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1133804

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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	Commonwealth Secretariat: Reform
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress made in reforming the Commonwealth Secretariat.
tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
uin	HL16555
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>At CHOGM 2015, Heads of Government mandated the Secretary-General to convene a high-level group (HLG) to review the full governance arrangements of the Commonwealth Secretariat to ensure that its governance is streamlined and integrated in order to improve oversight, efficiency and transparency. This mandate was reiterated by Heads at CHOGM 2018, who asked Foreign Ministers to make decisions in response to the HLG's findings. Reform and strengthening of the Commonwealth Secretariat is a priority for our period as Commonwealth Chair-in-Office. We have worked with member states and the Commonwealth Secretariat to support the fulfilment of the mandate set by Heads.</p><p>An HLG, convened by the Secretar- General, first met shortly before CHOGM 2018. Since then, the HLG has submitted two reports. The first - covering roles and responsibilities, funding, and arrangements for the appointment of Secretaries-General - was submitted in early September 2018, and discussed by Foreign Ministers when they met in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York. At that meeting, Foreign Ministers instructed the Commonwealth Secretariat Board of Governors (of which the UK Commonwealth Envoy is a member) to agree recommendations in the light of that report by 30 November 2018. The Board fulfilled that instruction, unanimously agreeing a set of recommendations through a thorough, transparent and inclusive process. At the end of December 2019, the HLG produced a second report, focused on the Secretariat's collaboration with accredited Commonwealth organisations and other partners. Through a further thorough, transparent and inclusive process the Board of Governors unanimously agreed a set of recommendations in response to that second HLG report.</p><p>The Foreign Secretary, as current Chair of Commonwealth Foreign Ministers, has recommended that they adopt the recommendations. A few of them have some outstanding questions. We hope that those can be resolved, and the recommendations adopted, soon. Once implemented, they will make a significant difference to the effective governance and operation of the Commonwealth Secretariat and its collaboration with member states and Commonwealth organisations.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/07/2019 13:29:10 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

1133816

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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	Nabeel Rajab
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of a Bahraini court’s decision to reject the application for alternative sentencing of the human rights defender, Nabeel Rajab, given the concern expressed in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 2018 report on human rights and democracy for Mr Rajab’s sentencing to five years’ imprisonment.
tabling member printed	Lord Scriven
uin	HL16567
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Manama has closely monitored the trials of Mr Rajab. Officials from our Embassy regularly attended Mr Rajab's court hearings. We are not aware of Mr Rajab’s application, and subsequent rejection, for alternative sentencing. The decision making process of the application of alternative sentencing is subject to meeting qualifying conditions and remains the responsibility of the Bahrain judicial system. We continue to urge the Government of Bahrain to protect freedom of expression for all its citizens in line with its international commitments. We have raised the case at senior levels as part of the UK's ongoing open dialogue with Bahrain. British officials will continue to monitor the case closely</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/07/2019 13:29:30 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4333 label Biography information for Lord Scriven

1133817

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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	Bahrain: Politics and Government
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis their Human Rights and Democracy report, published on 5 June, “welcomed continuing progress in and commitment to the democratic process” in Bahrain following its elections in November 2018; and what account that report took of (1) the government of Bahrain's ban on all political opposition from electoral participation in, and (2) condemnation by the United States Congress and the parliaments of the UK, the EU, Ireland and Italy, of those elections.
tabling member printed	Lord Scriven
uin	HL16568
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>Bahrain held parliamentary elections for the fifth time in November. The British Government takes note of a number of information sources on Bahrain and we continue to encourage Bahrain to ensure all elections are fair, transparent and inclusive.​</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/07/2019 13:30:25 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4333 label Biography information for Lord Scriven

1133818

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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	Integrated Activity Fund
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 18 June (HL16049), whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will continue the Gulf Integrated Activity Fund beyond the 2019–20 financial year; and if so, what the allocated budget will be for the 2020–21 financial year.
tabling member printed	Lord Scriven
uin	HL16569
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>The Integrated Activity Fund (IAF) was established in 2016 with a four-year lifecycle ending in March 2020. A bid for funds to continue the IAF beyond this date is under consideration.​</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/07/2019 13:30:37 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4333 label Biography information for Lord Scriven

1133820

registered interest
date	20/06/2019
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	Bahrain: Integrated Activity Fund
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 June (HL16051 and HL16050), what they estimate of the Gulf Integrated Activity Fund’s budget allocated to Bahrain (1) was in the 2018–19 financial year, and (2) is in the 2019–20 financial year.
tabling member printed	Lord Scriven
uin	HL16571
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>The Integrated Activity Fund funded activity in all six Gulf Cooperation Council states: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Many of the projects and programme activities were delivered regionally, so it is not possible to provide a breakdown by beneficiary state.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/07/2019 13:30:54 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4333 label Biography information for Lord Scriven