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423714

registered interest
date	26/10/2015
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	Central African Republic: Armed Conflict
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the Central African Republic should be included in the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict initiative.
tabling member printed	Baroness Berridge
uin	HL2978
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2015 answer text Work in the Central African Republic (CAR) has been an important part of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative in recognition of the large role that sexual violence has played in the conflict in CAR which has included the sexual abuse of women and children, sexual slavery and rape. This work has, to date, been primarily carried out through our work with the African Union (AU). Since the launch of the initiative, the UK has provided £1.3 million to support the AU’s Gender Peace and Security Programme. This includes the deployment of sexual violence experts that were deployed to the CAR in 2014. These experts provided support to victims in the districts of Paoua, Kaga-Bandoro and Bambar. This Programme also supported the AU’s Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, Madame Bineta Diop. We are working with the AU to build on this deployment and increase AU capacity to carry out similar deployments in the future. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 04/11/2015 14:04:51 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge

423715

registered interest
date	26/10/2015
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	Refugees: Middle East and North Africa
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what practical support they have offered to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro as transit and recipient states of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa.
tabling member printed	Baroness Helic
uin	HL2979
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2015 answer text <p>On September 23, the Prime Minister, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), pledged £3.1 million of aid to Western Balkans countries affected by the migration crisis, to cover both humanitarian and border management assistance. The funds form part of a wider UK pledge of nearly £115 million, most of which is being put towards lifesaving aid in Syria and its neighbouring countries. The funds will go through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to support projects in transit countries most affected, chiefly Serbia and Macedonia, and to support the UN agency’s regional office in Sarajevo. The £3.1 million will also support activities of the International Organisation of Migration in both Western Balkans transit countries, to further strengthen the response of host governments to the migration crisis. In addition, on 13 October, the UK despatched blankets, sleeping bags, and roll mats to Serbia for up to 11,000 vulnerable people as winter approaches.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 04/11/2015 14:06:01 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	4331 label Biography information for Baroness Helic

423716

registered interest
date	26/10/2015
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	Bosnia and Herzegovina: Politics and Government
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the success of the Dayton Peace accords, and of the current political and security situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
tabling member printed	Baroness Helic
uin	HL2980
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2015 answer text <p>The Dayton Peace Agreement ended a brutal war and remains the basis for the state of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH), its constitution and our engagement. We are disappointed that twenty years on BiH has not made greater progress on its Euro-Atlantic path and we remain concerned about the political and security situation on the ground. Last year, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and his German counterpart launched an initiative (now endorsed by the EU) to inject momentum into BiH’s EU accession path and to prioritise reforms that will build prosperity and security for all. We continue to press the BiH governments to implement those reforms and to refrain from divisive, nationalist politicking that undermines progress.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 04/11/2015 14:09:41 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	4331 label Biography information for Baroness Helic

423717

registered interest
date	26/10/2015
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	Middle East Quartet
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 impact of the Middle East Quartet Representative on the prospects for peace between Israel and Palestine; what the identified successes and failures are; and what was the cost to the public purse of supporting the office of the Representative in each of the last eight financial years.
tabling member printed	Baroness Helic
uin	HL2981
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2015 answer text <p>The British Government supports the aims and objectives of the Quartet, which has an important role in the Middle East Peace Process through its mandate to mobilise international assistance to the Palestinians and develop plans to promote Palestinian economic development.</p><p>Since its inception in 2007, the Office of the Quartet Representative (OQR) has been funded by donations from Quartet members, including the European Commission, EU Member States and the US. Donations are pooled in a trust fund which is managed and administered by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).</p><p>In November 2007 the then Secretary for State for International Development approved a one-off payment of £400,000 from the UK to UNDP to help with the costs of setting up the OQR. Other countries also contributed to the set up costs: Norway gave $1 million; the European Commission $2 million; and the US provided IT equipment.</p><p>The UK does not currently provide financial support to cover the costs of the OQR. The Department for International Development has seconded staff to the OQR since 2007. Their costs are as follows 2007: £62,850; 2008: £165,313; 2009: £204,830; 2010: £214,440; 2011: £247,213; 2012: £183,462; 2013: £266,088; 2014: £115,738; and 2015: £26,875. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also seconded two full-time members of staff to the OQR from 2007 until 2013. We do not hold a record of the costs of these secondments.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 04/11/2015 14:11:02 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	4331 label Biography information for Baroness Helic

