Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress her Department has made in promoting animal welfare in Pakistan (a) in general and (b) in relation to the practice of keeping Himalayan brown bears in captivity for entertainment and dancing purposes.

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs published its Action Plan for Animal Welfare on 12 May 2021 setting out the Government's plans, aims and ambitions in this policy area. The Action Plan for Animal Welfare demonstrates this Government's commitment to a brighter future for animals both at home and abroad. Our exit from the EU affords us the opportunity to raise our already high domestic animal welfare standards, to act as a dynamic leader on the world stage, and to introduce measures and protections which are right in principle.

The UK Government is also at the forefront of international efforts to protect endangered animals from poaching and illegal trade. We are investing over £46m between 2014 and 2022 on work to directly counter the illegal wildlife trade (IWT) in animals and plants, including to reduce demand, strengthen enforcement, ensure effective legal frameworks and develop sustainable livelihoods. The IWT Challenge Fund has committed over £37m to 113 projects around the world since it was launched at the London IWT Conference in 2014. The UK is also contributing £250m to the Global Environment Facility between 2018-2022, which includes the world's biggest fund for tackling IWT, the Global Wildlife Programme (GWP), and supports IWT projects across 32 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.