Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the protection of religious minorities and the restoration of communities in Sudan.

We continue to press the warring parties to protect civilians of all faiths and none, to comply with international humanitarian law and allow unimpeded humanitarian access to all communities across Sudan. In October, the UK led efforts alongside partners in the UK-established Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan to renew the UN Fact-Finding Mission's mandate to investigate human rights violations and abuses across Sudan. We also support Sudanese human rights defenders to collect evidence of atrocities, helping lay the foundations for accountability and justice.

Our work to advance freedom of religion and belief is embedded in our broader support for independent civilian actors and for open civic space in Sudan. The UK supports efforts to bring a diverse range of Sudanese voices into inclusive political dialogue, including religious minorities, and as part of this we have met with Sudanese Christian leaders.

The UK is providing £146 million of assistance to Sudan this year, making us the third largest humanitarian donor. Non-discrimination is embedded throughout the design and delivery of UK-funded programming. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office programmes are required to consider equality and inclusion, identify risks of exclusion or unintended harm, and put appropriate mitigations in place to ensure assistance is delivered according to need and does not reinforce discrimination.