423718

registered interest
date	26/10/2015
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	Middle East Quartet
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans there are for the appointment of a new Middle East Quartet Representative; and what the timeline is for any such appointment.
tabling member printed	Baroness Helic
uin	HL2982
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2015 answer text <p>There are no current plans to appoint a new Middle East Quartet Representative. The Office of the Quartet Representative has been renamed the Office of the Quartet. It is now being led by a Head of Mission, supported by a Deputy Head of Mission. The Quartet Principals (EU, US, UN and Russia) are responsible for taking decisions about the structure of the Quartet, including its staffing.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 04/11/2015 14:13:47 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	4331 label Biography information for Baroness Helic

423720

registered interest
date	26/10/2015
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	Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the promotion of human rights is part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office mission statement, and what are their top five priorities in that area.
tabling member printed	Baroness Helic
uin	HL2984
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2015 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Annual Report and Accounts set out the FCO’s purpose for 2014–15. This listed eight separate commitments, two of which mentioned promoting human rights explicitly:</p><p>- Strengthen the Commonwealth as a focus for promoting democratic values, human rights, climate resilient development, conflict prevention and trade.</p><p>- Use soft power as a tool of UK foreign policy; promote British values and respect for human rights; build capacity to tackle terrorism in line with UK security requirements; and contribute to the welfare of developing countries and their citizens.</p><p>In addition, human rights are an integral part of the FCO’s work, linked with many aspects of our national interest including the stability and prosperity of our international partners. We set out in the 2014 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report the actions we have taken to mainstream human rights across the FCO network, including ramping up our internal communications and training.</p><p>We are currently reconfiguring our work on human rights around three pillars to reflect the Government’s manifesto commitments, play to our strengths, boost our impact, and increase our ability to respond to international developments. These pillars are:</p><p>i) Democratic values and the rule of law;</p><p>ii) The rules-based international system and,</p><p>iii) Human rights for a stable world</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 04/11/2015 14:21:33 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	4331 label Biography information for Baroness Helic

423729

registered interest
date	26/10/2015
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	Israel: Palestinians
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel about the level of collective punishment being imposed on Palestinians by both Jewish settlers and the Israeli Defence Forces, and in particular about the use of live fire in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL2993
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2015 answer text We regularly raise with the Government of Israel the implementation of its obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention as the occupying power, including the point that any use of force must be proportionate. Our Ambassador to Tel Aviv most recently raised our concerns on 26 October about the use of force, including live fire, with the Israeli Commander of Government Activities in the Territories, General Mordechai. Israel, like all countries, has a legitimate right to self-defence, and the right to defend its citizens from attack. But in doing so it is vital that all actions are in line with International Humanitarian Law. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 04/11/2015 14:44:25 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

423730

registered interest
date	26/10/2015
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	Israel: Palestinians
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the state of emergency declared by the Palestinian Red Crescent on 4 October.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL2994
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2015 answer text <p>While we have not raised this issue specifically with the Israeli authorities, we are clear that medical staff should have the protection that allows them to do their jobs in safety. Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority on the need to de-escalate the tensions.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 05/11/2015 15:52:29 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

423731

registered interest
date	26/10/2015
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	Israel: West Bank
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the bulldozing of agricultural land owned by Palestinian farmers near the city of Nablus in the West Bank to open new roads to connect Jewish outposts and settlements south of the city.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL2995
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2015 answer text <p>While we have not made any representations on this specific issue, our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised the issue of demolitions with the Israeli Ministry of Defence Director of Political-Military Affairs on 21 October. The British Government has repeatedly condemned Israeli settlement activity. The UK position is clear:- settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and take us further away from a two state solution.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 04/11/2015 14:45:15 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

423734

registered interest
date	26/10/2015
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	Saudi Arabia: UN Human Rights Council
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to oppose the UN decision to put Saudi Arabia in charge of a human rights panel, and, if so, what action they will take.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL2998
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2015 answer text <p>The British Government has no locus to oppose the appointment of the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia as Chair of the UN Consultative Group. Saudi Arabia was nominated by the Asian Group. The Council is made up of five ambassadors, serving in their personal capacity, from each of the five regional groups in the UN. The Ambassador has served on the Consultative Group since 1 January 2015. It is standard procedure for the chairmanship of the Group to rotate during the course of the year.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 04/11/2015 15:06:13 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge