Anneliese Dodds MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising the commitment of the Sudanese diaspora in Newport to supporting people in Sudan. I have seen that from people from the diaspora in communities right across the country, and indeed more broadly, with so many people who have seen the details of what is taking place in Sudan being desperately concerned about it. I reassure her that we are determined to do all that we can to ensure that lifesaving aid in food, healthcare and other means is delivered to people in need so that the people who are suffering so much in Sudan are protected.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising the matter of conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan, and for the work that she and others have undertaken on it. We had a debate on this subject in Westminster Hall last week, which raised the horrendous reports coming from Sudan about the impact on women and girls. She talks about the number of children who are out of school, and her figure probably includes informal schooling. It appears that around 90% of children in Sudan are out of formal schooling, which is terrible for them both right now and into the future. They really should be in school, and we will always ensure that we do what we can to ensure accountability. Our sanctions policy is always under review but we do not talk about the details in the Chamber, because to do so would reduce their effectiveness.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  The right hon. Gentleman asks about media coverage. I was pleased that the BBC produced a major package on Tom Fletcher’s visit. I am very pleased that there was that UN engagement, which is incredibly important. We need more focus on the situation. Indeed, that is how I would respond—very briefly, Madam Deputy Speaker—to the right hon. Gentleman’s third point. One of the most important things in the prevention of atrocities is the ability for journalists, fact-finders, investigators and experts to visit, and the UK has been supporting that in our activity. Finally, he asks about how we can ensure that there is a greater profile on these issues from the UK side. As I mentioned earlier, I was very pleased that the UK’s Richard Crowder was able to visit Sudan. It is important that we have a presence in that country.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  A number of different mechanisms have been advocated in relation to Sudan, seeking to ensure that the appalling conflict there ends. Of course, there is already an arms embargo in relation to Darfur, and there is the UN arms embargo as well. However, so far, we have not seen those mechanisms deliver the results that are so desperately needed. The UK is determined to work with our partners and internationally so that we can have the ceasefire that is so desperately needed. That is the focus of our activity, as well as atrocity prevention and aid, as we have discussed.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that subject, about which we talked a little previously. To underline the UK’s position, we believe it important that there are international mechanisms for determinations on these critical issues because there must be international trust for those determinations to carry weight. That is the UK’s approach. When it comes to accountability, evidence gathering and acting on the evidence, we have sought to ensure that the UK supports those mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court. I have talked before about the UK’s contribution to that Court.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his commitment to this issue, which I know is shared by many Members from every party in this House. We are determined to do something about these appalling events, and I am grateful for the passion and determination with which he rightly speaks. The right hon. Gentleman talks about the dreadful violence unfolding in Sudan and the humanitarian situation. Since he and I last spoke in this place, the integrated food security phase classification was determined, on Christmas eve. It makes for truly terrible reading to see that five areas of Sudan are now classified as being in famine. The right hon. Gentleman talks about the need for political leadership, which this new Government are determined to deliver at every level, from the Prime Minister down. The Foreign Secretary has prioritised this issue, as have I and the Minister for Africa. I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman saw that we, along with Sierra Leone, were determined to press the critical issue of protecting civilians at the Security Council. We were appalled that Russia decided to exercise its veto, as it absolutely should not have done, because this is an issue where human suffering is seen in such appalling relief. The right hon. Gentleman asks about the UK’s work on atrocity prevention. I have talked about our work on the fact-finding mission. I was pleased to see the additional support from African countries when the mission was renewed. The UK has worked on this with the African Union, and we continue to do so. I raised this when I met the African Union in Addis Ababa. Finally, the right hon. Gentleman talks about the need for this crisis not to be forgotten. We are determined to ensure that we use every mechanism available to us—bilateral, multilateral, within this Chamber and beyond—to raise the profile of this issue, and to ensure that the UK does what it can. Of course, we have doubled our aid to Sudan, reflecting this appalling crisis.