Written question asked by Baroness Coussins (Crossbench) on Thursday, 26 January 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 9 February 2023. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Thursday, 9 February 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Translation Services

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the draft UN Security Council Resolution on the protection of interpreters and translators working in high-risk settings, circulated by the Swiss Mission in December 2022, and (2) the Open Letter from the NGO Red T to Volker Turk of the UN HCHR asking that his office establish a translator/interpreter incident database; and what steps they are planning to take in response as a member of the UN Group of Friends for the Protection of Civilians.

Answer: The United Kingdom is committed to international action to protect civilians in conflict; we consistently use the influence provided by our permanent seat on the UN Security Council to urge all states to improve the protection of civilians in conflict situations. We recognise the vital role that interpreters and translators play in conflicts and the particular threats faced by this group. We believe the most effective way to protect them is through implementation of International Humanitarian Law and previous Security Council resolutions 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000), 1674 (2006), and 1894 (2009). We have taken note of the contents of the open letters from Red T but do not at present believe that an additional resolution focusing on translators and interpreters would make a significant difference to their protection.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL5126
Session: 2022-23
Subjects: Databases Protection UN High Commissioner for Refugees Translation services
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk