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1200265

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
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: Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 2 June (HL Deb, cols 1291–5), what plans they have to give further consideration to the proposal of seven former Foreign Secretaries, calling for the establishment of an international contact group on Hong Kong and the proposal of Lord Patten of Barnes for the appointment of UN human rights coordinators to monitor human rights and breaches of the Joint Sino-British Declaration in Hong Kong.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5151
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary is engaging actively with a range of international partners to explain our position and impress on them the gravity of situation. We want to build up a groundswell of those who share our commitment to international law. We believe that is the most effective means of getting China to live up to its obligations and responsibilities as a leading member of the international community. We will also work within international institutions such as the UN Human Rights Council to ensure that China upholds the commitments they made as co-signatory to the Joint Declaration. The UK and the US raised the issue at the UN Security Council on 28 May.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 15/06/2020 13:11:46 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1200274

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
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	Colombia: Politics and Government
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what steps the British Embassy in Bogota is taking to monitor the progress of the peace process with regard to the dismantling of illegal neo-paramilitary groups in the regions of Chocó and Urabá in Colombia; and what support, if any, they are providing to the National Commission for Security Guarantees tasked with that responsibility.
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL5171
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>We remain extremely concerned about the continued presence of illegal armed groups in Colombia, and the impact their competition for control of illicit economies has on local people and environments, particularly during this challenging time. The UK Embassy in Bogota is closely monitoring the situation.</p><p>President Duque's Government has publicly committed to implementing the Peace Accords of 2016 in their entirety, and we remain steadfast in our support of the Colombian authorities - including the National Security Guarantees Commission - as they seek to ensure sustainable peace in Colombia. We are proud to be the penholder on the issue at the United Nations Security Council - most recently, our Permanent Representative to the United Nations spoke on presence of illegal armed groups in Colombia at the UN Security Council on 14 April.</p><p>We have committed almost £53 million over 5 years through the United Kingdom Conflict Stability and Security Fund for Colombia to support the implementation of the peace process, including across conflict-affected regions such as Chocó and Uruba. We regularly raise this with the Colombian authorities.</p><p>Furthermore, HMG provides overseas development assistance (ODA) to climate change initiatives in the region of Chocó in Colombia through two programmes delivered through the UK's International Climate Finance (ICF), UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) and Partnerships for Forests (P4F). These projects aim to tackle deforestation in Colombia by fostering sustainable alternative livelihoods and the development of the bioeconomy in order to reduce CO2 emissions.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg grouped question UIN HL5173 question first answered 15/06/2020 13:12:23 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1200276

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
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	Colombia: Violence
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) reports of infighting between illegal armed groups attributed to illegal mining activity in Rio Quito, Chocó, Colombia, and (2) the impact of such infighting on the lives of the local population and the environment.
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL5173
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>We remain extremely concerned about the continued presence of illegal armed groups in Colombia, and the impact their competition for control of illicit economies has on local people and environments, particularly during this challenging time. The UK Embassy in Bogota is closely monitoring the situation.</p><p>President Duque's Government has publicly committed to implementing the Peace Accords of 2016 in their entirety, and we remain steadfast in our support of the Colombian authorities - including the National Security Guarantees Commission - as they seek to ensure sustainable peace in Colombia. We are proud to be the penholder on the issue at the United Nations Security Council - most recently, our Permanent Representative to the United Nations spoke on presence of illegal armed groups in Colombia at the UN Security Council on 14 April.</p><p>We have committed almost £53 million over 5 years through the United Kingdom Conflict Stability and Security Fund for Colombia to support the implementation of the peace process, including across conflict-affected regions such as Chocó and Uruba. We regularly raise this with the Colombian authorities.</p><p>Furthermore, HMG provides overseas development assistance (ODA) to climate change initiatives in the region of Chocó in Colombia through two programmes delivered through the UK's International Climate Finance (ICF), UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) and Partnerships for Forests (P4F). These projects aim to tackle deforestation in Colombia by fostering sustainable alternative livelihoods and the development of the bioeconomy in order to reduce CO2 emissions.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg grouped question UIN HL5171 question first answered 15/06/2020 13:12:23 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1200278

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
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	Myanmar: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that over 500 people have been sentenced to between one month and one year in prison in Myanmar since late March for violating movement-control orders.
tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
uin	HL5175
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The United Kingdom is concerned by reports that public health policies used to tackle COVID-19, such as curfews and movement control orders, have been misused to violate people's civil liberties, including freedom of expression and religious belief in Myanmar. It is vital the public health policies are applied equally to all communities and not exploited to target particular groups. We have raised our concerns about civil liberties in Myanmar with the Government of Myanmar, including at a Ministerial level. We will continue to stress that public health and security concerns should not be used to undermine fundamental freedoms. We will also continue to support Myanmar's democratisation process and moves to end Myanmar's conflict in order to address the root causes of many of the violations and abuses seen in Myanmar.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL5176 HL5177 question first answered 17/06/2020 10:54:13 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1200279

