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1132610

registered interest
date	17/06/2019
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	Burma: Dams
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 statement by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Myanmar about the Myitsone dam project in Kachin State, Burma, published on 8 June, in particular that that dam project would “provoke a humanitarian catastrophe” of forcible displacement, migration and natural disasters; and what representations they are making about the impact of the project with the governments of Burma and China.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL16388
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>​The British Government remains concerned about potential risks attached to the Myitsone Dam project. We urge both the Chinese and Burmese governments to ensure that infrastructure projects comply with international norms and standards, including environmental and socials standards and the necessity of consultations with affected communities. It is vital that much needed infrastructure investments deliver sustainable and equitable development impacts for the people of Burma. We have raised this issue with the both the Government of Burma and the Chinese Ambassador to Burma.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 01/07/2019 16:07:54 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1132611

registered interest
date	17/06/2019
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	Pakistan: Indigenous Peoples
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure (1) the survival of the culture and religion of the Kalash people in Pakistan, and (2) that the members of that community are not forced to convert their religious beliefs.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL16389
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government continues to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, particularly the most vulnerable including minority groups as laid down in the Constitution of Pakistan and in accordance with international standards.</p><p>The Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the protection of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Foreign Minister and Human Rights Minister during his visit to Pakistan in February.</p><p>We strongly condemn forced conversion of women and girls from religious minorities in Pakistan and we engage at a senior level on the mistreatment of religious and ethnic groups.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 01/07/2019 15:51:54 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1132612

registered interest
date	17/06/2019
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Pakistan: Indigenous Peoples
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans the Department for International Development has to support the training of Kalash teachers in Pakistan to teach Kalash children their own history and culture.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL16390
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>DFID Pakistan provides funding to the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for education through the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Support Programme (KESP). This includes different teacher professional development programmes (both pre and in-service). Three new teachers working in the Kalash area have participated in the KESP supported pre-service teacher professional development programme, and one of these teachers is Kalash. From April 2020, all teachers in Chitral will participate in the in-service continuous professional development programme, including those who work in schools in Kalash areas. The content of these training programmes is focused on pedagogy, classroom management, curriculum, and equity but does not specifically include teaching Kalash children their own history and culture.</p><p> </p><p>DFID Pakistan are in the process of designing a new programme for education support in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which will have an inclusive education focus. One of the outcomes of the new programme will be to deliver equitable education for all children to meet Sustainable Development Goal 4. There will be an increased focus on marginalised children such as girls, children with disabilities and ethnic minorities. The programme will aim to provide inclusive and equitable education for all, and an improved learning environment for marginalised children. The programme will also set up model inclusive schools in pilot districts to cater to the needs of ethnic and religious minorities.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 01/07/2019 16:09:45 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1132613

registered interest
date	17/06/2019
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Burma: 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 the situation in Kachin and Northern Shan States in Burma and the impact of the ongoing conflict in those states; and what representations they are making to the government of Burma to seek unconditional and unrestricted access to all areas for humanitarian aid and human rights monitoring organisations.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL16391
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>The UK remains deeply concerned by the ongoing violence and continued lack of access in Kachin and Northern Shan States. Over 110,000 people remain displaced by conflict and within camps. We have committed £17 million to support the livelihoods of the most vulnerable and displaced in Kachin and Northern Shan through the Livelihoods and Food Security Fund (LIFT). We have also committed a further £37 million to support live-saving interventions reaching over 350,000 people since 2012.</p><p>The UK continues to raise our concerns with both the military and the civilian Government of Burma at every opportunity. The British Ambassador in Burma raised issues around access with U Kyaw Tin (Minister for International Cooperation) on 27 May.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 01/07/2019 16:03:46 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1132614

registered interest
date	17/06/2019
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	Burma: Christianity
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what assessment they have made of, and (2) what representations they made to the government of Burma about, reports from Chin State, Burma, that on 24 and 25 May three Christians in Padekyaw village were forced to sign documents by village officials and local monks verifying their conversion to Buddhism after being threatened with eviction if they refused; that Christians were told they could not live in Hmwar Village Tract; and a public announcement made in eight villages threatening residents that communicating or trading with Christians would result in a fine.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL16392
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>​The British Government has noted the recent report from the China Human Rights Organisation and continues to be concerned by restrictions on freedom of religion and belief, including reports of forced conversions, in Burma. The UK, working with the EU and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, secured a UN Human Rights Council Resolution on 27 September 2018 that called for the amending or repealing of discriminatory provisions of the &quot;protection of race and religion laws&quot; in Burma covering religious conversion, interfaith marriage, monogamy and population control. Our Ambassador met the Burmese Minister for Religious Affairs on 9 August 2018, and underlined the importance of interfaith dialogue.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 01/07/2019 16:42:20 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1132302

