Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review for the Foreign Secretary of FCO Support for Persecuted Christians, what progress he has made with his counterparts at the UN on enhancing the protections afforded to (a) Christians and (b) other minority religions in the Middle East.

The persecution of Christians and other minority groups in the Middle East, remains of profound concern to us. The British Government is strongly committed to standing up for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) all over the world, including the Middle East. This commitment was reiterated by the Prime Minister in a statement Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon delivered on his behalf on 22 August, as well as by the UK Delegation to the OSCE on 19 September, and most recently in Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon's statement on 27 September at the UN General Assembly.

Bishop Philip’s report has identified specific steps the British Government can take to address the issues faced by persecuted Christians around the world. We have accepted the recommendations in full and Rehman Chishti, MP, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for FoRB, is overseeing their implementation. This work will include exploring how best to deliver a new UN Security Council Resolution on protecting Christians and other minorities in North Africa and the Middle East.