To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the need for (a) a special envoy and (b) a panel of experts on Northern Uganda. (85342)

On 26 April the UN Secretariat briefed the UN Security Council on the threat posed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Along with Security Council and EU partners we welcomed the initial recommendations made. These included encouraging the Government of Uganda to accept the appointment of a Special Envoy with a regional focus and establishing a panel of experts to look at the sources of LRA funding. The UN Secretariat is now preparing a written report.

We think these proposals could support wider efforts to end the long-running conflict in northern Uganda and we look forward to receiving the written report shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she plans to issue a response to the publication of the UN Secretary General’s report to the UN Security Council on the conflict in Northern Uganda. (85343)

The UN Secretary General’s report pursuant to resolutions 1653 (2006) and 1663 (2006) on how the UN agencies and missions could more effectively address the problem of the Lord’s Resistance Army is expected to be issued shortly.

We will then consider the recommendations and discuss with other members of the UN how best to take them forward.