To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support her Department is providing to (a) human rights organisations and (b) other non-governmental organisations in Bangladesh working to end religious and ethnic violence in that country.
Answered on
9 November 2021
The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.
Bangladesh is a human rights priority country for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Ministers and our High Commission in Dhaka regularly raise human rights concerns as part of continued dialogue with the Government of Bangladesh. The UK supports community leaders in Bangladesh to address the causes and effects of inter-religious, ethnic and political conflict. Through our development programming, we aim to ensure that the rights of minorities including, religious and ethnic minorities, are respected and that these communities are protected from discrimination. For example, our programming supports citizen groups across Bangladesh to come together to resolve grievances, mitigate religious and ethnic violence and advocate for inclusive and peaceful co-existence.