Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

The UK is committed to promoting and defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), as demonstrated by our hosting the 'International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief' in July 2022. We also work through the UN to promote and protect these rights. The UK Embassy in Laos raises concerns about limitations on freedom of expression and other human rights issues, including freedom of religion, on a regular basis, both publicly and in private. We do this bilaterally with the Government of Laos as well as at the UN Human Rights Council. I visited Laos in September 2023 and raised our concern over particular human rights cases with Laos Ministers.

The UK regularly engages with international counterparts, including the US, on Russia sanctions. Earlier this month, the former Foreign Secretary joined G7 foreign ministers in Tokyo where they reaffirmed their commitment to increase economic pressure on Russia and reinforce coordination on sanctions. This means implementing further sanctions, including those to which the UK committed at the G7 earlier this year. With the EU and US, we also undertake joint diplomatic outreach in countries where we are seeing spikes in trade of sanctioned goods with Russia.

The UK wants to see free, fair, participatory and peaceful elections in Bangladesh. I made this clear to the Government of Bangladesh when I met Prime Minister Hasina in October. We are concerned at the violence that has taken place at recent demonstrations and have called on all stakeholders, privately and publicly, to exercise restraint. The UK continues to stress to the Government of Bangladesh that respect for human rights, rule of law and access to justice are essential elements of the democratic process.

The UK is concerned by the recent conviction of human rights activists and the shrinking of civil society space in Bangladesh. Bangladesh remains a UK Human Rights Priority Country. The UK regularly raises with the Government of Bangladesh, both in public and private, the importance of respect for human rights and the rule of law. In October, I met Prime Minister Hasina and raised the arrests of human rights defenders in Bangladesh. We press the Government of Bangladesh to end harassment and intimidation of civil society, the media and political opposition, including the Bangladesh National Party.

The UK's foremost priority on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is defending FoRB for all and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities.

We work through international bodies to strengthen coalitions of support and protect FoRB for all. We use our global diplomatic network to encourage States to uphold their human rights obligations, supporting this work with dedicated FoRB programme spend. And we continue to work to embed FoRB considerations across the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP, is currently serving as Chair of the 42-country International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA), which she is working to grow and strengthen. Alongside her counterparts from other countries, the Special Envoy works through IRFBA to champion FoRB, highlighting international best practice and raising awareness of, and challenging, FoRB violations and abuses across the world.

The Special Envoy works closely with civil society to highlight FoRB issues, and is leading a series of roundtables in the FCDO to strengthen collaboration on FoRB between FCDO officials and civil society.

It is not possible to disaggregate the requested expenditure purely against infrastructure. The majority of FCDO IT is delivered through strategic commercial partners, as a managed service. A key aspect of this service is ensuring the FCDO IT infrastructure is compliant, modern and delivers value for money for the tax payer.

The UK is not a party to proceedings in the International Court of Justice between Venezuela and Guyana over the demarcation of their border. The UK is clear that the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration and we continue to support this decision. We urge the parties to resolve this issue peacefully.

No Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials have been kidnapped while carrying out official HMG business overseas in the last 10 years.

The Foreign Secretary spoke to Argentinian President-elect Javier Milei on 22 November 2023 to congratulate him on his election victory and to wish him well as he prepares to take office. As fellow G20 members, we look forward to developing a strong and constructive relationship. The UK and Argentina work well together on many shared priorities, including climate change, science and innovation and human rights, and we are keen to develop and strengthen our collaboration with President-elect Milei's administration. I [Minister Rutley] look forward to engaging with President-elect Milei's administration when I next have the opportunity to visit Argentina.

The Foreign Secretary spoke to Argentinian President-elect Javier Milei on 22 November 2023 to congratulate him on his election victory and to wish him well as he prepares to take office. As fellow G20 members, we look forward to developing a strong and constructive relationship. The UK and Argentina work well together on many shared priorities, including climate change, science and innovation and human rights, and we are keen to develop and strengthen our collaboration with President-elect Milei's administration. I [Minister Rutley] look forward to engaging with President-elect Milei's administration when I next have the opportunity to visit Argentina.

As of 21 November 2023, FCDO, as a Ministerial Department, has one red-rated legacy IT system as defined in the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) Legacy IT Risk Assessment Framework. FCDO are actively managing their legacy estate via their existing change plans through system upgrades.

The Government takes international parental child abduction (IPCA) very seriously and I [Minister Docherty] recognise the distress of all those affected. Ministers and senior officials raise IPCA with the Polish authorities at every appropriate opportunity. I raised the issue with my Polish counterpart, Minister Arkadiusz Mularczyk, most recently on 7 September. The former Foreign Secretary also raised the issue in his dialogue with Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, on 5 July, and the Minister for International Affairs (MoJ) raised IPCA with Deputy Justice Minister Sebastien Kaleta on 18 September. We will continue to engage with representatives of the new Polish government on this issue, once formed.

