Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help prevent the (a) mis-treatment, (b) imprisonment and (c) execution of (i) human rights defenders and (i) environmental defenders throughout the world; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
In 2017 the then Foreign Secretary issued a revised version of the UK Guidelines on Working with Human Rights Defenders to the diplomatic network. In addition, all Human Rights Priority Countries are required to have a Human Rights Strategy, that includes support for human rights defenders working on the range of human rights, including those related to the environment. Depending on the local context, this might involve making public statements, attending trials, or working privately with the host government. Funding for projects through the Magna Carta Fund, further supports the work of the diplomatic network in supporting human rights defenders. The UK also works through the multilateral system, to develop consensus among members for the protection of all human rights defenders, including protection against reprisals, arbitrary detention and violence. It is the long-standing policy of the UK, to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances, as a matter of principle.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote and support human rights internationally.
Answered by Mark Field
Promoting and defending human rights is an essential aim of the foreign policy of "Global Britain". The Foreign Office's 2017 "Human Rights & Democracy" report demonstrates the breadth of the issues that we campaign on and how we mobilise the diplomatic network to champion universal rights.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers and officials defend and promote human rights in bilateral engagements, in multilateral fora, and by funding projects through the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy.
Asked by: Roger Godsiff (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2018 to Question 161195, whether the Government has made representations to the Government of Pakistan on the murder of Mr Muhammed Shoban on the 25 June 2018; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
We regularly raise the importance of religious tolerance with the government of Pakistan. We raise few individual cases. We focus on urging the government of Pakistan to fulfil its duty to uphold the rights of all Pakistan's citizens irrespective of religious identity. This includes raising concerns about discrimination and violence against Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan. I raised the treatment of religious minorities, including the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, with the Ministry of Human Rights during my visit to Pakistan in November 2017. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon discussed the issue of freedom of religion or belief, and the protection of religious minorities with Pakistan's Interior Minister in February 2018.
At the UN Periodic Review of Pakistan's human rights record in 2017, the UK urged Pakistan to strengthen protection of minorities, including by establishing an independent National Commission for Minorities. The UK Government is supporting projects in Pakistan to promote greater tolerance and religious freedom through our Magna Carta Fund.
The appointment of Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief affirms our commitment to stand up for this key global freedom.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has held discussions with Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers on appointing an LGBT special envoy as part of the Government's LGBT Action Plan 2018: Improving the lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The promotion and protection of LGBT rights is a UK priority. We work to promote tolerance and non-discrimination against LGBT people and to address discriminatory laws, in particular those that criminalise same sex relations. My Ministerial colleagues and I, and every one of our Ambassadors and High Commissioners worldwide act as envoys on this issue.
We consider that it is more effective to promote the rights of LGBT people as part of a broader approach to equality and non-discrimination, and through the regular engagement of FCO Ministers and officials at our Embassies and High Commissions overseas. We have no current plans to appoint a Special Envoy to work exclusively on LGBT rights.
We announced in the action plan published recently, that we will continue to promote LGBT rights internationally through our overseas missions and through international organisations, including the UN, European institutions and the Commonwealth. We also provide funding to promote LGBT equality. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy has committed £1.1 million to support LGBT rights projects worldwide in 2018 and 2019, and the Department for International Development will provide up to £12 million over four years, from 2018 to 2022, for a consortium of organisations to work together to promote LGBT inclusion.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the press release, Foreign Secretary announces free speech funding, published by his Department on 2 November 2017, in which countries the funding for press freedom is being spent.
Answered by Mark Field
Under the Magna Carta Fund the FCO has allocated over £1.5m for projects on media freedom and freedom of expression this year. The allocation to specific projects and countries is still being decided, but NGOs will be invited to bid to run projects that support a free media. Further money is available for press freedom through the Good Governance Fund, which covers Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine, and through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund.
Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans the Government has to respond to the reported surge in the repression of human rights defenders worldwide; and whether the Government plans to commit to a renewed strategy of support and protection.
Answered by Mark Field
In light of the increasing level of intimidation and persecution of human rights defenders in many parts of the world, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has worked with several civil society organisations to update its internal guidance on working with human rights defenders. The Foreign Secretary issued this updated guidance to all Embassies and High Commissions in December 2017. The guidance tasks the FCO's network of Embassies and High Commissions to find practical ways to support human rights defenders. The FCO keeps the implementation of the guidance under constant review.
The FCO supports the work of human rights defenders through the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, most of which is allocated for implementation of projects by human rights defenders and civil society organisations. The FCO also highlights repression of human rights defenders in its Annual Human Rights Report.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support human rights groups working on business and human rights.
Answered by Mark Field
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) supports human rights groups working on business and human rights through diplomacy, communications and project work. We have supported several non-governmental organisations working in this field, with funding from the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy. In financial year 2017/18 we supported the Institute for Human Rights and Business and Huridocs (this work continues). Our network of posts has also worked on business and human rights, including a project with Marks and Spencer in India.
As set out in our National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, the UK Government is committed to the full implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The FCO encourages other countries to follow our example in implementing National Action Plans.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much money was spent by the Government on (a) protecting and (b) supporting human rights defenders globally in each year since 2009-10.
Answered by Mark Field
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) protects and supports human rights defenders in a variety of ways, including by funding projects through the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy (MCF) and the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF). Figures for MCF-funded projects specifically focussing on human rights defenders are only available from 2016. In financial year 2016/17, the FCO spent an estimated £609,185 from MCF on projects to protect and/or support human rights defenders. The figure for financial year 2017/18 is likely to be approximately £449,430. These figures do not take into account work funded from the CSSF or projects which supported human rights defenders that fall into different thematic areas such as freedom of expression or freedom of religion or belief. An accurate and comprehensive estimate of the full value of FCO's work to protect and support human rights defenders would need to take into account the full economic cost of non-project activities such as communications, attendance at trials, and diplomatic engagement with overseas governments and state institutions. Data to allow such an estimate to be reached is not held centrally
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which takes place on 10 December.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Every year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office commemorates Human Rights Day (10 December) which is the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its diplomatic network will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights using a variety of public diplomacy efforts to promote, defend and champion human rights. This includes, as set out in my statement at the Human Rights Council, the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy spending approximately £10.6 million in 2017/18 to support 110 projects in over 60 countries. The UK remains committed to the universal principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Coventry (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the details of the £600,000 worth of projects funded by the Magna Carta Fund in 2016–17 which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office stated have directly led to positive freedom of religion or belief outcomes in 20 countries; and what are those outcomes.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Several projects were funded by the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy in 2016-17, including: