Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Swiss counterparts on preventing the international trade in conflict gold illicitly mined in Africa.

Switzerland is crucial to tackling the illicit gold trade as it is a key global gold refining centre, home to the largest gold refiners in the world, and one of the global leaders in implementing multilateral gold standards. The Foreign Secretary has engaged closely with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis on tackling illicit financial flows and corruption globally, and will hold further discussions to develop areas for strengthened collaboration and partnership.