Written questions by Mohamed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to Question 113276, and with reference to her Department's press release entitled New international coalition launched to end violence against women and girls globally published on 2 December 2025, how commitments made to tackling online abuse of women and girls in the press release will be funded.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Ministers have committed to a new project on Preventing Technology-Facilitated Violence against Women and Girls to be launched this year. Final budget allocations for this and other work in the VAWG portfolio will be set out in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, in which Directorate will the Women, Peace and Security and the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative sit within the new structure of the Foreign Office.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is currently working through detailed decisions on the organisational and resource changes arising from our FCDO2030 transformation programme. We will make further announcements in the coming months. In the interim, I would refer the Hon Member to the speech made by the Foreign Secretary on 24 November 2025, reiterating the Government's commitment to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/twenty-five-years-of-women-peace-and-security.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of retaining the position of gender advisors, alongside standalone funding for Women, Peace and Security.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is currently working through detailed decisions on the organisational and resource changes arising from our FCDO2030 transformation programme. We will make further announcements in the coming months. In the interim, I would refer the Hon Member to the speech made by the Foreign Secretary on 24 November 2025, reiterating the Government's commitment to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/twenty-five-years-of-women-peace-and-security.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to urge fair and transparent legal processes for political prisoners in Pakistan.

While judicial matters are for Pakistan's courts, the UK has consistently emphasised to its counterparts in Pakistan the need for due process, fair trials, and humane treatment for all prisoners. I covered these matters during a wide-ranging discussion with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister when we met in August 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of RSF violence against civilians in El Fasher and across Darfur; and whether it remains her policy to uphold UK commitments to (a) protect populations from atrocity crimes, (b) prevent mass atrocities and (c) uphold obligations to (i) prevent and (ii) punish genocide.

I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on the Conflict in Sudan on 5 November 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her (a) officials leading the UK's geographic and atrocity prevention thematic response and (b) diplomatic counterparts on options for protecting civilians in (i) El Fasher, (ii) Tawila, and (iii) across Darfur.

I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on the Conflict in Sudan on 5 November 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has instructed Official Development Assistance programme teams to pause new (a) business cases, (b) contracts, and (c) funding for programmes supporting women, peace, and security; whether any reductions or cancellations have been made to existing programmes in these areas; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of such actions.

The transition to spending 0.3 per cent of gross national income on Official Development Assistance (ODA) demands significant shifts in the scale and shape of our ODA spending. To enable us to deliver this change effectively, we are prioritising meeting legally binding commitments and delivering work already underway, and planned humanitarian spend. Further detail is set out in Baroness Chapman's 27 March letter to the International Development Committee [https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/47275/documents/245059/default/].The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress he has made on the Development Review; and how he plans to use that review to inform the planned reduction in UK aid spending.

The Development Review considered how to maximise the UK's combined diplomatic and development expertise in its international development work. Reducing the overall size of our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will necessarily have an impact on the scale and shape of the work we do. The recommendations of the Development Review, alongside the Global Impact and Economic Diplomacy reviews, are now being considered as part of the Foreign Secretary's wider work to reform the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and will also inform decisions on the ODA budget.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support a UN Convention on the rights of Older Persons.

The UK Government is committed to equality and opportunity for all, with a particular focus on those most likely to be marginalised and discriminated against, including on the grounds of their age. We are open in principle to the idea of a multilateral instrument dedicated to the human rights of older people and will continue to play a constructive role in discussions on this issue at the UN and other relevant fora.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his US counterpart on (a) compliance with international humanitarian law and (b) Palestinians’ rights to self-determination.

The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary look forward to working with President Trump, to continue our shared mission to ensure the prosperity and security of our two great nations. We will continue to work with the new US administration to ensure regional security and stability in the Middle East, including ensuring lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians. The UK will continue working with partners to support a path to long term peace and stability with a two-state solution: a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will condemn President Trump’s statement on moving Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states.

As the Foreign Secretary has said, for the people of Gaza, so many of whom have lost lives, homes or loved ones, the last 14 months of conflict have been a living nightmare. The UK is clear that Palestinian civilians must be permitted to return to their communities and rebuild. There must be no forcible transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. We would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will.We have always been clear that an immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. The US played an integral role in negotiating the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, alongside Qatar and Egypt, and the Prime Minister reiterated this in his call with President Trump on 26 January. The UK has begun convening partners, and is prepared to help lead efforts, to ensure coordinated international support for Palestinian-led security, governance, recovery, and reconstruction in Gaza.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it is his policy to oppose efforts to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states.

As the Foreign Secretary has said, for the people of Gaza, so many of whom have lost lives, homes or loved ones, the last 14 months of conflict have been a living nightmare. The UK is clear that Palestinian civilians must be permitted to return to their communities and rebuild. There must be no forcible transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. We would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will.We have always been clear that an immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. The US played an integral role in negotiating the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, alongside Qatar and Egypt, and the Prime Minister reiterated this in his call with President Trump on 26 January. The UK has begun convening partners, and is prepared to help lead efforts, to ensure coordinated international support for Palestinian-led security, governance, recovery, and reconstruction in Gaza.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on transnational repression.