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his important questions. He is right to refer to the fact that we are approaching the second anniversary of the conflict, which has had a truly awful impact on civilians. He asked about the political mechanisms that we will use to seek a ceasefire. I referred to the first visit to Sudan by a UK delegation since the conflict began. As I also mentioned, we are seeking to use our role within the UN Security Council and our leadership of the Sudan core group within the UN Human Rights Council. On top of that, we are seeking to use every instance of bilateral and multilateral engagement to put these issues at the forefront, because we see the immensity of the suffering within Sudan. The hon. Gentleman asked about a date for determination. I do not want to bore the House by restating the Government’s approach, which is the same as that of previous Governments, but we believe that robustness and trust in the determination of these issues are important. That means ensuring that there are effective international instruments, driven by experts. In the International Criminal Court, it is through determinations of expert lawyers, based on evidence that is internationally trusted, that decisions on such matters will be reached, including this one. He asked about evidence. I refer him to my previous remarks about the work that we have been undertaking, especially with the fact-finding mission. We will seek to do all that we can to build on that in the months to come.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right: some of the reports we have heard in this regard are extremely disturbing. The UK is supporting the work of UN bodies on this issue, particularly the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. When it comes to aid, as my hon. Friend mentioned, we are ensuring that we seek to support those who have been the victims of these horrific crimes, including helping partners to provide clinical treatment, dignity kits and psychosocial services for survivors.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  I am pleased to see the right hon. Lady nodding. The right hon. Lady asked about the political pushes and the mechanism we have been seeking to use. We will keep up the pressure at the UN Security Council, and the Foreign Secretary has been seeking to use that mechanism as much as possible. When we last discussed these matters, it was before the UK special representative to Sudan, Richard Crowder, was able to visit Port Sudan in December last year. I was pleased that happened as it was the first time we had had a UK delegation in Sudan since the conflict began. It is really important that we can be there to put pressure on the parties to the conflict. As I have mentioned, we keep our sanctions under review but will not comment on future designations, for reasons that the right hon. Lady fully understands. We have been seeking to use our expertise. We are determined to do all we can to support the International Criminal Court, across a whole range of different theatres of conflict and different situations where it is active. Part of that work includes its activities in relation to Sudan.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  I will be brief so that we can get to more questions, Madam Deputy Speaker. I can inform the hon. Lady that, following that truly disturbing determination by the IPC, the UK requested an urgent open briefing at the UN Security Council on 6 January, in which we called for a lifting of all bureaucratic impediments, improved humanitarian access and a political solution to the conflict, so that the food and nutrition catastrophe does not deepen further.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  It is critical that the UK works with the US, and as the hon. Member would expect we have been working with our US counterparts on this issue, but it is also important that we work with others, particularly within the region. That is why we have been having particularly committed and repeated discussions with the African Union, for example, and why we are working with Sierra Leone on the fact-finding mission renewal.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  The Government believe it is critical that we have an approach to determining genocide that is consistent with our obligations under the genocide convention and the Rome statute. They are incredibly important. As I have said before, to have trust internationally in the system, it is critical that we ensure there is a clear, impartial and independent methodology for the determination of genocide. That is important because of the seriousness of the matter of which we speak.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  Yes, I do on all counts.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  First, in relation to accountability, we have indeed been working with the ICC, as we would do on any issue. Of course, the ICC is rightly strategically and operationally independent; as the UK, we are determined to make sure we are contributing to its overall expertise while it acts independently. The hon. Gentleman also talked about the UK’s role as penholder. That has been very important for us, particularly in seeking to get agreement at the UN Security Council about the protection of civilians. As I mentioned before, Russia’s exercise of the veto on that subject was disgraceful.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that issue. I know he is deeply concerned about developments over recent months. Of course, a significant one has been the changes we have seen over time at the Adre crossing, which is critical for ensuring that aid can pass into some of the areas of Sudan that are under the most intense pressure, particularly when it comes to food supplies. It is important that the Adre crossing is kept open permanently. Of course, we welcome the agreement to extend the opening of that crossing beyond the initial three-month extension to 15 November, but it should be open for the future—that is important. We also need the RSF to commit to urgently facilitating access across lines of conflict. We need openness to aid, both into Sudan and then within Sudan, across lines between the warring parties, to get support to those who are so in need, including children, as my hon. Friend rightly says.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  The reality of the situation so far is that, although there have been very significant population movements, they have been into the countries neighbouring Sudan, particularly Chad, but also South Sudan, and many people have travelled to Egypt and further afield. Their situation has been very difficult in many cases. I have talked directly to those pushed out of Sudan because of the conflict into South Sudan when I was there last year. The UK will seek to do all we can to protect those individuals.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend for again raising, as so many Members have, the situation of women and girls in Sudan. We will seek to use every mechanism available to ensure that the UK is contributing to the protection of the women and young girls at such risk in Sudan. During this statement, we have heard many reports about the appalling treatment they have received, and they must be protected in the future.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this matter. I know that she is deeply concerned about it and has experience of it from before she entered this place, as do a number of Members. She referred to some of the reports. The UN panel of experts released significant information, as we have already discussed in the House. Attacks have even taken place within special, theoretically protected areas such as camps for internally displaced people. The fact that women and girls have risked being raped within those camps, when travelling, at checkpoints and even in their own homes is truly appalling. We must ensure that there is accountability. As I mentioned, we have been working to renew the fact-finding mission, as well as working with civil society mechanisms to collate related information from social media to ensure that it feeds into the overall picture. As in any situation where the facts need to be established, that will be critical for the accountability mechanisms, including but not limited to the ICC.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for bringing this important urgent question to the House, and to you, Mr Speaker, for granting it. The evidence of abhorrent atrocities against civilians in Darfur is mounting. I am appalled by reports from the UN fact-finding mission, including those referring to acts of murder, mutilation, sexual violence and torture committed by warring parties. Such despicable acts are completely unacceptable. As we have discussed previously in this Chamber, the situation in Sudan is the worst humanitarian disaster anywhere in the world. The UK has pledged millions in lifesaving aid to Sudan and the wider region, and we are clear that this aid must be able to reach those in need unimpeded. On the precise question raised by the right hon. Gentleman, the long-standing position of successive British Governments is that it is for the courts to decide whether genocide has occurred. While the UK therefore takes a different approach to genocide determination from that of the US, we condemn what is happening in the strongest terms. Irrespective of any genocide determination, it is clear that atrocities have been committed in this conflict and that those responsible must be held to account. We strongly support the International Criminal Court’s active investigation into the situation in Darfur, including allegations of crimes committed since April 2023. This support has included the secondment of expert investigators to support the ICC’s work in a number of countries, including Sudan. Since the outbreak of the conflict in 2023, the UK has frozen the assets of nine commercial entities linked to the rapid support forces—the RSF—and the Sudanese armed forces, the SAF. On 8 November last year, the UN Security Council also sanctioned two RSF commanders involved in perpetrating ethnically motivated atrocities. There is a long-standing UK arms embargo in place for Sudan, as well as a UN arms embargo on Darfur. The UK worked closely with the US to renew the UN regime on 11 September 2024. The UK has also led the establishment of the independent fact-finding mission at the Human Rights Council, and funds the Centre for Information Resilience to collect evidence of abuse and support accountability efforts. In conclusion, we are determined to do all we can, as the UK, to work with others to press the warring parties to abide by international law and to protect civilians, collecting information, promoting prevention and ensuring accountability.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  We have been seeking to amplify the voices of charities in this area. I have met them myself, and I have been particularly keen to ensure that I have heard directly from those operating in Sudan and those running the emergency response rooms. Those incredibly brave individuals, who are neutral in relation to the different warring parties in this conflict, are determined to support those who are suffering so much. The UK Government will try to ensure that their profile is increased in the weeks and months to come.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising those incredibly important issues. She is right that it is important that the Government keep Members of this House informed about developments. I can report that my officials briefed the all-party parliamentary group for Sudan and South Sudan. I am happy to ensure that that route for information is maintained, but I am also grateful to the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell) for raising this urgent question and to any Members who wish to discuss the matter with me. My hon. Friend talked about Islamic Relief, and I want to praise its work and that of other non-governmental organisations that are active in trying to ensure that support is received by those in such desperate need within Sudan. She talked about the impact on aid workers. We have recently passed through one of the most deadly periods globally for aid workers. As she mentioned, about 50 aid workers are assessed to have been killed in Sudan and about 300 in Gaza. We also see aid workers being held hostage in Yemen. The UK Government are determined to ensure that those issues are raised and that we enable those who spend much of their lives in situations of danger to help others to do so in safety and security, and with the protection of international humanitarian law.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Sudan: US Determination of Genocide · Hansard source

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  I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his kind remarks. I have to say that I am so pleased to see that we have very strong cross-party concern on this issue and a determination to really make a difference for those suffering so much in Sudan and beyond its borders as refugees. He is right to point out that, should there continue to be this level of instability in Sudan itself, that will have a further knock-on impact. We are already seeing people in Chad under considerable pressure when it comes to food supplies as very large numbers of people are coming through from Sudan, and we have seen the same in South Sudan, so this conflict really is having a terrible impact regionally as well as in Sudan.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Impact of Conflict on Women and Girls · Hansard source

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  It is a real pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Betts. I am very grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich North (Alice Macdonald) for securing this incredibly important debate on the impact of conflict on women and girls. I was grateful to my hon. Friend for her very powerful speech, and we have heard so many incredibly powerful speeches today. I echo the comments by the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) that this is an issue on which we can and must come together, and certainly today we did come together across five parties, as was mentioned. I was really pleased to see that. As so many have mentioned, this is an incredibly timely debate. Conflict today is at the highest level since world war two. Women and girls are affected disproportionately, and we have heard so many examples today. The number of UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence increased by 50% in 2023, as was mentioned, and not a single peace agreement reached in 2023 included a women’s representative or representative group as a signatory. There are not sufficient women at those tables. The UN Secretary-General’s 2023 report highlighted that 172 human rights defenders who are women were subjected to reprisals for no other reason than that they engaged with the United Nations. Those are sobering and concerning statistics, and we heard many others. It is 25 years since the UK played an important part in securing the landmark UN Security Council resolution 1325, as mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich North. Thirty years have also passed since the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe met in Beijing to agree a central set of international norms on women’s rights and gender equality. Those are two significant milestones that should provide an opportunity for us to celebrate hard-won gains, but overall we are going backwards internationally. The new UK Government will continue to build on the ambition of the fifth UK women, peace and security national action plan; I am delighted to underline that to the shadow Minister, the right hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Wendy Morton). This Government are determined to work in partnership with others around the world, not least the civil society groups and women peacebuilders, who have key roles to play and are working on the frontline in their communities. At the United Nations General Assembly last September, the Prime Minister gave a clear commitment to work together for peace, progress and equality. It is clear that women and girls must be at the heart of that work and at the heart of our development policy—I completely agree with my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich North on that. I say to my hon. Friend the Member for South East Cornwall (Anna Gelderd) that they also need to be at the heart of our work in relation to the climate crisis, and we ensured that was the case in our representation at COP. Empowering women and girls is clearly vital. I was pleased to hear a number of Members refer to the role of my noble friend, Lord Collins, who has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s special representative on preventing sexual violence in conflict. As the Minister for International Development and for Women and Equalities, I am determined that the UK does all it can to prevent and resolve conflict and empower women, who are vital to sustainable and inclusive outcomes from conflict situations. My hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson) made