Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Paragraph: 10
We welcome the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Secretary’s wholehearted acceptance that the situation in Tigray...
Conclusion
We welcome the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Secretary’s wholehearted acceptance that the situation in Tigray is an early test of the UK’s commitment to the principles and approach of the UK as a ‘force for good’ as set out in the Government’s Integrated Review. The Tigray crisis will be a test of the FCDO’s desire to combine ‘diplomacy and development’ and to establish an integrated approach to conflict and instability. Failing this early test could damage the credibility of the UK’s new strategy.
Paragraph Reference:
10
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Foreign Secretary, Minister for Africa and our Ambassador in Addis continue to raise human rights issues in their discussions with the Ethiopian government. We have been clear that civilians must be protected and the violence must stop. The UK’s longstanding position is that any determination of genocide is an issue for competent courts, rather than governments. Our focus is on securing an end to violence and protecting civilians. The UK will support the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights to ensure that their joint investigations with the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission into atrocities in Tigray are independent, transparent and impartial and that those responsible for human rights violations and abuses are held to account. The UK voiced its concerns on the situation in Tigray at the 25 May UNSC discussion on the Protection of Civilians in Conflict, and will again raise Tigray at the forthcoming 47th session of the Human Rights Council.