Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has held discussions with the UN on Islamophobia in the period since the UN Human Rights Council approved a resolution on religious hatred in July 2023.

The UK engaged with the Organization for Islamic Co-operation at the UN Human Rights Council in July and, whilst condemning actions that seek to incite violence, discrimination or hatred, underlined the importance of striking a balance between freedom of expression and Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in the draft resolution on religious hatred. Ultimately, we could not support the final resolution presented as this balance was not achieved. The issue was also discussed at the UN General Assembly where we reiterated the need for a balanced approach. We will continue to work with our international partners to support FoRB for all.