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1167216

registered interest
date	29/10/2019
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	Hong Kong: Elections
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 disqualification of Joshua Wong from being able to stand for election in the District Council elections in Hong Kong; whether they are monitoring those elections for irregularities; whether they intend to challenge any unjust disqualifications and irregularities; and if so, how.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL484
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>We are concerned by the rejection of Joshua Wong's nomination for next month's local elections. Standing for election is a fundamental right enshrined in Hong Kong's Basic Law and Bill of Rights. Now, more than ever, it is vital that Hong Kong's political processes and institutions help to build trust amongst the public. Hong Kong's success is built on its rights and freedoms, including open and inclusive debate. We will continue to make these points to the Hong Kong SAR government.</p><p>Hong Kong district council elections will be an important opportunity for the citizens of Hong Kong to exercise their rights to make their voices heard. We will of course follow the conduct of the elections closely, and raise any concerns with the relevant authorities.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/11/2019 17:18:43 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1167217

registered interest
date	29/10/2019
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	North Korea: Refugees
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of remarks made to the human rights committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on 22 October that in the past six months he has received information from family members living in South Korea (1) that an increasing number of North Korean escapees are being detained in China, and (2) that those that are returned to North Korea are likely to be tortured or subjected to other human rights violations; when they last raised this with the government of China; what response they received; and what actions they have taken at United Nations fora to highlight these issues.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL485
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>​We are extremely concerned about the repatriation of North Koreans by Chinese authorities and the conditions they may face on return to North Korea. When we hear of individuals facing repatriation, we seek to raise their cases directly with China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with our international partners. We did so most recently in May 2019. We will continue to monitor closely and will again emphasise to China that people fleeing North Korea should be treated as legitimate asylum claimants and should not be returned, as stipulated by the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.</p><p>The British Government regularly raises its concerns over the human rights situation in North Korea in multilateral fora including the UN Security Council, General Assembly and Human Rights Council. At a briefing with the UN Special Rapporteur on 22 October, we discussed what more could be done to ensure legitimate North Korean asylum claimants are not forcibly repatriated when crossing international borders. We will continue to work with the Special Rapporteur and the international community to address these concerns.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/11/2019 17:21:56 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1167219

registered interest
date	29/10/2019
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	Africa: Conflict Resolution
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 effectiveness of African-led efforts to end conflict in Africa, including the Silence the Guns 2020 initiative; and what steps they intend to take to support such efforts.
tabling member printed	Lord Boateng
uin	HL487
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>The UK welcomes the efforts of the African Union and its sub-regional organizations to prevent, mediate and settle conflicts in Africa. Helping deliver stability and security is a critical component of the UK’s strategic approach to Africa. It is vital that we retain a strong focus on action, translating the noble goal of silencing the guns into concrete initiatives that will make a tangible difference to the lives of ordinary Africans. The UK is working with our partners across Africa to support mediation, women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution, and countering the proliferation of weapons, especially small arms and light weapons.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/11/2019 16:49:47 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	147 label Biography information for Lord Boateng

1167220

registered interest
date	29/10/2019
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	Africa: Conflict Resolution
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to enhance cooperation between the UN, the EU, and international, regional, and sub-regional institutions, to advance support for peace in (1) the Sahel, (2) the African Great Lakes, and (3) the Horn of Africa.
tabling member printed	Lord Boateng
uin	HL488
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>The UK is enhancing its diplomatic and development efforts across the Sahel to improve international coordination. For example, the UK is expanding its Embassies in Mali and Mauritania, establishing new Embassies in Niger and Chad and setting up a regional hub in Dakar, Senegal. We are seeking to ensure that the Sahel Alliance of donors and the new Partnership for Security and Stability in the Sahel encourage close partnership between donors and Sahel governments and regional organisations. We are also working to ensure that the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) works effectively with the Malian Government and other security operations in the region. The UK will deploy 250 military personnel to this mission next year.</p><p>The UK also supports efforts to bring lasting peace and stability to the Great Lakes region. The UK actively supports the work of the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, who oversees the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSCF). This aims to address the root causes of conflict in the Great Lakes region. The UK is a significant bilateral donor in support of peacebuilding efforts in the region and supporter of MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission in eastern DRC.</p><p>In the Horn of Africa, the UK is the penholder for all discussions on Somalia in the United Nations Security Council. This includes drafting the mandates for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM); both of which place strong emphasis on the need for coordination between Somalia's international supporters. In Sudan, the UK has frequent engagement with the AU, EU and UN counterparts to provide coordinated political and technical assistance to support the programme of reform and change that the new government has initiated. In addition, with our UN Security Council partners, we are securing renewed mandates for the UN-AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur and the UN mission in Abyei. These will support developing peace processes led by the new government of Sudan. The UK also takes a lead role in South Sudan as a member of the Troika (with Norway and the US) to press for an end to the conflict, and implementation of the Peace Agreement signed on 12 September 2018. We released a statement on 21 October alongside Troika partners urging all sides to demonstrate their commitment to peace by increasing co-operation and working together to resolve outstanding issues (see attached document). We also engage frequently with regional countries, particularly members of IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority on Development) who brokered the Agreement. The UK takes a prominent role with the UN, providing 300 troops to the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. We also play an active role at the UN in New York to ensure attention and support of the international community on ending the conflict that has killed nearly 400,000 since 2013.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/11/2019 17:03:43 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon attachment 1 file name HL488 Boateng Attachment.docx title South Sudan Troika Statement
tabling member	147 label Biography information for Lord Boateng

