Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work. Education, especially for girls and women, has wide-ranging benefits. It can unlock the potential of women and girls to tackle inter-generational poverty and create economic growth. In Afghanistan, we have repeatedly condemned the Taliban's edicts that restrict the rights of women and girls, including on girls' education. Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review process. We intend to publish final 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts this summer. The FCDO is focused on ensuring that every pound is spent in the most impactful way. Equality Impact Assessments - which consider impacts on women and girls - are an essential part of how we make decisions, including on ODA allocations. The UK remains committed to playing a significant role in international development.

A response was sent on 25 March 2025 and has now been published.

The UK condemns incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, wherever this occurs, and we denounce hatred on the basis of religion or belief. We are committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We continue to address FoRB violations and protect the right to FoRB through our strong relationships with European counterparts, multilateral engagement - including through the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and Article 18 Alliance - and through our bilateral work. Ministers and FCDO officials regularly raise cases of concern. The appointment of David Smith MP, as the Special Envoy for FoRB, is a clear signal of the UK's ongoing commitment to these efforts.

In a statement announcing the sale of Chelsea FC, Roman Abramovich stated the proceeds would be used to establish a foundation for the benefit of all the victims of the war in Ukraine. The Government is determined to see the proceeds reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine as quickly as possible, and we are exploring all options to bring that about.

The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by people on both sides of the Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We are concerned by any activity that risks destabilising the status quo and have stated this alongside our G7 partners, including in the most recent G7 Foreign Ministers' statement.

Around 70 members of staff of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office currently have valid exam passes in Russian at C1 level or above. Exam passes are valid for five years.

The UK is committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all around the world. However, we do not see additional value in making the role of envoy statutory. No special envoy roles in the UK are enshrined in legislation and legislation is not required in order to create, or make more effective, the role of special envoys. David Smith MP was appointed as the UK Special Envoy for FoRB in December 2024.

Our international climate finance continues to prioritise support to the most vulnerable communities who are experiencing the worst impacts of climate change, including children. In addition, we are committed to amplifying the voices of the most marginalised, empowering them as decision-makers, advocates, and leaders in the climate response, ensuring gender and inclusion characteristics are a key part of our policy and programming. Through our policy and programming in health, we are promoting climate resilience, sustainable and equitable systems for health, including for children. The UK is also supporting the Global Partnership for Education in a new initiative partnering with the Green Climate Fund to provide co-financing to support countries to build the resilience of their education systems to climate shocks.

We have provided £477 million in humanitarian support to Ukraine since the full-scale invasion, which includes support for healthcare services. Our support includes funding for the Ukrainian Red Cross, who have funded NHS doctors and nurses to share best practice with their Ukrainian counterparts, including how to prevent the spread of infections and antimicrobial resistance. Through the World Health Organisation, we are also strengthening Ukraine's health system to provide better care and rehabilitation services to meet the needs of those injured because of the war. In February, the Defence Secretary announced that we would double our funding to £40 million for Project Renovator, which draws on the UK's leading defence medical expertise to expand Ukraine's military rehabilitation and medical services.

The Development Review considered how to maximise the UK's combined diplomatic and development expertise in its international development work. Reducing the overall size of our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will necessarily have an impact on the scale and shape of the work we do. The recommendations of the Development Review, alongside the Global Impact and Economic Diplomacy reviews, are now being considered as part of the Foreign Secretary's wider work to reform the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and will also inform decisions on the ODA budget.

The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and she will make this decision independent from the rest of Government corresponding to her quasi-judicial role. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials speak regularly with the Chinese Government about a range of issues.

The UK is proud to support universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. This includes support to address the additional barriers faced by adolescents and young people to ensure they can access the information, services and advice they need. The UK works in partnership with governments, civil society and community groups to do so. For example, in December 2024 the Prime Minister announced the Grassroots and Counter Rollback programme which aims to strengthen civil society organisations and movements to counter misinformation and expand access to SRHR.

The UK continues to provide strong political leadership in multilateral fora. We work to protect and progress language relating to adolescents' SRHR, including comprehensive sexuality education and family planning education. Meaningful engagement of young people is also a priority, and this year we will again include a young person as part of the UK delegation to the United Nations Commission on Population and Development.

The UK works closely with the Commonwealth, its institutions and with our Commonwealth family through our network of High Commissions. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office supports a range of pan-Commonwealth initiatives, including through its annual contribution of over £1 million to the Commonwealth Youth Programme to promote cultural exchange by showcasing and celebrating the achievements of young people across the 56 member countries. The UK's broader financial contribution to the Commonwealth complements strong bilateral partnerships, trade relationships, supports initiatives like Commonwealth Scholarships and promotes cultural exchange through events including the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2026.

We remain in close contact with the United States, our European partners, and Ukraine on how to achieve a just and lasting peace that safeguards Ukraine's security and sovereignty. The UK, alongside France, is leading efforts to build a 'Coalition of the Willing' to defend any peace deal and support Ukraine's future security. The Prime Minister recently hosted over 200 military planners from 30 countries in London and attended the subsequent leaders meeting in Paris on 27 March. The Foreign Secretary took forward these discussions with Weimar+ Foreign Ministers on 31 March, and the Defence Secretary will chair the next meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on 11 April.

