Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 15 April 2021 to Question 178838 on Persecution of Christians Across the Globe Independent Review, what progress has been made on implementing recommendation number 12 of the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review of the FCO’s work to support persecuted Christians which calls for the establishment of a clear framework for reporting by posts to include engagement with majority and minority religious leaders, local civil society and NGOs, plus engagement where appropriate with representatives of such diaspora communities in the UK.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Government has committed to implementing in full the recommendations in the Bishop of Truro's review, and work continues to implement them in a way that will bring real improvement to the lives of those persecuted due to their faith or belief. Of the 22 recommendations we have fully delivered ten, made good progress on a further eight, and are confident that all 22 will be delivered by the time of the independent review in 2022. At a country level, Ministers and officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and discuss practices and laws that discriminate on the basis of religion or belief.
On recommendation 11, the FCDO is currently working with an external implementer to develop training for staff on religion for international engagement. The implementer, the Edward Cadbury Centre at the University of Birmingham, is consulting with a wide range of external stakeholders, including those that work specifically on Christian Persecution. The training will support our work on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, including amplifying the FoRB toolkit.
Posts across the FCDO network regularly report on the local human rights situation, including in relation to the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of religion or belief, and reflect engagement with the host government, religious leaders, civil society and NGOs. Staff make use of the Freedom of Religion or Belief Toolkit to establish a baseline for their reporting. In line with recommendation 12 of the Bishop of Truro's review, good progress is being made on developing a framework for reporting on FoRB. It will include guidance on who to engage with, and how to form recommendations for action.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 15 April 2021 to Question 178838 on Persecution of Christians Across the Globe Independent Review, which of the 22 recommendations made by the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review of the FCO’s work to support persecuted Christians are yet to be fully delivered or significantly progressed.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Government has committed to implementing in full the recommendations in the Bishop of Truro's review, and work continues to implement them in a way that will bring real improvement to the lives of those persecuted due to their faith or belief. Of the 22 recommendations we have fully delivered ten, made good progress on a further eight, and are confident that all 22 will be delivered by the time of the independent review in 2022. At a country level, Ministers and officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and discuss practices and laws that discriminate on the basis of religion or belief.
On recommendation 11, the FCDO is currently working with an external implementer to develop training for staff on religion for international engagement. The implementer, the Edward Cadbury Centre at the University of Birmingham, is consulting with a wide range of external stakeholders, including those that work specifically on Christian Persecution. The training will support our work on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, including amplifying the FoRB toolkit.
Posts across the FCDO network regularly report on the local human rights situation, including in relation to the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of religion or belief, and reflect engagement with the host government, religious leaders, civil society and NGOs. Staff make use of the Freedom of Religion or Belief Toolkit to establish a baseline for their reporting. In line with recommendation 12 of the Bishop of Truro's review, good progress is being made on developing a framework for reporting on FoRB. It will include guidance on who to engage with, and how to form recommendations for action.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 15 April 2021 to Question 178838 on Persecution of Christians Across the Globe Independent Review, what progress his Department has made on implementing recommendation number 11 of the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review of the FCDO’s work to support persecuted Christians to ensure that training in religious literacy and belief dynamics is undertaken in all roles where that understanding is important before each deployment.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Government has committed to implementing in full the recommendations in the Bishop of Truro's review, and work continues to implement them in a way that will bring real improvement to the lives of those persecuted due to their faith or belief. Of the 22 recommendations we have fully delivered ten, made good progress on a further eight, and are confident that all 22 will be delivered by the time of the independent review in 2022. At a country level, Ministers and officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and discuss practices and laws that discriminate on the basis of religion or belief.
On recommendation 11, the FCDO is currently working with an external implementer to develop training for staff on religion for international engagement. The implementer, the Edward Cadbury Centre at the University of Birmingham, is consulting with a wide range of external stakeholders, including those that work specifically on Christian Persecution. The training will support our work on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, including amplifying the FoRB toolkit.