The UK strongly supports individuals' rights to expression without censorship, intimidation or unnecessary restriction, both in the UK and overseas. During my visit to Pakistan in November, I raised the importance of upholding civil and political rights with senior Ministers, including the Minister for Human Rights and Interior Minister. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to respect these fundamental freedoms, underlining that any human rights violations should be fully investigated in line with international human rights law.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his planned timetable is to publish the Government's new human rights strategy.

On 10 December 2024, the Foreign Secretary and Lord Collins, Minister for Human Rights, set out their five priorities for promoting and protecting human rights, rule of law and democratic governance: 1) defending civic space; 2) upholding the rule of law; 3) championing equal rights for all; 4) supporting accountable, effective, inclusive institutions; and 5) responding to global challenges, including climate, conflict and technology by prioritising human rights and governance principles. Lord Collins's speech was published on gov.uk on 11 December [https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/human-rights-day-2024-lord-collins-speech]. This government is now focused on operationalising this strategic approach.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in West Papua.

The UK recognises there are significant challenges in the region, including human rights concerns, sporadic violence, and the security situation in some areas. The UK regularly raises our concerns, both with the Indonesian Embassy in London and directly with the government in Jakarta. Most recently, I visited Indonesia in January 2025 and raised the human rights situation in Papua with both the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigrations and corrections.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is negotiating a new UK-Egypt Association Agreement.

The UK and Egypt are not negotiating a new Association Agreement. The UK and Egypt have a strong bilateral trade relationship under the existing UK-Egypt Association Agreement. There are multiple mechanisms contained in the Agreement which will allow the UK and Egypt to enhance their overall trading relationship, as well as commitments to consider further liberalisation and provision for Ministerial meetings.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for how many evacuations to the UK of Palestinians in Gaza with visas that are valid for more than six months his Department has sought permission from the Israeli authorities since 7 October 2023.

The UK Government has helped 505 people to leave Gaza since October 2023. 306 are British nationals and their Palestinian dependants; 38 are Palestinian nationals who qualified for assistance under the extended eligibility criteria for Gaza published on 14 December 2023. Israeli exit clearance was sought and received in each of those cases. The extended eligibility criteria are published on FCDO Travel Advice and provide for the UK Government to try to support the exit of Palestinian nationals who have a spouse, partner or a child aged 17 or under living in the UK; and who hold valid permission to enter or remain in the UK for longer than 6 months. Border crossings out of Gaza have been closed to civilians since Israel took control of Rafah crossing in May 2024. Nevertheless, the FCDO has helped 21 people to leave Gaza, mostly children, since October 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for how many medical evacuations to the UK of Palestinians in Gaza who are non-British nationals his Department has sought permission from the Israeli authorities since 7 October 2023.

We regularly press Israel at senior levels to re-open safe, regular medical evacuation routes, and to protect healthcare facilities and staff. It is unacceptable that north Gaza now has no functioning hospitals and that medical personnel are being detained without justification.Our support to UK-Med has treated over 300,000 patients in Gaza and we recently provided £1m, delivered through WHO, to support medically evacuated Palestinians in Egypt. We are keeping our policy under constant review to ensure the UK does everything we can to support sick and wounded Palestinian civilians.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for how many evacuations of Palestinians in Gaza with (a) pre-determination and (b) biometric excuse decisions his Department has sought permission from the Israeli authorities since 7 October 2023.

The UK Government has helped 505 people to leave Gaza since October 2023. 306 are British nationals and their Palestinian dependants; 38 are Palestinian nationals who qualified for assistance under the extended eligibility criteria for Gaza published on 14 December 2023. Israeli exit clearance was sought and received in each of those cases. The extended eligibility criteria are published on FCDO Travel Advice and provide for the UK Government to try to support the exit of Palestinian nationals who have a spouse, partner or a child aged 17 or under living in the UK; and who hold valid permission to enter or remain in the UK for longer than 6 months. Border crossings out of Gaza have been closed to civilians since Israel took control of Rafah crossing in May 2024. Nevertheless, the FCDO has helped 21 people to leave Gaza, mostly children, since October 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many medical evacuations to the UK of Palestinians in Gaza who are non-British nationals there have been since 7 October 2023.

We regularly press Israel at senior levels to re-open safe, regular medical evacuation routes, and to protect healthcare facilities and staff. It is unacceptable that north Gaza now has no functioning hospitals and that medical personnel are being detained without justification.Our support to UK-Med has treated over 300,000 patients in Gaza and we recently provided £1m, delivered through WHO, to support medically evacuated Palestinians in Egypt. We are keeping our policy under constant review to ensure the UK does everything we can to support sick and wounded Palestinian civilians.