Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking diplomatic steps with (a) the Iranian Government and (b) the United Nations Human Rights Council to challenge the death sentences imposed on Zahra Seddiqi Hamedani and Elham Choubdar in Iran on 6 September 2022.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The United Kingdom is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, including Iran. We have made clear to Iran, both in public and in private, our opposition to the use of the death penalty and will continue to do so. We have designated Iran as a Human Rights Priority Country and continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor human rights record, including through the Human Rights Council.
LGBT+ people have long faced discrimination and violence in Iran, and are unable to live openly. During the Interactive Dialogue on Iran, at the 49th Session of the Human Rights Council, the UK set out our serious concerns about Iran's continued human rights abuses, including against human rights defenders, activists and persons from marginalised minorities.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to support LGBTQ+ rights in southern Africa.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is committed to championing LGBT+ rights internationally and supporting those who defend them. Ministers and our overseas missions work closely with partners across Southern Africa to advance LGBT+ equality, and promote the implementation of new laws and policies that better protect LGBT+ people from violence and discrimination.
Since 2018, the UK has committed over £13.5 million in programmes to support the promotion and protection of LGBT+ people's rights around the world. On 24 June, the former Prime Minister announced a further £2.7 million of UK funding to support LGBT+ grassroots human rights defenders, including those fighting for equality in Southern Africa.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the announcement at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Annual Meeting by the Prime Minister of £2.7 million in funding to support LGBT+ grassroots human rights defenders, and advance equality and freedom across the Commonwealth, what plans the Government has to provide such funding to other parts of the world.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is committed to championing LGBT+ rights internationally and supporting those who defend them. As well as working across the Commonwealth, our programmes also work in countries across the world, such as Belize and Seychelles, supporting human rights defenders to promote the implementation of new laws and policies that better protect LGBT+ people from violence and discrimination. As an example, we are strengthening data in support of LGBT+ people at risk in and fleeing from Afghanistan, as well as continuing to support at-risk Afghans, including LGBT+ people, to come to the UK and we expect more to arrive in the UK in the coming months.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has provided to support to LGBT+ communities in sub-Saharan Southern Africa on reforming laws that discriminate against people of that community.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is committed to championing LGBT+ rights internationally and supporting those who defend them. Ministers and our overseas missions work closely with partners across Sub-Saharan Africa to advance LGBT+ equality, and promote the implementation of new laws and policies that better protect LGBT+ people from violence and discrimination.
Since 2018, the UK committed over £11 million in programmes to support the promotion and protection of LGBT+ people's rights around the world. On 24 June, the Prime Minister announced a further £2.7 million of UK funding to support LGBT+ grassroots human rights defenders, including those fighting for equality in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade on 30 June 2022, Official Report, column 555, what initiatives her Department is developing to provide financial support for ensuring that LGBT+ non-governmental organisations are able to challenge discrimination in countries where same sex relationships are illegal.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is committed to championing LGBT+ rights internationally and supporting those who defend them. Ministers and our overseas missions work closely with partners to advance LGBT+ equality, and promote the implementation of new laws and policies that better protect LGBT+ people from violence and discrimination.
Since 2018, the UK has committed over £11 million in programmes to support the promotion and protection of LGBT+ rights. On 24 June, the Prime Minister announced a further £2.7 million of UK funding to support LGBT+ grassroots human rights defenders, and advance equality and freedom across the Commonwealth.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to help tackle discriminatory laws faced by LGBT+ people in the Global South.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is committed to championing LGBT+ rights internationally and supporting those who defend them. Ministers and our overseas missions work closely with partners to advance LGBT+ equality, and promote the implementation of new laws and policies that better protect LGBT+ people from violence and discrimination.
Since 2018, the UK committed over £11 million in programmes to support the promotion and protection of LGBT+ rights. On 24 June, the Prime Minister announced a further £2.7 million of UK funding to support LGBT+ grassroots human rights defenders, and advance equality and freedom across the Commonwealth.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the treatment of minorities in India.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK Government is committed to defending the rights of minorities, including Freedom of Religion or Belief for all, and promoting respect and tolerance between different communities. This includes hosting a recent international Ministerial Conference on 5 and 6 July which brought together governments, parliamentarians, faith and belief representatives, and civil society to strengthen international efforts to ensure freedom of religion or belief for everyone. India, like the UK, has a long democratic tradition of inclusive governance. We engage with India on a range of human rights matters and oppose discrimination against minorities. Where we have them and when appropriate to do so, we raise concerns directly with the Government of India, including at Ministerial level, while recognising that reports of discrimination against minorities are a matter for the Indian police and local legal system. The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions follow these reports closely.
Our network of High Commissions regularly engage with minority groups, meet representatives from minority communities and run projects supporting minority rights. Our project work primarily tackles the drivers of human rights violations, working with minority communities to encourage empowerment. We promote women's rights, promote the LGBT+ community in India and demonstrate our support. We also meet with religious representatives and, over the last three years in India, we have worked with local non-governmental organisations to bring together young people of diverse faith backgrounds to work together on social action projects in their local communities and build positive relationships between them.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to LGBT+ communities in (1) low, and (2) middle, income countries to empower them to reform laws that discriminate against them.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is committed to championing LGBT+ rights internationally and supporting those who defend them. Ministers and our overseas missions work closely with partners to advance LGBT+ equality, and promote the implementation of new laws and policies that better protect LGBT+ people from violence and discrimination.
On 24 June, the Prime Minister announced £2.7 million of UK funding to support LGBT+ grassroots human rights defenders and advance equality and freedom across the Commonwealth.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to provide support to LGBT+ community groups in (a) low- and (b) middle-income countries who are seeking reform of discriminatory laws in those countries.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is committed to championing LGBT+ rights internationally and supporting those who defend them. Ministers and our overseas missions work closely with partners to advance LGBT+ equality, and promote the implementation of new laws and policies that better protect LGBT+ people from violence and discrimination.
Since 2018, the UK committed over £11 million in programmes to support the promotion and protection of LGBT+ rights. On 24 June, the Prime Minister announced a further £2.7 million of UK funding to support LGBT+ grassroots human rights defenders, and advance equality and freedom across the Commonwealth.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the criminalisation of same-sex relationships in Commonwealth countries; whether her Department has made funding available to LGBT+ organisations which work to tackle that legislation in those countries in the last year; and if she will take steps to make the UK a leading funder of those organisations.
Answered by Vicky Ford
As Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, the UK committed over £11 million in programmes to support the promotion and protection of LGBT+ rights across the Commonwealth, including through partners such as The Commonwealth Equality Network, Human Dignity Trust and Kaleidoscope Trust.
Since CHOGM 2018, UK funding has facilitated the provision of technical assistance and capacity building to eight Commonwealth countries seeking to repeal or reform legislation that discriminates on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. This is extremely sensitive work, often conducted discreetly due to political, social and cultural sensitivities.
On 24 June, the Prime Minister announced £2.7 million of new UK funding to support the vital work of LGBT+ grassroots human rights defenders. We will continue to work closely with like-minded countries and civil society organisations to defend the human rights of LGBT+ people, and advance equality and freedom across the Commonwealth.