Posts across the FCDO network regularly report on the local human rights situation, including in relation to the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of religion or belief, and reflect engagement with the host government, religious leaders, civil society and NGOs. Staff make use of the Freedom of Religion or Belief Toolkit to establish a baseline for their reporting. In line with recommendation 12 of the Bishop of Truro's review, good progress is being made on developing a framework for reporting on FoRB. It will include guidance on who to engage with, and how to form recommendations for action.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress his Department has made in implementing the recommendations of the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review of his Department's work to support persecuted Christians.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Government has committed to implementing the Bishop of Truro's recommendations in full, and work continues to implement them in a way that will bring real improvement to the lives of those persecuted due to their faith or belief. Of the 22 recommendations we have fully delivered ten, made good progress on a further eight, and are confident that all 22 will be delivered by the time of the independent review in 2022. At a country level, Ministers and officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and discuss practices and laws that discriminate on the basis of religion or belief.
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 works with the Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, to continue work on delivering the recommendations.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to introduce sanctions against human rights violators in (a) Eritrea, (b) North Korea and (c) Myanmar.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK remains deeply concerned about the appalling human rights situation in the DPRK. Its Government must address the many reports of continued and widespread human rights violations in the country, including the arbitrary detention of its citizens. That is why, in July 2020, the UK designated two DPRK entities through the Global Human Rights sanctions regime, including the Ministry of State Security Bureau 7 and Ministry of People's Security Correctional Bureau.
The UK, in conjunction with partners including the US and Canada, have announced targeted sanctions against nine high-ranking military officials and two military conglomerates for their role in serious human rights violations in Myanmar. We are consulting with partners on further measures, including additional sanctions. There will be a cost on the Myanmar military, and we will consider all tools at our disposal to do so. These sanctions follow the 16 individuals from the Myanmar military who were previously listed by the UK for human rights violations.
We are deeply concerned by Eritrean involvement in the conflict in Tigray. The Minister for Africa has made clear to the Eritrean Ambassador the UK's concern about reports of human rights violations by all parties to the conflict, the dire humanitarian conditions in Tigray, and the need for the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Tigray. Perpetrators of human rights abuses and violations must be held to account, whoever they are.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps are being taken to promote tourism and investment in Northern Ireland through the global UK diplomatic network.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that the Commonwealth Heads of Government joint communique makes reference to the right to freedom of religion and belief.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are working with fellow member states to negotiate the communiqué for next month's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. While it would be inappropriate to comment on those negotiations, the UK considers freedom of religion and belief to be one of the Commonwealth's core values.
Encouraging member states to uphold the values and principles enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter – which include freedom of religion as well as democracy, freedom of expression, the rule of law and opposition to all forms of discrimination – will be an important part of April's summit.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received representations to support the candidacy of Argentine Foreign Minister Susanna Malcorra for the position of UN Secretary General; what assessment he has made of the potential effect on UK sovereignty over the Falkland Islands of such an appointment; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Swire
I have received notice that Argentina’s Foreign Minister, Susana Malcorra, is bidding for the role of UN Secretary-General. We want a strong Secretary-General, one with integrity, a proven track record, first class communication skills, suitable and relevant experience and unimpeachable character. They should be committed to transparency and accountability, have strong leadership skills, a bold vision for an activist UN at the heart of the rules-based system, and be committed to cost-effective management and reform. It is imperative that any Secretary-General serves the whole membership. We judge all candidates on their merits. The United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falklands and surrounding maritime areas, nor about the Falkland Islanders’ right to decide their own future.Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent contracts his Department has had with the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Swire
Ministers and Government Officials maintain a regular dialogue with all sides of the constitutional reform debate in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the Central People’s Government, and representatives of pro-democracy groups. During my visit to Hong Kong in January, I met with the President of the Legislative Council as well as a number of legislators from a range of parties, and with a range of views on the constitutional reform debate. I previously met with two prominent pro-democracy figures, Anson Chan and Martin Lee, during their visit to London in July. Separately, the Deputy Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg) also met with them.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued statements on the situation in Hong Kong on both 29 September and 2 October and I issued a Written Ministerial Statement on 13 October. The Government’s next Six Monthly Report on Hong Kong will be published in February.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the Government is supplying to the Nigerian government in the form of intelligence and counter-terrorism expertise to help in the fight against Boko Haram.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK is providing a substantial package of UK military, intelligence and development support to Nigeria. A resident military training and advisory team, supplemented as required by short term training teams from the UK, is delivering a programme of military capacity building assistance to the Nigerian military. This includes tactical training and advice on counter-insurgency. We continue to provide commercial satellite imagery to the Intelligence Fusion Cell in Abuja, where UK personnel are working alongside Nigerian, US and French colleagues. With France and the US, we are also supporting regional intelligence sharing arrangements between Nigeria and its neighbours.