No FCDO programme spend is devolved for administration by local government in England or by other local spending bodies.

I [Minister Rutley] join the Foreign Secretary in congratulating President-elect Javier Milei on his election victory. As fellow G20 members, we look forward to developing a stronger and more constructive relationship. The UK and Argentina have worked well together on many shared priorities, among them climate change, science and innovation and human rights, and we are keen to develop and improve such collaboration with President-elect Milei's administration.

The UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and is committed to proactively upholding the Falkland Islanders' rights, including their right of self-determination.

Official data, sourced from the Statistics for International Development and OECD DAC Creditor Reporting System, is available for 2021. This data indicates that in 2021 59 per cent of FCDO bilateral ODA programme budget spend had a focus on gender equality (of which 49 per cent was marked as Significant and 10 per cent marked as Principal). As part of our new International Women and Girls Strategy, we will ensure at least 80 per cent of FCDO's bilateral aid programmes have a focus on gender equality by 2030. This is a reflection of how we are prioritising gender equality in our work and investment moving forward.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) is measured on a calendar year basis and the UK's ODA spend for the previous year is published in Statistics on International Development, available on gov.uk. Year-to-date figures are not available. The OECD will publish provisional figures on donors' 2023 ODA spend to Least Developed Countries and Low Income Countries in spring 2024. FCDO will publish Final Statistics on International Development for 2023, including a country-by-country breakdown of bilateral ODA spend, in autumn 2024.

The FCDO's ODA allocations for 2023/24 are set out in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23.

The UK is proud to champion LGBT+ rights around the world. With no OECD Development Assistance Committee marker on LGBT+ rights, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is unable to track centrally all its spend on the issue. However, since 2018 the UK has allocated over £13.5 million to empower and build the capacity of grassroots LGBT+ organisations and human rights defenders. Last week, the UK launched a new LGBT+ rights programme, committing a further £40 million over 5 years. The aims of this programme include reducing violence and discrimination, improving inclusive access to public services and legislative reform.

The Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with his Tunisian counterpart regarding the issue the Member for Milton Keynes South refers to. The UK is a firm supporter of Israel's normalisation ambitions, and of the Abraham Accords which are a historic milestone that bring us closer to the goal of shared prosperity throughout the region. We continue to encourage close regional cooperation in order to tackle regional challenges and, as we look ahead to the future, to secure a meaningful political horizon for Israelis and Palestinians.

It is clear that Hamas has put Palestinians at grave risk by embedding themselves in the civilian population, and Hamas has used civilians as human shields. The Foreign Secretary visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 23 November, where he met President Herzog, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Cohen and other senior Israeli interlocutors to discuss the conflict. However, we are not going to specifically comment on individual locations. Israel has a legitimate right to self-defence against Hamas but the Israel Defense Forces military actions in Gaza must be carried out in accordance with International Humanitarian Law and Israel must take all possible measures to protect civilians.

This pause must be used to ensure much greater volumes of food, fuel and other life-saving aid reach Gaza on a sustained basis. We hope it will build confidence towards future, repeated and lengthy humanitarian pauses. We have already tripled our aid commitment to Palestinians this year and will now work closely with the UN and other partners to this end. We continue to call for immediate, unimpeded, and safe humanitarian access for lifesaving aid to reach civilians. The UK will continue to work with all partners in the region to reach a long-term political solution, which delivers lasting peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

All medical facilities in Gaza must be protected and allowed to operate in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. We continue to urge all parties to the conflict to abide by International Humanitarian Law, including minimising causalities, protecting civilians and critical civilian infrastructure. We continue to press for increased humanitarian assistance (food, water and medical supplies) as well as fuel to reach Gaza. Fuel is needed to power hospitals and desalinisation plants as well as bakeries, critical to meet civilian needs.

We are aware of Israel's concerns about the stockpiling of fuel by Hamas terrorists. However, this does not negate the need for fuel to urgently get to those who do need it in Gaza. Fuel is necessary to allow humanitarian organisations to deliver assistance, power hospitals and operate desalinisation plants and bakeries. We urge the Government of Israel to allow sufficient aid and fuel into Gaza to meet the needs of civilians. Incremental progress has been made, but significantly more is needed. The UK was outraged at Hamas' terror attacks in Israel on 7 October, and supports Israel's right to defend itself proportionately, in line with International Humanitarian Law.

We maintain regular contact with the Government of Israel on a full range of issues relating to conflict in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary met his counterpart Foreign Minister Cohen on 23 November in Israel where they discussed aspects relating to the conflict. The safety of humanitarian personnel and healthcare workers in Gaza is critical to enable aid to reach those who need it most. We strongly condemn all forms of violence and incitement to violence directed towards humanitarian personnel and healthcare workers and we have been consistently clear that everything must be done to protect lives. The wounded and critically ill in Gaza should be able to access the urgent medical care they need.