registered interest
date	14/06/2019
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	Pakistan: Indigenous Peoples
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when representatives of the UK High Commission in Islamabad last visited members of the Kalash community in Pakistan.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL16371
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2019 answer text <p>The British Government is aware of recent media reports that members of the Kalash community in Pakistan have been subject to harassment including by domestic tourists. The UK High Commission does not hold detailed information on all visits, but does not believe it has visited the Kalash community in recent times. We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of minority communities with the Pakistan Government at a senior level.</p><p>We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people in Pakistan, particularly the most vulnerable as laid down in the Constitution of Pakistan and in accordance with international standards.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 27/06/2019 14:54:21 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1131875

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
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	Darfur: Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports by Amnesty International stating that forces of the government of Sudan, including the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias, have continued to commit war crimes and other serious human rights violations in Darfur, including (1) the destruction of villages, (2) unlawful killings, and (3) sexual violence, in the last year.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL16293
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>We continue to support efforts to deliver long-term peace for the people in Darfur, including through development and humanitarian assistance. We condemn the recent looting of the UN mission's West Darfur Headquarters and call for all to respect humanitarian principles. We have been consistent in public and in private that there must be accountability for the crimes committed by members of the former regime. The UK strongly supports the mission of the International Criminal Court; due legal process must be followed.</p><p>On 6 June, the Minister of State for Africa summoned the Sudanese Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to express our grave concerns at the use of all forms of violence, including sexual violence against civilians by the Sudanese authorities. The UK has called for the human rights of all Sudanese people to be respected, the resumption of the political process leading to an agreed peaceful transfer of power to a civilian-led government, as demanded by the Sudanese people.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 20/06/2019 12:39:38 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1131876

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
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	Darfur: Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of continued reported human rights abuses in Darfur, whether they will oppose (1) the withdrawal of all the remaining United Nations African Union Peacekeepers (UNAMID) from Darfur by June 2020, and (2) the closure of the remaining UNAMID team sites by December 2019, at all forthcoming meetings of the UN Security Council; and whether they will raise at those meetings the failure to hand over closed UNAMID bases for civilian purposes and their current occupation and use by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL16294
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>We will continue to support a gradual, conditions-based review of the conditions for the exit of the UN/Africa Union hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and await the outcome of the UNAMID Strategic Review, which will take account of the current circumstances in Sudan.</p><p>Despite recent reports of violence in areas of Darfur since the removal of Bashir as President and the establishment of the Transitional Military Council, the security situation on the ground has evolved in much of Darfur, and therefore we supported the Security Council's decision in June 2018 to reconfigure UNAMID. However, we recognise that the security situation remains fragile. Our priority is to ensure that changes made to the Mission are sensible, with appropriate review points, and to make sure that a smaller, more flexible UNAMID is still able to fulfil the core components of its mandate.</p><p>At the UN Security Council, we have urged fellow Council members closely to monitor the impact of UNAMID's reconfiguration, and carefully consider whether the situation on the ground remains conducive to further changes. We are in regular contact with UNAMID and are monitoring the reconfiguration of the Mission closely.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 20/06/2019 12:41:28 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1131877

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
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	Sudan: Demonstrations
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that paramilitaries from the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan carried out more than 70 rapes during an attack on a protest camp in Khartoum; and what assistance they are providing to opposition groups in Sudan to ensure that evidence in relation to such reports is collected to enable those responsible to be brought to justice.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL16295
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>​On 6 June, the Minister of State for Africa summoned the Sudanese Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to express our grave concerns at the use of all forms of violence, including sexual violence against civilians by the Sudanese authorities last week. We have been consistent in public and in private that there must be accountability for the crimes committed by members of the former regime. The UK strongly supports the mission of the International Criminal Court; due legal process must be followed.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 20/06/2019 12:43:01 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1131878

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
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	Eritrea: Religious Freedom
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 Eritrea about the recent arrests and police raids on homes, schools and other facilities operated by people with religious beliefs and of the recent report by Open Doors which identifies a range of measures taken by the Eritrean security services in breach of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL16296
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>The UK remains committed to promoting and defending freedom of religious belief for individuals of all faiths and beliefs, including in Eritrea. Our Ambassador in Asmara raised the issue of arbitrary detentions of members of the Christian community, including the Pentecostal Church, with the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 20 May. It was also raised with the Minister of Information during the EU/Eritrea Article VIII discussions on 20 March. At the Universal Periodic Review of Eritrea in January we also called for the release of all those arbitrarily detained for political and religious reasons.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 20/06/2019 12:43:36 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool