The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 19th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how much money was allocated to tackling humanitarian crises in Ethiopia in (1) 2019–20, (2) 2020–21, (3) 2021–22, and (4) 2022–23.
Lord Benyon (Con, Foreign Office): The UK has been an overseas development assistance (ODA) donor to Ethiopia over the last four years.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about humanitarian aid to Ethiopia”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 19th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether any UK aid to Pakistan is directed specifically towards supporting persecuted religious minorities; and if so, how much.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): We prioritise our aid to achieve maximum impact for the people of Pakistan in line with our strategic priorities, including promoting the rights of religious minorities. Examples include our Aawaz II programme, which is allocated £39.5 million (2018-2024) and brings together community leaders and minority representatives to promote tolerance; and our Hate Speech and Disinformation programme, which works to protect marginalised communities from hate speech online.
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 14th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the governments of (1) India, and (2) Pakistan, to ensure that religious minorities are not denied their right to vote in upcoming elections in those countries.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): We regularly engage with the Government of Pakistan to advance our key priorities and interests, including upholding democracy through inclusive elections.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about religious minority participation in elections in India and Pakistan”The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 14th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel to ease its restrictions on the free movement of Palestinian people within the West Bank and from the West Bank to Israel.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): We expect Israel to fulfil its obligations as an occupying power, and we are concerned by the restrictions on the free movement of Palestinians in the West Bank. In our engagements with Israel, we have stressed to them the damage the restrictions on movement, access, and trade are doing to the living standards of ordinary Palestinians.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about current events in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank”
The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 14th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of relations between Rwanda and Burundi and the closure of the border between the two countries; and what steps they are taking to help prevent further escalation of tension in the region. [HL2070]
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about growing tensions between Rwanda and Burundi”The Archbishop of Canterbury asked a question on what support is being given to Jordan under the pressures of conflict in the West Bank on 13th February 2024, during a session of questions to the foreign secretary on the UK’s future recognition of a Palestinian state:
The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: My Lords, I welcome very strongly the continued emphasis by the Secretary of State on the two-state solution, and his condemnation of the Hamas terrorist group and his call for the liberation of hostages, as was echoed in a statement this morning from the Bishops. But it is not only in Gaza that we are seeing tragedy; we are seeing it in the West Bank, where it is almost forgotten that very large numbers of Palestinians have been killed by people who live in illegal settlements. One of the countries most affected by that is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. First, what support are His Majesty’s Government giving to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, given its vulnerability and its significant responsibility as guardian of the holy places? If it comes under significant pressure, that would widen the conflict appallingly and dramatically. Secondly, what are the practicalities for Jordan in preparing for or aiding a two-state solution, where the flow of refugees towards it—and it has taken something like half its population in refugees—would be a very threatening process for its destabilisation?
Continue reading “Archbishop of Canterbury asks about support for Jordan during current conflict in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 13th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of forced evictions by the government of Tanzania of indigenous peoples living in Ngorongoro Conservation Area and in the vicinity of Ruaha National Park.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about evictions of indigenous people in Tanzania”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 13th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the joint report by the UN World Food Programme and Famine Early Warning Systems Network Ethiopia – Food Security Outlook 2023-24: Food assistance needs remain high amid slow recovery of livelihoods in 2024, published in October 2023, which found that “Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes are expected in northern, southern, and southeastern Ethiopia through at least early 2024”, and (2) the risk of famine in Tigray.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about the risk of famine in Ethiopia”The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 12th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government, further to their statement on 27 January that they have “considerable concerns” about the International Court of Justice ruling on 26 January regarding the case of genocide against Israel, what assessment they have made of that ruling; and what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning compliance with it.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about current conflict in Israel and Gaza, and the situation in Jerusalem”The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 12th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Communion Forest, an initiative comprising local activities of tree growing and ecosystem conservation, protection and restoration undertaken by parishes, dioceses and provinces across the Anglican Communion.
Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich asks about Communion Forest initiative”
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