As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 20 March, we strongly oppose Israel's resumption of hostilities and urgently want to see a return to a ceasefire. We have been clear that Hamas must release all the hostages, negotiations must resume and in all scenarios Israel must allow the entry of humanitarian aid. We are appalled by recent attacks on aid workers and their premises - they must be protected and never targeted. The Government of Israel must urgently ensure that effective deconfliction mechanisms are in place to enable them to conduct their lifesaving work safely.  We've repeatedly called on Israel at the UN and elsewhere to immediately allow urgently-needed aid back into Gaza. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer on 20 March and to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 21 March and pressed them to reopen humanitarian access, restore a ceasefire and work for a negotiated path forward, and has discussed the situation with UN leadership.

The UK supports programmes working to address the root causes of intercommunal violence in Nigeria through locally led peace-building efforts. Through our Strengthening Peace and Resilience programme ('SPRING') the UK is providing £38 million to reduce rural violence in northwest and north-central Nigeria, including by supporting collaboration and productive livelihoods for both farmers and pastoralists, and strengthening conflict early warning, management and response. The UK Government also funds the provision of legal and judicial expertise to make legislative changes to protect Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), including addressing blasphemy laws. The right of individuals to express their beliefs or non-belief is essential to a free and open society. Our dialogue on human rights, including FoRB, will remain an important part of the UK's partnership with Nigeria.

In its 80th year, the need for an effective UN remains clear; however, the organization needs major reform if it is to meet the complex challenges of the future.

The UK welcomes the UN Secretary-General's decision to launch a UN80 Task Force on reform, to ensure that the UN focuses once again on core tasks and maximum impact. If done right, a reformed UN will serve as a multiplier for UK interests and priorities, as we work to build a safer, more prosperous and equitable world. Therefore, we will encourage the Secretary-General's reform initiative to be as ambitious and far-reaching as possible.

I was able to convey our support in person when I recently met with the Secretary General in Geneva.

As the Prime Minister said in New York in September 2024, we must put new energy and creativity into conflict prevention, reverse the trend towards ever-greater violence, make the institutions of peace fit for purpose.

The UK remains a steadfast supporter of United Nations' peacebuilding efforts, including as a top donor to the UN Peacebuilding Fund.

We continue to support the UN's Complex Risk Analytics Fund, investing in better data and analysis to strengthen global risk foresight and enable earlier response.

We will use this year's UN Peacebuilding Architecture Review to press for more systematic focus on early warning and conflict prevention across the UN system, encouraging national prevention approaches that are supported by affected communities, including women and youth.

We promote conflict prevention across our engagement with multilateral fora, including the G7, G20, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the African Union, and advocate for scaled up, targeted support in fragile settings from the World Bank and other international financial institutions.

Women and girls are a priority focus of UK aid across Ethiopia. Detailed decisions on how the future Official Development Assistance budget will be used, including for the Tigray region, will be determined as part of the ongoing Spending Review.

We are assessing implications of the US funding pause across development sectors and geographic regions including Ethiopia. We are gathering information and working with donor partners to share analysis of the pause and understand its impact.

The UK is providing humanitarian assistance for displaced populations in Tigray, working with partners including United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the Ethiopian Red Cross Society and the International Committee of the Red Cross. This financial year, UK assistance has provided life-saving nutrition services to over 60,000 children and 20,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women. In support of displaced women and girls, the UK provided financial and technical support for one hospital, one health centre and six One Stop Centres, providing safe spaces and comprehensive support to those who have survived gender-based violence.

The UK Government is committed to promoting high standards of animal welfare internationally. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) have rigorous and internationally recognised standards, which align to those of other jurisdictions including the EU. The IFC assess all potential industrial livestock projects against these standards as part of its due diligence processes. This project (41386) met the IFC's thresholds for environmental and social standards and Higest is incorporating the Global Good Agricultural Practices principles to enhance its animal welfare practices. The UK has robust policies in place to oversee the work of IFC, including through our seat on the World Bank Board, and conducts regular and ongoing monitoring.

The UK is a resolute supporter of democracy, the rule of law and media freedom. This Government has discussed recent events in Turkey with our counterparts at a number of levels. Most recently, on 29 March, the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan. Among other issues he raised our expectation that as a key friend and ally, Turkey upholds its international commitments, the rule of law and protects the fundamental rights to free speech, peaceful assembly, and media freedom, including the treatment of British and other journalists reporting there.

The UK champions and remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) John Bunyan Fund (JBF), the designated programme for FoRB-focused overseas projects has a budget allocation of £460,720 in the financial year 2024/25. In the financial year 2023/24 the JBF spent £170,000 and in financial year 2022/23, £70,000. The FCDO works to ensure that Official Development Assistance (ODA) is allocated to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance irrespective of race, religion, or ethnicity. This includes minority religious or belief communities who are assessed by our partners when determining those most in need of protection and assistance.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) follows the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles guiding fair and open appointments based on merit. We aspire to reflect the population we serve but there are no specific diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) targets for recruitment. As a Disability Confident Level 3 Leader the FCDO implements the Disability Confident Scheme across our recruitment campaigns meaning candidates in the scheme are guaranteed an interview if they meet the minimum criteria for the role. DEI in the Civil Service is an important lever to support the delivery of the Government's Plan for Change and wider Civil Service reform.

