping responses through UN mandate renewals and resolutions.</p><p>The UK is the largest single financial contributor to the office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for CAAC contributing £800,000 in the last five years. We have shown our support for the SRSG's recently launched Global Coalition for Reintegration (GCR) by joining the 'Friends of Reintegration' group, a forum to generate new ideas for supporting reintegration programmes for children formerly associated with armed groups. The GCR is working to provide more reliable funding to ensure higher quality, longer-term reintegration programming and prevention of re-recruitment for all children formerly recruited and used by armed groups and forces.</p><p>In 2018, the UK endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, a political commitment to reduce the impact of conflict on education, and the Vancouver Principles, a political commitment to prevent the recruitment and use of children by armed forces and armed groups during the conduct of United Nations peace operations. As a member of the Group of Friends of CAAC in Geneva, we also participated in a joint statement to the 37th session of the Human Rights Council in March 2018, in which we reiterated our strong support for the mandate of the SRSG for CAAC. We worked very closely with Sweden and others to agree Resolution 2427 adopted by the UN Security Council in July 2018, to strengthen protection mechanisms for children in armed conflict.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 16/01/2019 15:01:24 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1025322

	registered interest
	date	14/12/2018
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers in fragile and failed states.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
	uin	202290
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2018 answer text <p>The UK is firmly committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and to protecting all children affected by armed conflict.</p><p>The UK is an active member of the United Nations Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), which leads the international response to the issue of child soldiers and child protection. This includes pressing those parties to conflict listed in the UN Secretary-General's annual report on CAAC to enter into concrete action plans with the UN to verify and release any child soldiers associated with armed groups and forces. We apply diplomatic pressure to listed governments and armed groups, and fund projects to help protect and rehabilitate vulnerable children. We also press for the inclusion of child protection in peacekeeping responses through UN mandate renewals and resolutions. The UK is the largest single financial contributor to the office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for CAAC contributing £800,000 in the last five years. We have shown our support for the SRSG's recently launched Global Coalition for Reintegration by joining the 'Friends of Reintegration' group, a forum to generate new ideas for supporting reintegration programmes for children formerly associated with armed groups.</p><p>In 2018, the UK endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, a political commitment to reduce the impact of conflict on education, and the Vancouver Principles, which aims to ensure that child protection is an operational priority for UN peacekeeping missions. As a member of the Group of Friends of CAAC in Geneva, we also participated in a joint statement to the 37th session of the Human Rights Council in March 2018, in which we reiterated our strong support for the mandate of the SRSG for CAAC. We worked very closely with Sweden and others to agree Resolution 2427 adopted by the UN Security Council in July 2018, to strengthen protection mechanisms for children in armed conflict.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/12/2018 13:21:45 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

858581

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2018
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in the (a) EU and (b) UN Security Council on stopping the practice of using child soldiers.
	tabling member constituency	North East Fife
	tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
	uin	131836
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2018 answer text <p>The UK is an active member of the United Nations Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, which consists of Security Council members, and which leads the international response on the issues of child soldiers and child protection. We work particularly closely with allies and like-minded states on the Council, notably France, the Netherlands and Sweden, to advance common efforts and UK objectives in this area.</p><p>In November 2017, my colleague Lord Ahmad, the Minister for the Commonwealth and the United Nations, participated in an open debate of the UN Security Council on Children in Armed Conflict, focused on the findings of the UN Secretary-General's 2017 Annual Report. Lord Ahmad welcomed the work of the UN and of the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, and reiterated our concern about the continuing grave violations committed against children in conflicts around the world.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/03/2018 15:07:50 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

858582

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2018
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding his Department has allocated to organisations which tackle the use of child soldiers in conflict in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	North East Fife
	tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
	uin	131837
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2018 answer text <p>The FCO has provided funding to both UN organisations and civil society groups, to tackle the use of child soldiers in armed conflict. This totals £1,864,000 since 2015.</p><p>This figure comprises funding to the UN Department of Peacekeeping to provide key child protection staff, totalling just over £1 million from 2016-19.</p><p>Between 2015 and 2019, we will have also given £620,000 to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, making the UK the number one donor to this Office. We have lobbied others to increase their contributions.</p><p>We have also provided £75,000 in both financial years 2015/16 and 2016/17, as well as £85,000 in financial year 2017/18, to the NGO Children and Armed Conflict Watch List.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/03/2018 15:13:40 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

