Poland: LGBT People

(asked on 28th August 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to hold discussions with his Polish counterpart on alleged human rights abuses against LGBTIQ+ communities since the recent election of President Duda in that country.


Answered by
Wendy Morton Portrait
Wendy Morton
This question was answered on 8th September 2020

The UK is implacably opposed to all forms of discrimination and committed to promoting and protecting the rights and freedoms of LGBT people in all circumstances. Our Embassy in Warsaw is working actively on this agenda: it is engaged in dialogue with both civil society and the Polish Government, as well as with our diplomatic partners. It will continue to work with the LGBT community in Poland to identify opportunities to tackle discrimination and promote inclusion.

The Embassy has established itself as one of the diplomatic missions in Warsaw that is most active on the LGBT agenda. During last year's Pride season, it brought the diplomatic community in Warsaw together to endorse a joint letter to the Polish Prime Minister expressing support for LGBT equality and respect for human rights, which over 50 diplomatic missions signed. In January, it hosted a roundtable on the role of business and NGOs in promoting LGBT rights, bringing the Polish business and LGBT communities together to discuss how to jointly build a more inclusive society. This year, the Embassy flew the rainbow flag over the weekend of 20/21 June as part of its activity to promote Pride month.?The Embassy continues to work closely with NGOs such as the Campaign Against Homophobia and Polish Society for Anti-Discrimination Law on projects to improve the situation of LGBT people in Poland. We will continue to work through our Embassy in Warsaw and through international organisations, including the UN, OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Commonwealth, to promote tolerance and to fight discrimination against LGBT people.

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