Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Colombian counterpart on the recent attacks against Wayúu Indigenous leaders in La Guajira.

UK ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights issues, as well as specific cases of concern, with the Colombian Government and in multilateral fora. Most recently, Lord Ahmed discussed human rights and the security situation in Colombia in his meeting with President Duque on 12 April. I also discussed human rights concerns with Vice-President and Foreign Minister Ramírez on 10 February.

Colombia is a UK 'Human Rights Priority Country,' and we also consistently raise our concerns regarding violence against human rights defenders, including social leaders and indigenous leaders at the UN Security Council, as we did on 12 April. We look to the Colombian Government to further integrate its presence in conflict-affected areas, and strengthen the institutions that can investigate and prosecute the criminal actors responsible.

Last April, officials from our Embassy in Bogotá met with Wayúu Indigenous leaders to discuss concerns and FCDO officials in London met with a member of the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective on 25 May. Through our Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) programme, which has provided £69 million in support of peace agreement implementation, security, and stability in Colombia since 2015, we will continue to prioritise funding interventions to protect human rights defenders, social leaders and indigenous communities