Written questions, answers and statements

UN Human Rights Council: Religious Freedom

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Question for Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UIN 66585, tabled on 6 March 2017

Question

Alan Brown
Scottish National Party
Kilmarnock and Loudoun
Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to fulfil its UN Human Rights Council election pledge to stand up for freedom of religion or belief.

Answer

Alok Sharma
Conservative
Reading West
Commons

Answered on

9 March 2017

Her Majesty's Government remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in all countries.

We regularly discuss issues related to FoRB with foreign governments. For example, we raise our concerns when practices and laws discriminate against people on the basis of their religion or belief. We also raise individual cases. We work to sustain consensus on the adoption and implementation of the key UN Resolutions sponsored by the European Union and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation at the UN Human Rights Council. We support projects through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy. In October 2016, the FCO hosted a groundbreaking international conference to highlight the relevance of FRoB to global efforts to counter violent extremism.

Answered by

Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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