858583

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2018
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help partner countries to build institutional capacity to decrease the use of child soldiers in conflict.
	tabling member constituency	North East Fife
	tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
	uin	131838
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2018 answer text <p>We provide funding to support the work of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict's to implement UN Action Plans with relevant UN Member States. This includes technical missions to monitor violations committed against children.</p><p>We also appreciate the expertise which civil society organisations can bring to tackling this issue, and we are currently providing funding to strengthen the monitoring, reporting and response by civil society actors in Nigeria, South Sudan, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burma.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/03/2018 16:47:58 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
	tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

846263

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies on the protection of children in armed conflicts of the findings of the Save the Children report entitled War on Children, published in February 2018.
	tabling member constituency	North East Fife
	tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
	uin	128937
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2018 answer text <p>The UK is firmly committed to ensuring that the needs of children affected by conflict are addressed. 50% of DFID’s spending is directed towards fragile states and regions, including the many countries which Save the Children highlights are the most dangerous for children.</p><p> </p><p>Our investment in protecting children in conflict zones is emphasised through our many multilateral and bilateral programmes around the world. Some of the examples of how we achieve this are as follows. We are the largest contributor to Education Cannot Wait, the first global movement aid fund dedicated to education in emergencies and protracted crises. Through this, we target some of the world’s most vulnerable children, aiming to reach 3.4 million children through its first set of investments. We contribute funds to the No Lost Generation Initiative, a commitment by the international community to support children and youth affected by the Syria and Iraq crises, mainly in education and protection. In Somalia, we work with the UN and international NGOs to ensure the rights of children affected by conflict are addressed through family reunification, support to their nutrition needs and reducing the risks faced by displaced children. In Yemen and Iraq we fund UN agencies to undertake critical child protection work. In Afghanistan we seek to change the way the conflict is fought to reduce child casualties and ensure that vulnerable children have access to supportive services.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 26/02/2018 12:43:56 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
	tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

846266

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will review will her Department's civilian protection strategy in light of the recommendations in the 2018 Save the Children report, War on Children.
	tabling member constituency	North East Fife
	tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
	uin	128939
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2018 answer text <p>The Department for International Development does not have a specific civilian protection strategy. The Government’s 2017 Humanitarian Reform Policy sets out our objectives for, and approach to, protecting people in crises and upholding humanitarian norms and principles, laying out how we work for the protection of civilians.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 28/02/2018 17:00:13 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

844064

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will publish a response to the report of Save The Children entitled War on Children, published in February 2018; and what steps her Department is taking better to protect children in those conflict zones referred to in the report.
	tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
	tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
	uin	128405
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2018 answer text <p>The UK is firmly committed to ensuring that the needs of children affected by conflict are addressed. 50% of DFID’s spending is directed towards fragile states and regions, including the many countries which Save the Children highlights are the most dangerous for children.</p><p>Our investment in protecting children in conflict zones is emphasised through our many multi-lateral and bilateral programmes around the world. Some of the examples of how we achieve this are as follows. We are the largest contributor to Education Cannot Wait, the first global movement aid fund dedicated to education in emergencies and protracted crises. Through this, we target some of the world’s most vulnerable children, aiming to reach 3.4 million children through its first set of investments. We contribute funds to the No Lost Generation Initiative, a commitment by the international community to support children and youth affected by the Syria and Iraq crises, mainly in education and protection. In Somalia, we work with the UN and international NGOs to ensure the rights of children affected by conflict are addressed through family reunification, support to their nutrition needs and reducing the risks faced by displaced children. In Yemen and Iraq we fund UN agencies to undertake critical child protection work. In Afghanistan we seek to change the way the conflict is fought to reduce child casualties and ensure that vulnerable children have access to supportive services.</p><p>We do not have plans to publish a response to Save the Children’s report, <em>The War on Children</em> - DFID officials are in regular contact with Save the Children on this agenda. We recently partnered to co-host a high level Wilton Park dialogue to address the mental health and psychosocial support needs of children affected by conflict in the Middle East.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 26/02/2018 11:38:44 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
	tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

