Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support human rights groups working on business and human rights.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) supports human rights groups working on business and human rights through diplomacy, communications and project work. We have supported several non-governmental organisations working in this field, with funding from the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy. In financial year 2017/18 we supported the Institute for Human Rights and Business and Huridocs (this work continues). Our network of posts has also worked on business and human rights, including a project with Marks and Spencer in India.

As set out in our National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, the UK Government is committed to the full implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The FCO encourages other countries to follow our example in implementing National Action Plans.