Asked by: Lord Bishop of Winchester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to provide aid to Christian communities in Nigeria facing persecution and violence.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The UK is committed to supporting Nigeria to address ongoing security challenges, including intercommunal violence and violent extremism. It is important to remember that the perpetrators of this violence do not come from any one ethnic or religious group, and the devastating effects are felt by communities of different faiths and ethnicities. The UK is providing £38 million in programming to Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria supporting locally led solutions in Northern Nigeria to tackle the root causes of intercommunal violence.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Winchester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement the 22 recommendations set out in the Bishop of Truro’s independent review of Foreign and Commonwealth Office support for persecuted Christians, published in July 2019; and what is their timescale for doing so.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government is committed to championing human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. An independent review of the FCDO's implementation of the Truro recommendations in 2022 was largely positive. This has concluded, and we are focused on the present while also looking to the future. We stand up for FoRB bilaterally through our diplomatic network, and multilaterally including through the UN and the Article 18 Alliance. For example, in October we engaged with the Special Rapporteur for FoRB during the UN General Assembly's Third Committee and raised FoRB during November's Universal Periodic Reviews on Nicaragua and Qatar.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Winchester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on 18 October (HC8437), how many FCDO staff are dedicated to freedom of religion or belief and at what level of seniority.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
The FCDO champions freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. Officials dedicated to promoting FoRB policy include a central FoRB team, geographical policy leads for human rights, diplomats overseas and senior officials in Human Rights Department. Ministerial responsibility for FoRB rests with the Minister for Human Rights. Director General, Legal, is the FCDO's Board Sponsor for FoRB, raising awareness across FCDO.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Winchester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to work within international forums to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations against the Banyamulenge in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The UK continues to raise concerns about human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and condemns all forms of hate speech and violence committed against all individuals and communities in DRC. We continue to lobby DRC to tackle the drivers of conflict, introduce human rights reforms and combat impunity. The UK also continues to push for the imposition of sanctions through the UN against individuals who have committed human rights abuses. Given the withdrawal of UN peacekeeping force, United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) from South Kivu, we continue to encourage DRC to ensure suitable plans are in place regarding protection of civilians, including those in particularly vulnerable communities.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Winchester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they plan to make to the government of Iraq regarding the subversion of regional government by Iranian-backed militia in the Ninevah Plains and the impact of this on the stability of the region and on the safety of the Christian community there.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
It is vital that the Government of Iraq keep Iraqi militia groups in line and ensure democracy is adhered to. We are closely monitoring the impact of these developments on the safety of Nineveh's Christian community.
The UK is firmly committed to protecting the Christian community, and other ethnic and religious minorities, and are strong advocates of greater Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Iraq. We regularly engage with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on this issue, in particular the importance that minorities are included in national and local government as well as reconciliation efforts.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Winchester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to appoint a Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, in line with recommendation 6 of the ‘Truro' Review of 2019.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government will champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. Envoy roles will be decided upon in due course. In the meantime, we will use the strength of our global diplomatic network, including dedicated staff within the FCDO, to promote and protect FoRB around the world.