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
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	Myanmar: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, further to the briefing by the Secretary General of the UN COVID-19 and Human Rights: We are all in this together, published on 23 April, what representations they have made to the government of Myanmar about ensuring that curfews and physical-distancing directives aimed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are not exploited by security forces to exercise arbitrary and discriminatory detention of civilians.
tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
uin	HL5176
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The United Kingdom is concerned by reports that public health policies used to tackle COVID-19, such as curfews and movement control orders, have been misused to violate people's civil liberties, including freedom of expression and religious belief in Myanmar. It is vital the public health policies are applied equally to all communities and not exploited to target particular groups. We have raised our concerns about civil liberties in Myanmar with the Government of Myanmar, including at a Ministerial level. We will continue to stress that public health and security concerns should not be used to undermine fundamental freedoms. We will also continue to support Myanmar's democratisation process and moves to end Myanmar's conflict in order to address the root causes of many of the violations and abuses seen in Myanmar.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL5175 HL5177 question first answered 17/06/2020 10:54:13 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1200280

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
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	Myanmar: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Myanmar about the protection of religious minorities, including in relation to the arrest of five Christian pastors in Yangon and 12 Muslims in Mandalay, who were reportedly deemed as breaking COVID-19 curfews when praying at home.
tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
uin	HL5177
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The United Kingdom is concerned by reports that public health policies used to tackle COVID-19, such as curfews and movement control orders, have been misused to violate people's civil liberties, including freedom of expression and religious belief in Myanmar. It is vital the public health policies are applied equally to all communities and not exploited to target particular groups. We have raised our concerns about civil liberties in Myanmar with the Government of Myanmar, including at a Ministerial level. We will continue to stress that public health and security concerns should not be used to undermine fundamental freedoms. We will also continue to support Myanmar's democratisation process and moves to end Myanmar's conflict in order to address the root causes of many of the violations and abuses seen in Myanmar.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL5175 HL5176 question first answered 17/06/2020 10:54:13 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1200282

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
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	Myanmar: Internally Displaced People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Myanmar about protecting Chin villagers displaced by the conflict in Southern Chin State and Rakhine State; and what steps they have taken to ensure that Chin internally displaced persons receive urgent humanitarian assistance.
tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
uin	HL5179
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK Ambassador and the Department for International Development Country Director have actively engaged with the Myanmar Ministers and officials to raise the issues of conflict, access constraints, protection for aid workers, the internet ban and the potential impact of COVID on the most vulnerable communities across Myanmar, including those who are internally displaced in Southern Chin and Rakhine States. On 12 May, the UK Ambassador raised the need to ensure that the most vulnerable and hardest to reach in Rakhine were included in the Government's &quot;no-one left behind&quot; policy with the key Ministers in the Myanmar Government. On 14 May, the UK convened a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in Rakhine and Chin. In our national statement we stressed the need for a de-escalation of fighting and greater humanitarian access. For FY 19/20 we made £10 million of UK aid available to help internally displaced persons in Chin and Rakhine States. This includes humanitarian relief, access to medical services and support to mitigate economic risks.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 15/06/2020 13:17:43 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1200283

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
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	Myanmar: Ceasefires
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the announcement by the government of Myanmar of a four-month ceasefire by the military from 10 May until 31 August in order to contain and prevent the spread of COVID-19 not applying to Rakhine and Chin States.
tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
uin	HL5180
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>The escalation of violence in Rakhine and Chin States in the first quarter of this year was alarming. The Myanmar Military's unilateral ceasefire is a step forward, but as the UK Government set out at the UN Security Council on 14 May, the ceasefire must be extended to Rakhine and Chin to de-escalate the violence and reduce tensions between armed actors and impacts on civilians. The situation in Paletwa township in Chin State remains grave, and reports of communities being harassed and intimidated by armed actors are concerning. The Minister of State for Asia recently spoke to the Myanmar Ambassador to the UK and called on the Government of Myanmar to work to de-escalate fighting in Rakhine and Chin in order to prioritise the Covid-19 response.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 15/06/2020 13:15:49 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1200293

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
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	Abune Antonios
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Eritrea about the house arrest of Patriarch Antonios of the Eritrean Orthodox Church; and what responses they have received
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL5197
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Eritrea, including the arrests of religious figures such as Patriarch Abune Antonios who has been detained for over 12 years. On 25 July 2019, we issued a tweet specifically calling attention to his apparent excommunication and his ongoing detention. We also raised his case in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's 2018 Annual Human Rights Report. There has been no response from the Government of Eritrea.</p><p>The UK Government, along with partners in the international community, have taken every opportunity to voice our concern about arbitrary arrests and detentions in Eritrea, and have called for their release. On 26 February, the UK's International Ambassador for Human Rights, Rita French, delivered a statement during the 43rd Session of the Human Rights Council expressing concern at continuing human rights abuses. Although welcoming Eritrean acceptance of Universal Periodic Review recommendations and offering UK assistance in support of their implementation, she said that the UK would continue to press for the release of arbitrarily detained individuals, and call for respect for freedom of religion or belief, especially for worshippers of unregistered religions.</p><p>Our Ambassador in Asmara raised arbitrary detentions of members of the Christian community with the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 20 May 2019 and with the President's senior adviser on 14 August 2019. During visits to Eritrea, the FCO's Head of East Africa Department, in November 2019, and the Home Office International Director, in February, both raised human rights issues with senior members of the Eritrean government. Eritrea remains a priority country for the FCO under our annual human rights reporting, and we will continue to monitor the situation there.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 15/06/2020 13:18:48 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1200294

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
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: Arrests
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia following the reported arrest of the brother and two adult children of Saad al-Jabri, who is in exile.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL5198
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>We are aware of reports concerning the detention of Saad Al-Jabri's brother and two of his children. We remain concerned over the detention of a number of individuals in Saudi Arabia. We continue to raise our concerns about individual cases and are monitoring this case closely.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 15/06/2020 13:09:26 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton