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HANSARDAfghanistan: WomenFor reasons that we have touched on today, that is incredibly difficult. The focus for us when it comes to Afghan women is to make sure that the eyes of the world are on this…30 Jan 2025HANSARDAfghanistan: WomenMy Lords, we remain in regular dialogue with international partners on Afghanistan, including using international mechanisms to maintain pressure on the Taliban to change course.…30 Jan 2025HANSARDAfghanistan: WomenAs my noble friend says, the situation is extremely difficult, and we are relying in large part on our partners on the ground to be able to support women in the most horrendous of…30 Jan 2025HANSARDAfghanistan: WomenWe are extremely careful about the way that we engage with Afghanistan. The noble Baroness knows that we recognise states and not Governments. On sanctions, we implement the UN…30 Jan 2025HANSARDAfghanistan: WomenThat is such an important point. The voices of Afghan women are suppressed in their own country, but we must provide platforms whenever we can to make sure that those voices are…30 Jan 2025HANSARDAfghanistan: WomenI am grateful for that question. My noble friend the Minister for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan is using his convening mechanisms at the UN to raise…30 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian SituationI will start by agreeing with the noble Lord about the scenes on release: the trauma is compounded by the way it is done. It is wrong, and it is not something that anybody,…30 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian SituationYes. That is a very good suggestion, and I will take it up. The noble Baroness is of course completely right that it is essential to be able to identify remains and to have an…30 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian SituationIt is not interesting; it is urgent. Aid needs to get to the people who need it. One of the problems when a place descends into such desperation is that lawlessness always…30 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian SituationThe noble Lord might be getting ahead of where I was planning on going today, but I have been very clear on our view of the importance of Gazans being able to return to their…30 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian SituationI could not agree more. We are doing what we can. As my noble friend says, this is not something that you just fix. It is a trauma that can be felt through many years—indeed,…30 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian SituationYes, we are, but let me first convey my sincere condolences to Amir, who lost his friend in such circumstances; I also hope that he recovers quickly and fully soon. The noble…30 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian SituationI am sorry, but I do not agree with that. UNRWA has been by far the most effective organisation at delivering aid in Gaza for very many years. There are other organisations and…30 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian SituationWe do not agree that the people of Gaza should be prevented from returning to their homes. We are very clear about that. On what the noble Baroness said about UNRWA, yes, it is…30 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian SituationIt is our view that the best way to get aid in as efficiently as is needed is through UNRWA. It is good that some aid has started to get in over the past few days but, without…30 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian SituationWhat is important is that the reconstruction of Gaza is led by the people of Gaza—yes, with support. There is a huge difference between the people of Gaza and Hamas. We want to…30 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian SituationOf course this is a concern. We want all the aid that we and others provide to go to those people who need it so desperately. How we can make sure of anything is a very…30 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian SituationIt is important to remember that our priority is to get the food, medicine and shelter to the people in Gaza who need it—most of all the children—but every day that is lost in…30 Jan 2025HANSARDGaza: Humanitarian SituationI am grateful to both noble Lords for their comments and questions. I echo the remarks made by the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, about Holocaust Memorial Day and the ever-vigilant way…30 Jan 2025HANSARDAfghanistan: WomenAs I have said, we keep this issue under close review. The noble Lord is right to highlight the most recent restrictions around medical education. We are working as hard as we can…30 Jan 2025