Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is giving to Christians in Northern Iraq and Syria to help with relocation and rebuilding of church property.

Humanitarian and reconstruction needs in both Syria and in Iraq are amongst the most severe in the world, and we must accordingly prioritise carefully to ensure we reach the most vulnerable people, including Christians. UK funding is distributed on the basis of need, to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, or ethnicity.

In Syria, while the conflict is ongoing, our priority is to deliver immediate, life-saving humanitarian aid to those affected.

In addition to our highly-targeted humanitarian funding in Iraq, we have to date contributed £14.45 million to the UN’s Funding Facility for Stabilisation (FFS), to help the Iraqi government re-establish basic services in areas of return, such as Northern Iraq. The FFS is currently implementing over 200 projects in areas where Christian communities reside. These projects have been targeted at the most acute stabilisation needs, for example to ensure that Iraqis liberated from Daesh can access clean water and basic healthcare; to date projects have not included the relocation or rebuilding of church property.