513700

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2016
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what programmes her Department funds for the support and treatment of African former child soldiers.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	34468
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/04/2016 answer text <p>The Government is committed to ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers and protecting children affected by armed conflict. Minister Shapps met with the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict at the UN General Assembly in 2015 to demonstrate the UK’s engagement on this critical issue. We also support international efforts, for example through the Common Humanitarian Funds and the International Committee of the Red Cross, in conflict-affected and fragile countries in Africa, to assist children, including those who have been members of armed groups, and to reduce the risks of violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. In the long-term children are best protected by peaceful, accountable states capable of providing security and justice for all, access to basic services, and meeting the needs of vulnerable groups. Building peaceful states and societies is the overarching framework of our work in countries affected by conflict and fragility.</p><p>We also recognise that education is important in order to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers and reintegrate former child soldiers back into their communities. DFID is one of the biggest bilateral donors to basic education in low income countries, especially in Africa. Between 2010 and 2015 the UK Government supported 11 million children in school across 21 countries; 7.5 million of them in countries considered to be fragile. We have again pledged to support 11 million children with a decent education between 2015 and 2020.</p> answering member constituency Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner answering member printed Mr Nick Hurd question first answered 21/04/2016 16:38:48 answering member 1561 label Biography information for Mr Nick Hurd
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

456204

	registered interest
	date	29/02/2016
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support children living in conflict zones to access education.
	tabling member constituency	Copeland
	tabling member printed	Mr Jamie Reed
	uin	28943
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2016 answer text <p>DFID’s priority areas in education are to improve learning, to reach all children – especially those in fragile states - and to keep girls in school and learning. The UK is one of the biggest bilateral donors to basic education in low income countries. Between 2010 and 2015 DFID supported 11 million children in school across 21 countries, 7.5 million of them in countries considered to be fragile. DFID has again pledged to support 11 million girls and boys with a decent education between 2015 and 2020. In addition, by 2017, our flagship £355 million Girls’ Education Challenge will enable up to 1 million of the world’s most marginalised girls to benefit from an education of sufficient quality to help transform their lives, including in countries such as Somalia and South Sudan.</p><p>DFID is also supporting initiatives to improve how the international community provides education in emergencies, including conflicts. This includes leadership to establish the ‘No Lost Generation Initiative’ (NLGI) in 2013 to prevent the loss of an entire generation of children to the effects of violence and displacement in the Syria conflict. As part of this support, the UK has allocated £115 million to provide protection, psychosocial support and education for children affected by the crisis in Syria. As a result, over 251,000 children have received formal and informal education inside Syria and in the region, allowing them to catch up on lost learning time and perform well in public school examinations. In addition, a key outcome of the recent ‘Supporting Syria and the Region Conference’, held in London on 4 February, is the commitment that, by the end of the 2016/17 school year,1.7 million children – all refugee children and vulnerable children in host communities – will be in quality education with equal access for girls and boys.</p><p>Ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit in May, DFID is also working with partners to improve how education is delivered globally in humanitarian and protracted crises.</p> answering member constituency New Forest West answering member printed Mr Desmond Swayne question first answered 03/03/2016 16:06:32 answering member 55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne
	tabling member	1503 label Biography information for Mr Jamie Reed

448385

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2016
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to discuss the issue of education for children in areas of conflict at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May 2016; and what plans she has to ensure children have access to education in those areas.
	tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
	tabling member printed	Martyn Day
	uin	24414
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2016 answer text <p>Education will be a significant theme in the World Humanitarian Summit and we will use this opportunity to promote our aims to improve learning outcomes, to reach all children in fragile states, and to keep girls in school.</p><p>DFID supports children overseas to go school and continuing learning even when they are forced from their homes. This includes our flagship £355 million Girls’ Education Challenge that will enable up to 1 million more of the world’s most marginalised girls to benefit from an education of sufficient quality and transform their lives. In addition, DFID is supporting improvements to how the international community provides education in emergencies, including support for the ‘No Lost Generation’ Initiative to provide over 251,000 Syrian children with formal and informal education inside Syria and in the region, allowing them to catch up on lost learning time and sit public school examinations.</p> answering member constituency New Forest West answering member printed Mr Desmond Swayne question first answered 03/02/2016 14:50:19 answering member 55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne
	tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

445040

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2016
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure children receive education and protection in conflict zones.
	tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
	tabling member printed	Catherine West
	uin	22632
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2016 answer text <p>DFID supports international efforts in conflict-affected and fragile countries to assist children and reduce their risks of violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. This work is in partnership with mandated protection agencies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and UNICEF, as well as non-governmental organisations.</p><br /><p>DFID aims to improve learning outcomes, to reach all children in fragile states, and to keep girls in school. DFID supports children overseas to go to school and continue learning even when they are forced from their homes and this includes our flagship £355 million Girls’ Education Challenge that will enable up to 1 million more of the world’s most marginalised girls to benefit from an education of sufficient quality and transform their lives. In addition, DFID is supporting improvements to how the international community provides education in emergencies, including support for the ‘No Lost Generation’ Initiative to provide over 251,000 Syrian children with formal and informal education inside Syria and in the region, allowing them to catch up on lost learning time and sit public school examinations.</p><br /><p>Education and protection will be key themes of the Syria Conference co-hosted by the UK in early February and the protection and education of children affected by natural disasters and conflicts will be addressed at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016.</p> answering member constituency Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner answering member printed Mr Nick Hurd question first answered 21/01/2016 16:09:12 answering member 1561 label Biography information for Mr Nick Hurd
	tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