As we have previously said, we will work with Mauritius to start a new programme of visits for Chagossians to the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the response given to her previous Question 38978, which remains the same.

The Royal Visits Committee is chaired by the Permanent Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and consists of senior representatives from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Royal Households, No.10, Department for Business and Trade and the Cabinet Office.

The UK Government is committed to strengthening justice for all survivors and victims of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and holding perpetrators to account. CRSV is prohibited under international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international criminal law. Some forms of CRSV, such as rape, can also be classified as torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Torture is defined and prohibited by multiple human rights treaties. We continue to work closely with partners to eradicate the use of torture and end all forms of CRSV.

The UK values the European Political Community (EPC) as a format that brings together leaders from across Europe for frank discussions about shared challenges such as European security and irregular migration. The UK has played a central role in the EPC since its inception, particularly through hosting at Blenheim Palace in July 2024. We welcome Albania's hosting of the EPC on 16 May. Attendance at the EPC is at leader-level only and cannot be delegated. We will set out the Prime Minister's travel plans in the usual way.

The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary had discussions with the former Council of Europe Secretary General at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit last July. The Prime Minister met with the current Secretary General at the Budapest EPC Summit in November 2024. The Lord Chancellor and the Attorney General have both attended recent Council of Europe events in Vilnius and Strasbourg respectively.

I have regularly engaged with our Ambassador to the Council of Europe on a range of matters, and recently met with members of the UK delegation.

The UK supports the High Representative and use of his executive powers should circumstances require it to counter destabilising actions. The UK issued a strong statement last month in support of his role and the Dayton Peace Agreement. The Minister of State for Europe, North America and the Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty MP, spoke with the High Representative on 27 March to reaffirm our position and backing for a strong High Representative response if circumstances necessitate. Dame Karen Pierce, UK Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, also spoke with the High Representative on 27 March while visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Both sides remain committed to concluding a deal on the future of the Chagos Archipelago which protects the long-term effective operation of the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia.  We continue to engage with Mauritius and are not going to provide a running commentary on the details.

Both sides remain committed to concluding a deal on the future of the Chagos Archipelago which protects the long-term effective operation of the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia.  We continue to engage with Mauritius and are not going to provide a running commentary on the details.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the response given to her previous Question 38979, which remains the same.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the response given to her previous Questions 39402 and 39403 on the details of the treaty.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the response given to her previous Questions 39402 and 39403 on the details of the treaty.

This government remains fully committed to the UK playing a globally significant role on development; it is both in our national interest and in the interest of our partners across the globe. We are engaging with a range of partners and stakeholders on the decision to reduce the Official Development Assistance budget.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.

The Government recognises the important contribution cooperatives make in serving local communities around the world. Cooperatives are a tried-and-tested model in international development, that can enable citizens and producers to access services or markets and strengthen their voice in local processes. Cooperatives can enable sustainable and inclusive development centred on self-help, democratic ownership, and concern for the community. The UK has supported cooperatives and producer organisations in developing countries, including, for example in agriculture through funding to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), which supports producer organisations, and the Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness Programme (CASA), which partners with cooperatives and small agribusinesses in low-income countries to improve smallholder farmers' access to markets.

As a close friend and ally of Turkey, the Government is closely monitoring the situation. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu is subject to an ongoing domestic Turkish legal process. The UK expects Turkey to uphold its international commitments and the rule of law, including swift and transparent judicial processes. The Government has been engaging with the Turkish Government and Foreign Secretary spoke with Foreign Minister Fidan on 29 March to raise these issues. The UK supports democracy, human rights and the rule of law across the world and will always support the fundamental rights to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly and media freedom.

The Government is closely monitoring the situation in Turkey. The UK expects Turkey to uphold its international commitments and the rule of law, including swift and transparent judicial processes. We have been engaging with the Turkish government and there has been Ministerial contact with counterparts in recent days to raise these issues. The UK supports democracy, human rights and the rule of law across the world and will always support the fundamental rights to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly and media freedom. Travel advice for British nationals has been updated to include reference to the recent protests.

The UK maintains strong relations with both the US and Denmark, including as close NATO Allies, and on the shared priority of security in the High North.

The UK has a longstanding policy of respecting self-determination. The Foreign Secretary and I have been clear that Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and the future of their constitutional arrangements is a matter for the people and Government of Greenland, and the Kingdom of Denmark.

The UK maintains strong relations with both the US and Denmark, including as close NATO Allies, and on the shared priority of security in the High North.

The UK has a longstanding policy of respecting self-determination. The Foreign Secretary and I have been clear that Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and the future of their constitutional arrangements is a matter for the people and Government of Greenland, and the Kingdom of Denmark.