that point powerfully in relation to Myanmar, and it was also raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Bathgate and Linlithgow (Kirsteen Sullivan). We are determined to ensure that women are involved in peacebuilding, not just because of the moral case but, as was spelled out by the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells (Mike Martin), because of the clear empirical case. When women are involved in peacebuilding in a genuine and significant way, those peace deals tend to stick far more than when they are cut out of the process. When I was in Addis Ababa, I was delighted to meet a number of incredible women from Sudan representing civil society; they must be part of that country’s future and of the peaceful resolution of the appalling conflict there. We believe that we can make a difference as the UK, in the same way that the incredible women mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth) have made a difference—it was wonderful to hear what they had done. First, we must ensure that we listen to women’s voices on the ground and amplify them. That is a core commitment of the new Government. My hon. Friend the Member for Norwich North asked about our approach to focus countries. That approach has been incredibly powerful to ensure that we are driving targeting. As the Minister for International Development, however, I am aware that conflict-related sexual violence is, disturbingly, becoming much more of a feature of conflicts around the world. We need to ensure we are flexible enough on this issue, and that is what I am determined to do as the new Minister. We also need to ensure that there is participation in peace processes, and that it applies whether we are talking about formal or informal mechanisms. That includes, for example, in Nigeria and South Sudan. We also need to ensure that women’s voices are raised when it comes to the impact of conflict-related sexual violence. My hon. Friend the Member for Norwich North mentioned DRC. We have been supporting women subjected to CRSV there; their voices need to be heard on those appalling crimes. Through the UK’s £33 million partnership with the Equality Fund, we have supported more than 1,000 women’s rights organisations, including in conflict settings. We need to ensure that those voices are heard when it comes to issues such as child marriage, which the hon. Member for Strangford mentioned. Girls in South Sudan and Zambia told me about their concerns about early marriage and pregnancy. The new Government are determined to ensure that their voices are heard. Secondly, we need to ensure that the needs of women and girls are prioritised in the current crises. When I was in South Sudan, I witnessed at first hand the desperate situation of women and girls affected by that conflict. In a debate in the main Chamber, we went through what the Government are doing in Sudan. The UK has been taking action in relation to women and on the appalling atrocities we have seen—the hon. Member for Esher and Walton (Monica Harding) said she is very concerned about that—and working intensively with other countries. We secured the renewal of the UN fact-finding mission on Sudan. I was pleased that other African countries supported that—that was incredibly important. Of course, it was awful that Russia vetoed the UN Security Council resolution on Sudan, which we submitted jointly with Sierra Leone. We will keep pushing on this issue, and we will ensure that in the provision of aid we act against sexual violence and support survivors. That has been the case with the UK’s support for refugees based in Chad, and we will continue to focus on that. On Syria, we have underlined the importance of an inclusive transitional process to protect the rights of all Syrians, including women and girls, and prevent further instability. Through the Global Survivors Fund, we have provided medical, psychosocial, legal and financial support to more than 800 Syrian survivors of sexual violence in Turkey. The right hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills rightly mentioned the UNFPA. We are absolutely continuing to support its incredibly important mission.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Impact of Conflict on Women and Girls · Hansard source

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  Oh, she has come back—excellent. She was right to raise that matter. This has been a challenging afternoon for many because we have also had a debate on violence against women and girls in the Chamber, so I know that many have been shuttling between the two. I will briefly also mention that, during the 16 days of activism against violence against women, I announced three new partnerships with women’s rights organisations in Kenya and South Africa to develop new preventive strategies. Our commitment to halve violence against women and girls within a decade and our work with international partners to empower women globally are critical. We have talked today about how an unprecedented profusion of conflict is having a devastating impact for so many women and girls around the world, so I underscore this Government’s unwavering commitment to changing that, and to ensuring that, to reuse the quote rightly mentioned by the hon. Member for North Herefordshire (Ellie Chowns), “Shame must change sides”. It should be the perpetrators who are feeling that shame, who are feeling the accountability and, above all, who are deterred from that behaviour in the first place. We are determined to work in partnership with Members across this House, with key international and multilateral partners, with civil society and, most importantly, with women and girls affected on the ground.

