Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts for countries in the Sahel on insurgents in that territory.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK is deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel. At the G5 Sahel Summit on 16 February, attended by all Sahelian governments and international partners, the Foreign Secretary set out the need to address impunity for human rights abuses and violations, strengthen civil-military coordination, and improve efforts to enhance stability in the region.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of internet freedom in countries in Africa categorised as Partly Free by the Freedom House index for 2020.
Answered by James Duddridge
Promoting and protecting media freedom is an important part of the UK's work to protect and defend human rights in Africa. The UK is committed to a free, open, peaceful and secure internet. It enables freedom of expression and provides a wide arena for human rights defenders and civil society to engage in democratic processes and to hold governments to account. The FCDO is supporting the NGO Access Now's #KeepItOn campaign, which brings together a coalition of over 100 countries to counter internet shutdowns. The UK also works to defend internet freedom though our membership of the Freedom Online Coalition, a coalition of 32 countries. Defending Media Freedom forms a key part of our commitment to supporting Open Societies and Human Rights, which was set out recently in the Integrated Review and which forms one of the seven key priority areas set out by the Foreign Secretary for the aid budget this year.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of internet freedom in countries in Africa categorised as Not Free by the Freedom House index for 2020.
Answered by James Duddridge
Promoting and protecting media freedom is an important part of the UK's work to protect and defend human rights in Africa. The UK is committed to a free, open, peaceful and secure internet. It enables freedom of expression and provides a wide arena for human rights defenders and civil society to engage in democratic processes and to hold governments to account. The FCDO is supporting the NGO Access Now's #KeepItOn campaign, which brings together a coalition of over 100 countries to counter internet shutdowns. The UK also works to defend internet freedom though our membership of the Freedom Online Coalition, a coalition of 32 countries. Defending Media Freedom forms a key part of our commitment to supporting Open Societies and Human Rights, which was set out recently in the Integrated Review and which forms one of the seven key priority areas set out by the Foreign Secretary for the aid budget this year.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in the Central African Republic.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK is committed to supporting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious groups in the Central African Republic (CAR). We work through the UN General Assembly Third Committee, UN Security Council and UN Human Rights Council to promote and protect these rights in CAR.
The UK contributes approximately £40 million annually to the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA) which continues to provide security across CAR. The mission works closely with the CAR government with the aim of protecting civilians and helping religious and non-religious groups and communities to co-exist peacefully. We also continue to monitor and report human rights abuses committed by armed groups in CAR, including violations of the 2019 Peace Agreement such as violent attacks on houses of worship, hospitals, and schools.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department are taking to increase the level of democracy in countries in Africa categorised as Partly Free by the Freedom House index for 2020.
Answered by James Duddridge
Promoting democracy and defending democratic freedoms is a fundamental part of the UK's foreign policy in Africa. We believe that strong democratic institutions and accountable governments, which uphold universal rights and the rule of law, are key building blocks for secure and prosperous states. The way we act to support democracy in each country is different and dependent on the context and needs of the country concerned. Our approach is principled but practical, based on an understanding of where and how we can affect positive change. The UK is a strong advocate for the promotion and defence of democracy in Africa. We support a wide range of democracy-building initiatives, including funding Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that increase citizen participation, promoting inclusion of marginalised groups, providing training for legal professionals, promoting freedom of expression, and strengthening political parties and parliaments.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to challenge the spread of technological surveillance in (a) Tibet and (b) Xinjiang.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We regularly raise our deep concerns about the human rights situation in Tibet and Xinjiang bilaterally with the Chinese authorities and at the UN. There is a growing body of evidence of extensive and invasive surveillance targeting minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang. The UK is committed to promoting the ethical development and deployment of technology in the UK and overseas.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of internet freedom in countries in Asia categorised as Partly Free by the Freedom House index for 2020.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Promoting and protecting media freedom is an important part of the UK's work to protect and defend human rights in Asia. The UK is committed to a free, open, peaceful and secure internet. It enables freedom of expression and provides a wide arena for human rights defenders and civil society to engage in democratic processes and to hold governments to account. The FCDO is supporting the NGO Access Now's #KeepItOn campaign, which brings together a coalition of over 100 countries to counter internet shutdowns. The UK also works to defend internet freedom though our membership of the Freedom Online Coalition, a coalition of 32 countries.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of internet freedom in countries in Asia categorised as Not Free by the Freedom House index for 2020.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Promoting and protecting media freedom is an important part of the UK's work to protect and defend human rights in Asia. The UK is committed to a free, open, peaceful and secure internet. It enables freedom of expression and provides a wide arena for human rights defenders and civil society to engage in democratic processes and to hold governments to account. The FCDO is supporting the NGO Access Now's #KeepItOn campaign, which brings together a coalition of over 100 countries to counter internet shutdowns. The UK also works to defend internet freedom though our membership of the Freedom Online Coalition, a coalition of 32 countries.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in Vietnam.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.
In Vietnam we have publicly confirmed our position that members of religious groups and organisations, both recognised and unrecognised, should be allowed to worship and practise their beliefs peacefully. The UK works alongside likeminded diplomatic missions and organisations to coordinate activity on FoRB of religious communities. The UK-Vietnam Strategic Partnership Agreement commits to cooperation on human rights and we raise concerns on policy and individual cases during our annual Strategic Dialogue with Vietnamese Ministers.
The Minister responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, made the UK's commitment to FoRB for all clear in a number of international meetings in November 2020. On 16 November 2020, he virtually attended the Ministerial meeting to Advance Freedom of Religion or Belief in Warsaw and reaffirmed the UK's commitment to promoting FoRB, particularly during the pandemic. He also reaffirmed the UK's commitment to promoting FoRB for all at the Ministers' Forum of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance in the same month. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister appointed Fiona Bruce MP as his special envoy for FoRB. Mrs Bruce represents the UK at meetings of the alliance, who work to advocate for the rights of individuals being discriminated against or persecuted on the basis of their faith or belief.
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support freedom of religion in Indonesia.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities. Ministers and officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and discuss practices and laws that discriminate on the basis of religion or belief. On a multilateral level, we work within the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance ('Alliance') and other international organisations and networks to promote and protect FoRB for all where it is threatened. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to FoRB by appointing Fiona Bruce MP as his Special Envoy for FoRB. Mrs Bruce represents the UK at meetings of the Alliance who work to advocate for the rights of individuals being discriminated against or persecuted on the basis of their faith or belief.
In Indonesia, Embassy officials regularly meet with senior members of all six official faiths and also with Ahmadiyah and Shia communities. The British Ambassador to Indonesia met with the Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister on 19 January 2021 and discussed this issue.