Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote the protection of religious freedom in (a) Brunei, (b) Laos, (c) the Maldives, (d) Malaysia, (e) Myanmar and (f) Indonesia.

The UK champions, and remains strongly committed to, Freedom of Religious Belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral organisations, our bilateral work, and our programme funding. The UK continues to hold countries to account on their FoRB commitments and obligations, including Southeast Asian nations, through our engagement with the UN's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and at the UN Human Rights Council. This work is mutually reinforcing of our wider human rights efforts, underpinning our belief that human rights are universal.