The United Kingdom condemns the unlawful seizure of MV Galaxy Leader by the Houthis in the Red Sea and we call for the immediate, and unconditional, release of the ship and its crew.

Iran has long provided military and political support to the Houthis. We have made it clear to Iran that it bears responsibility for the actions of its proxies and partners. Iran must actively restrain these groups to prevent the conflict escalating across the region.

The UK is committed to ensuring the safety of shipping in the region, including through our contribution to the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

Since Hamas' abhorrent terrorist attacks on 7 October, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, and the Minister of State for the Middle East have spoken to counterparts from more than 20 countries as part of extensive diplomatic efforts to prevent regional escalation and to sustain the prospect of peace and stability in the Middle East. On 22 November the Foreign Secretary hosted Islamic and Arab leaders in London to discuss the Israel/Gaza conflict and on 24 November, the Foreign Secretary travelled to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to engage with leaders from the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel. Ministers also continue to focus on opposing any attempts by malign actors to cause further escalation in the region.

The Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Eli Cohen during his visit to Israel on 23 November 2023. Discussions centred on the urgent need for humanitarian aid to access Gaza during the humanitarian pause and how UK efforts can help alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The United Kingdom is outraged at Hamas' terror attacks in Israel, and supports Israel's right to self-defence, in line with International Humanitarian Law. We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned. The UK supports equal measures of justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

We have increased our military assets in the eastern Mediterranean to deter malign actors, support British nationals and giving the UK the presence to respond to the humanitarian crisis as needed. This includes the deployment of a Royal Navy task group to the eastern Mediterranean, including RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus, three merlin helicopters and a company of Royal Marines as a contingency measure. RAF surveillance aircraft are also patrolling the skies to track threats to regional stability such as the transfer of weapons to terrorist groups.

To support the UK's humanitarian response, four aircraft, enabled by the RAF, flew 74 tonnes of emergency relief to Egypt for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. We keep the situation under review.

We have increased our military assets in the eastern Mediterranean to deter malign actors, support British nationals and giving the UK the presence to respond to the humanitarian crisis as needed. This includes the deployment of a Royal Navy task group to the eastern Mediterranean, including RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus, three merlin helicopters and a company of Royal Marines as a contingency measure. RAF surveillance aircraft are also patrolling the skies to track threats to regional stability such as the transfer of weapons to terrorist groups.

To support the UK's humanitarian response, four aircraft, enabled by the RAF, flew 74 tonnes of emergency relief to Egypt for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. We keep the situation under review.

The FCDO is actively engaging with international partners and those operating on the ground to do all we can to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The UK is supportive of limited and temporary cessations of hostilities as part of measures to facilitate the flow of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza. It is crucial that we capitalise on the pause in hostilities to allow as much food, water, medical supplies and fuel as possible to reach vulnerable civilians in Gaza. This pause should act as a confidence-building mechanism for future pauses, including those solely on humanitarian grounds.

Since Hamas' abhorrent terrorist attacks on 7 October, the UK Government has provided an additional £60 million in humanitarian funding and has sent more than 74 tonnes of emergency relief for civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This funding will support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other trusted partners to respond to critical food, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary will continue to engage closely with regional counterparts including Israel and Egypt to allow a sufficient flow of humanitarian aid into and through Gaza.

The FCDO is actively engaging with international partners and those operating on the ground to do all we can to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The UK is supportive of limited and temporary cessations of hostilities as part of measures to facilitate the flow of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza. It is crucial that we capitalise on the pause in hostilities to allow as much food, water, medical supplies and fuel as possible to reach vulnerable civilians in Gaza. This pause should act as a confidence-building mechanism for future pauses, including those solely on humanitarian grounds.

Since Hamas' abhorrent terrorist attacks on 7 October, the UK Government has provided an additional £60 million in humanitarian funding and has sent more than 74 tonnes of emergency relief for civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This funding will support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other trusted partners to respond to critical food, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary will continue to engage closely with regional counterparts including Israel and Egypt to allow a sufficient flow of humanitarian aid into and through Gaza.

We maintain regular contact with the United Nations on a full range of issues relating to conflict in Gaza. The FCDO is actively engaging with international partners and those operating on the ground to do all we can to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and support British nationals who wish to leave. The UK is supportive of limited and temporary cessations of hostilities as part of measures to facilitate the flow of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza. It is crucial that we capitalise on the hostage deal to allow as much food, water, medical supplies and fuel as possible to reach vulnerable civilians in Gaza. This pause should act as a confidence-building mechanism for future pauses, including those solely on humanitarian grounds. We will continue to use all the tools of British diplomacy and development to enhance the prospects of peace and stability in the region, working closely with our partners.

