Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the burning of sacred places belonging indigenous tribes in Columbia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

The British Government remains concerned about threats against human rights defenders, social leaders and indigenous communities in Colombia. UK ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights issues, as well as specific cases of concern, with the Colombian Government, and in multilateral fora. Most recently, as the UK's Minister for Europe and Americas, Wendy Morton MP spoke to Vice President Ramírez regarding the human rights situation on a visit to Colombia from 22-24 November.

We also consistently raise our concerns regarding violence against indigenous communities at the UN Security Council, as we did at meetings in July, and on 14 October. We urge the Colombian Government to further integrate its presence in conflict-affected areas, and strengthen the institutions that can investigate and prosecute the criminal actors responsible. We have called on all institutions to heed the early warnings of the Ombudsman's Office to help prevent attacks from happening and protect those at risk.

Through our Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF) programme, which has provided £68 million in support of peace agreement implementation, security, and stability in Colombia since 2015, we will continue to prioritise funding interventions to protect human rights defenders, social leaders and indigenous communities.