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 ensure UK aid supports women facing persecution due to both their faith and gender.

The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or 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 fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding.

We are clear, too, that we will work to advance gender equality and empower women and girls through our international action. We focus on those with intersecting forms of disadvantage where the risks are extreme.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works to ensure that Official Development Assistance (ODA) is allocated to support those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance irrespective of race, religion, or ethnicity. This includes minority religious or belief communities, who are assessed by our partners when determining those most in need of protection and assistance.