Asked by: Lord Carey of Clifton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of recent developments in the control of the Nagorno–Karabakh region for freedom of religion or belief in Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has been clear that the preservation of sites of religious significance in both Armenia and Azerbaijan is an important issue, and we take seriously reports of the destruction or targeting of such sites. Embassies in Baku and Yerevan have raised this issue with both Armenian and Azerbaijani governments, and we encourage both to ensure that freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is protected in their countries. We will continue to uphold the right to FoRB through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through our bilateral work.
Asked by: Lord Carey of Clifton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the proportion of Christians accepted under the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Programme.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Our resettlement schemes prioritise the most vulnerable refugees regardless of race, religion or ethnicity – we do not discriminate in favour of, or against, any particular group. This is why we work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which has well-established procedures and criteria for identifying and resettling the most vulnerable refugees. Apart from the criteria we set for each scheme, we do not seek to influence which cases are referred to us by UNHCR.
However, we recognise how important it is that UNHCR is accessible to the most vulnerable refugees, including members of minority religions, and this is why we are working with UNHCR and their partners to intensify their outreach to groups that might otherwise be reluctant to register. This includes people in formal refugee camps, informal settlements and host communities. The efforts undertaken by UNHCR include mobile registration teams, outreach teams, and helpdesks for areas where different minority groups are concentrated to facilitate registration and access to services.