To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 29 September 2016 (HL1930), whether they will increase spending on projects which promote freedom of religion or belief as a proportion of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Magna Carta Fund from the current level of 6.3 per cent to at least 10 per cent.
Answered on
1 March 2017
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office uses its Magna Carta Fund to support projects across a wide range of human rights and democracy-building themes, including freedom of religion or belief, which has a prominent place in the Fund's published strategy. For that reason, we welcome the fact that enough strong project proposals have been put forward by our posts and implementing partners to ensure that expenditure under this theme can continue. Project proposals are judged on merit and value for money. We therefore do not have specific targets for the proportion of expenditure dedicated to specific human rights themes.