• 9 Jan 2025 · Impact of Conflict on Women and Girls · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising that issue. The UK Government have raised it at an official level. It is incredibly important that the future process includes different religious and ethnic groups and women. That point has definitely been made. The voices of Syrians who have been through so much must be heard. When I was in Jordan, I met Syrian refugees—women who had fled from Syria into Jordan. I also met a number of girls being supported by the UK to access the education that they might not otherwise have had, and we are of course working with the Jordanian Government on that. It is clear that those women and girls have to be part of the future of their country. That is in line with the new Government’s determination to support women’s organisations, including those representing women with disabilities. We are being very thorough about that. A number of Members talked about Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Gaza was mentioned by my hon. Friends the Members for Aylesbury (Laura Kyrke-Smith), for Glasgow West, for Washington and Gateshead South (Mrs Hodgson), for Milton Keynes Central (Emily Darlington) and for Bathgate and Linlithgow, and by the hon. Member for Esher and Walton. We are also deeply concerned about the healthcare situation in Gaza, including for women and girls, and indeed for men and boys. I have seen that for myself. When I was in Jordan, I saw medical supplies that should have been in Gaza but had not been allowed to pass in. The Government have repeatedly pushed the Israeli Government on that. We have raised this continuously, bilaterally and multilaterally. There must be access for all the humanitarian supplies that are needed, and that must include medical supplies. UK aid has been going to support women, particularly around sanitation, menstruation and pregnancy. I have discussed this directly with bodies such as UK-Med and others. It is appalling to see the deeply concerning reports about the treatment of Palestinian detainees. Detainees must be treated in line with international law, there must be access for the ICRC, and reports of sexual violence must be investigated. The impact of conflict-related sexual violence on Israelis was raised by my hon. Friends the Members for Washington and Gateshead South and for Milton Keynes Central, and others. I know that this issue is causing incredible pain and anguish to the families of hostages, having spoken with some of them in Tel Aviv. They are deeply concerned, understandably, about the situation for their family members. That is yet another reason why the hostages must be released, we must have a ceasefire, and we must see that surge of aid into Gaza. My hon. Friend the Member for Norwich North asked some questions about Afghanistan. As the Foreign Secretary has said, the Taliban’s further oppression of women through its so-called vice and virtue law is appalling. Many Members rightly raised the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan during the debate. My hon. Friend asked specifically about gender apartheid. We are aware of calls for the inclusion of gender apartheid as a new crime against humanity, and we are actively considering the legal and policy questions raised by the proposed new crime. My hon. Friend asked for more details about what we are doing; well, we continue to condemn the Taliban’s action against women and girls, and did so most recently in a December G7+ joint statement. We have already said that as a new Government we support the initiative to hold the Taliban to account for their violations of the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, or CEDAW. I am pleased that I can report today that we will formally join the list of countries that have announced their political support for the initiative. I hope Members will welcome that. The Government are committed to preventing conflict-related sexual violence against women and girls, particularly in instances of trafficking. In relation to Ukraine, we heard some really disturbing details during the debate. We provided up to £10.7 million to support projects aimed at building Ukraine’s capacity for the domestic investigation and prosecution of war crimes, including conflict-related sexual violence. On the issue of capacity, which was raised by the shadow Minister, a member of the PSVI team of experts has been deployed to Ukraine to support Ukrainian authorities in the investigation and prosecution of conflict-related sexual violence in a survivor-centred manner. It is really important to have that expert input, which we are supporting. On the broader of issue of preventing sexual violence in conflict, in November, Lord Collins visited Colombia in his first official engagement as the Prime Minister’s special representative. He led the UK’s delegation to the high-level meeting of the international alliance on PSVI. I was pleased to hear the shadow Minister talk about the initiative from 2023. We very much support that agenda and are determined to enhance it. She asked about our plans to do so; when Lord Collins was in Bogotá, he called for greater international action in response to the increased rates of conflict-related sexual violence around the world. To respond to my hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury, that includes determination to use sanctions where necessary against the perpetrators of these vile crimes. We know that all forms of gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, are preventable. That is why I am pleased that we have committed a further £18 million to the UN trust fund to end violence against women, as well as providing training on sexual exploitation and abuse for more than 2,000 peacekeeping personnel in the last financial year, through the British peace support team in Africa. My hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes Central, who is not in her place—