225884

	registered interest
	date	09/03/2015
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether all armed forces personnel are made aware of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict during their training.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	226716
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>This Convention and Protocol are amongst the body of International Law which underpins operational legal training and pre-deployment training. Such training is provided as necessary to Service personnel.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Additionally; Personnel are made aware of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict through a Joint Publication, namely (JDP) 1-05. This publication sets out the Ministry of Defence’s policy with regard to the deployment on operations of U18s in the Armed Forces.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 26/03/2015 12:02:31 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry previous answer version 50571 answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

92232

	registered interest
	date	26/09/2014
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking with African Union governments to end the recruitment of children into the national armed forces of countries where this practice takes place; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
	tabling member printed	Simon Kirby
	uin	209687
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>The UK Government is committed to helping countries end the recruitment and use of children in conflict. <br> <br>During the United Nations General Assembly in New York, I hosted a Ministerial roundtable, chaired by the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms Leila Zerrougui. The event brought together Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen and African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, Mr Smail Chergui.</p><p>The meeting looked at ways to end the recruitment and use of children in conflict by government forces, particularly through the implementation of UN Action Plans. It allowed countries that have successfully ended this practice to share lessons with those who are working towards this goal.</p><p>The roundtable built on an event during the End Sexual Violence in Conflict Summit in London in June, led by my Honourable friend Mark Simmonds MP, where Ministers from Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia underlined their commitment to ending the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.</p><p>The UK is also the majority funder of a Child Protection Adviser at the AU. This post is designed to ensure child protection policies are mainstreamed in AU peace enforcement operations on the continent.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 29/10/2014 14:43:10 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
	tabling member	3929 label Biography information for Simon Kirby

63657

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2014
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions he has raised the issues of child soldiering and progress on tackling it with his counterparts in other countries in the last two years.
	tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
	tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
	uin	202201
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2014 answer text <p>Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) is an important personal priority. I am leading a campaign to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers and to protect children from becoming victims of sexual violence in five priority countries: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somalia, South Sudan, Chad and Burma. Over the last two years, I have raised this issue with counterparts in Chad, Sierra Leone and DRC, as well as most recently with the Somali President and the Minister of the Interior in South Sudan during visits in April this year. My Right Honourable Friend, Hugo Swire MP, also discussed the issue during a visit to Burma in January.</p><p>During the recent End Sexual Violence in Conflict Summit, I hosted a Ministerial roundtable on CAAC attended by UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for CAAC. Ministers from Sierra Leone, DRC and Somalia underlined their commitment to ending the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.</p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Mark Simmonds question first answered 30/06/2014 13:36:15 answering member 1393 label Biography information for Mark Simmonds
	tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

57810

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department is giving to the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict for the campaign to eradicate the recruitment of children by government armed forces by 2016.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	198849
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2014 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence provides no formal support to the UN Special Representative, but is taking steps to ensure that our recruitment activities are in accordance with Article 38 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as stated in the answer given on 13 May 2013, (Official Report, column 98W) to the hon Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun (Cathy Jamieson).</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 12/06/2014 16:49:26 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

57819

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2014
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Armed Conflict: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is giving to the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict for the campaign to eradicate the recruitment of children by government armed forces by 2016.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	198848
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2014 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides funding of £150,000 over three years (January 2013-December 2015) to the Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) for Children and Armed Conflict. These funds strengthen the UN SRSG's capacity to monitor violations committed against children in situations of concern, in line with UNSC Resolutions 1612, 1882, 1998 on children and armed conflict and including countries covered by the UN SRSG's campaign, such as Burma and South Sudan.</p><p>Children and Armed Conflict is an important personal priority. I am leading a campaign to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers and to protect children from becoming victims of sexual violence in five priority countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Chad and Burma. I have raised the issue with a number of leaders, including most recently with the Somali President during a visit in April.<br><br>The UN SRSG will take part in the End Sexual Violence in Conflict Summit, from 10-13 June in London, where she will join a Ministerial roundtable that I am hosting on Children and Armed Conflict.</p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Mark Simmonds question first answered 10/06/2014 13:09:34 answering member 1393 label Biography information for Mark Simmonds
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham