Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to recognise crimes committed against the Yazidis as genocide.

We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Yazidis and other minorities, as well as the majority Muslim population in Syria and Iraq. We note the conviction in a German court on 30 November of a former Daesh fighter for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We will continue to use our position at the UN, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to raise atrocity situations of concern and to support the deployment of all appropriate tools available to the UN in dealing with potential mass atrocities and conflict. Our focus is always on securing an end to violence and protecting civilians.

The UK has contributed £2 million to the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD), to gather evidence of Daesh crimes in Iraq. We continue to champion, and are committed to, UNITAD's work in gathering evidence of crimes. The UK contributes to the implementation of Iraq's Yazidi Survivor's law which was passed in March 2021 and we continue to work with a wide range of actors to ensure full implementation.