1167221

registered interest
date	29/10/2019
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	Africa: Peacekeeping Operations
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 adequacy of funding for UN support to African Peace Support Operations.
tabling member printed	Lord Boateng
uin	HL489
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>​The UK supports the principle of the African Union (AU) accessing UN assessed contributions for future AU-led peace support operations, subject to the conditions previously agreed by the UN Security Council</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/11/2019 17:04:08 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	147 label Biography information for Lord Boateng

1167240

registered interest
date	29/10/2019
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	Bosnia and Herzegovina: EU Defence Policy
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the objectives of the EU’s Operation Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and what contribution, if any, the UK is making to that operation.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL508
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2019 answer text <p>​EUFOR Operation Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is an EU military operation. It operates under a UN Chapter VII mandate and under the Berlin Plus arrangements, is commanded by NATO and has access to NATO assets and capabilities. Its main objective is to support the authorities of BiH to maintain a ‘Safe and Secure Environment’. The United Kingdom has consistently supported its aims and objectives. The United Kingdom shares Operation Althea’s common costs with the other 22 participating nations. We currently contribute a number of staff officers, an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance taskforce and offer an ‘over the horizon’ reserve battalion.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 05/11/2019 17:34:27 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1156549

registered interest
date	28/10/2019
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	North Korea: 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 remarks made to the human rights committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on 24 October that 11 million people, including 140,000 children in North Korea remain undernourished and that 30,000 of those people "face an increased risk of death".
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL429
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>​We are deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in North Korea and reports that 11 million people remain undernourished. We are monitoring the food security situation accordingly. The UK contributes to the UN Central Emergency Fund (CERF), along with other bilateral donors. In October, CERF allocated $6 million to North Korea in response to damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Lingling. This allocation was made in order to provide urgent food security and nutrition interventions, and support increased access to water, sanitation and hygiene services in the most affected provinces.</p><p>We urge the DPRK to put the needs of its people over its illegal WMD programmes, and provide aid agencies with adequate data and access in order to support the most vulnerable.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/11/2019 13:29:44 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1156550

registered interest
date	28/10/2019
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	North Korea: 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 remarks made by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea on 22 October that (1) North Korea "is violating its human rights obligations due to its failing economic and agricultural policies", and (2) discrimination leads to many people being deprived of rations in that country; and what estimate they have made of the amount of money that North Korea spends on agriculture and food production compared with its military programmes and nuclear capability.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL430
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>​The remarks made by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea are deeply troubling. Limited availability of official data from the North Korean government makes comprehensive analysis of their expenditure on agriculture and its weapons programmes difficult. However, outside observers estimate that the DPRK spends a disproportionately large amount of its GDP on its military and illegal weapons programmes. It is abundantly clear that years of failed economic policies by the DPRK government are to blame for the current humanitarian situation. We have made clear on many occasions our concern at the DPRK government’s appalling human rights record and its failure to allocate its resources to the needs of its people. We urge the North Korean government to put its people’s needs before the development of illegal weapons programmes.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/11/2019 13:30:42 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1156551

registered interest
date	28/10/2019
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	North Korea: 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 remarks made by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea on 22 October that (1) North Korea is placing severe and widespread restrictions on basic freedoms, including surveillance and close monitoring of civilians, and (2) many citizens permanently disappear to a kwanliso political prison camp with families never informed of the decisions or of the whereabouts of their relatives; whether the UK Ambassador to North Korea has raised those allegations with the government of the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea; and if so, what response they received.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL431
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>We have grave concerns about the human rights situation in North Korea. As the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea made clear on 22 October, citizens in North Korea are subject to arrest and imprisonment in horrifying conditions for attempts to exercise even basic, universally accepted, human rights, such as freedom of expression and belief. Our Ambassador in Pyongyang regularly raises human rights concerns with the DPRK authorities, including reports of severe restrictions on freedoms and conditions in prison camps. North Korea routinely challenges the evidence base for such allegations.</p><p>We also raise our human rights concerns in international fora. At the UN General Assembly in October, we called on the North Korean Government to show the world that freedoms supposedly enshrined in its constitution are not a mirage, and at North Korea's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in May, we called on the authorities to end all surveillance and censorship of individuals and organisations. We have also urged North Korea to permit access for the Special Rapporteur and other UN human rights bodies. North Korea continues to reject allegations of human rights violations, and took note of our UPR recommendations but with no commitment to action.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/11/2019 13:59:04 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1156556

registered interest
date	28/10/2019
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	Syria: Military Intervention
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the withdrawal of United States forces from north east Syria, whether the Coalition for the Defeat of ISIS’ mission now includes retaining control over the al-Omar oilfield and the prevention of access to that oilfield by Syrian Armed Forces.
tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
uin	HL436
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2019 answer text <p>​The purpose of the Global Coalition is to degrade and defeat Daesh. As part of this work, the Global Coalition has been engaged in a comprehensive campaign to disrupt and prevent Daesh from raising funds. US military decisions and troop movements are a matter for the US government.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL437 question first answered 04/11/2019 17:15:56 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox