Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support the protection of freedom of religion or belief in countries identified as priority areas as part of her Department’s freedom of religion or belief strategy.

The UK champions Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, both in sub-Saharan Africa and across the world. On 8 July, the UK's Special Envoy for Religious Freedom, David Smith MP, set out the Government's new strategy on FoRB, providing a framework for engagement with other countries, and describing the links between the protection of FoRB and other goals including the prevention of conflict. As part of this strategy, the UK continues to support FoRB on the international stage, through our position in the United Nations, G7 and Article 18 Alliance.