We maintain regular contact with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) on a full range of issues relating to conflict in Gaza. The FCDO is actively engaging with international partners and those operating on the ground to do all we can to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Trusted partners on the ground, including UN agencies, will receive and utilise £60 million in lifesaving humanitarian aid to support people in Gaza.

The UK is committed to supporting efforts to build stability and reduce violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs-led (OCHA) Humanitarian Response Plan is a critical tool for the coordination of the activities of the humanitarian community in their response to urgent humanitarian needs. The UK leads by example, delivering life-saving humanitarian assistance with our £21 million programme in eastern DRC as well as urging the international community to give more resources and lobbying the DRC Government to take responsibility to improve access. Three projects in eastern DRC received £1 million in funding from the Jo Cox Memorial Grant (JCMG) to identify and prevent identity-based violence. These projects were undertaken between July 2019 and July 2022. Workshops supported by the JCMG have helped to inform British Embassy Kinshasa's current atrocity prevention approach including monitoring and calling out hate speech and ethnically motivated attacks against Tutsi and Rwandaphone communities in DRC.

The FCDO does not have any recorded kidnap cases in The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the past five years. FCDO Travel Advice highlights a small but increasing threat of criminal "express" kidnaps in DRC. Travel Advice highlights incidents in early 2023 of foreigners being targeted by individuals impersonating police in the Limete area of Kinshasa and that kidnaps in DRC are generally for financial gain or motivated by criminality.

We are aware of low numbers of British nationals kidnapped in Nigeria over the past five years. It is difficult to provide a definitive figure because of differing recording practices across agencies and because not all kidnaps are reported to the Nigerian authorities or to the FCDO. Through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we are providing mentoring and capacity-building support to Nigerian Police Force units to improve their anti-kidnap capacity, help reduce harm to victims, and hold those responsible to account.

There are currently 24 FCDO UK based staff stationed in South Sudan.

In the 2023/24 financial year, the UK committed £28.1 million of humanitarian aid to displaced people in South Sudan. In 2022/23, our UK Government funding provided emergency food aid for an estimated 193,106 people and daily water and sanitation provision for 83,311 people. We also fund crucial education and health programmes that deliver services to the most vulnerable.

Wang Yi was Pastor of the Early Rain Covenant Church, an unregistered Protestant house church in Chengdu. He was detained in December 2018 on the charge of 'inciting subversion of state power and illegal business operations.' On 30 December 2019 Chengdu Intermediate People's Court announced it had sentenced Wang to nine years in prison following a closed trial.

We continue to monitor the persecution of Christians for practicing their religion in China. The freedom to practise, change or share ones faith or belief without discrimination is a human right that all people should enjoy. The British government works with international organisations and networks to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief for all where it is threatened, including through the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.

More broadly, we coordinate with international partners to increase international attention on China's human rights violations. Most recently, we did in September 2023 in the G7 Foreign Ministers Communiqué.

HMG is not spending Official Development Assistance in support of China. China is an important source of investment for many developing countries. Chinese investment, including under its Belt and Road Initiative, can help fill the global infrastructure gap. However, we recognise the potential risks that Chinese overseas investment can present.

HMG's policy on China is set out in the Integrated Review Refresh. In HMG's engagement, we will always work to protect ourselves, our democracy and our economy.

The UK condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) latest satellite launch using ballistic missile technology. We have said this in our joint statement with partners on 22 November and G7 Foreign Ministers made this clear on 22 November. The Prime Minister held productive discussions with the President of the Republic of Korea during his state visit to the UK on areas of shared interest including the DPRK's provocations, which threaten peace and stability. We remain committed to securing peace on the Korean peninsula, working closely with allies and partners to secure an end to the DPRK's illegal weapons development.

We have not received a request for assistance from the Government of Iceland. There has been no volcanic eruption on the Rekjanes Peninsula and the level of seismic activity that led to the evacuation of the town of Grindavik has also decreased significantly. The British Embassy in Reykjavik is following the situation closely and remains in contact with the Icelandic authorities.

FCDO Ministers have not had discussions with their New Zealand counterparts about this specific case. The British Embassy in Jakarta is in contact with the New Zealand Embassy to support their response. We continue to monitor developments closely.

All responses to UN Special Procedure Communications are published on the website of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. A response to the letter of 15 August 2023 from the UN Special Rapporteur on climate change will be made available in this way in due course.

On 12 September 2023, officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London met Robinson Arley Mejía Alonso to discuss his security situation. Officials at our Embassy in Bogotá will look to schedule a further meeting with him in Colombia at the next available opportunity.