Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Bishop of Truro’s report on the Persecution of Christians Overseas, what steps the Government has taken to implement recommendation 20 of that report.
Answered on
2 March 2022
The Government has agreed to take forward all of the recommendations in the Bishop of Truro's review, including commencing work to achieve support for a UK-led UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) on the protection of religious minorities in conflict. The Minister of State responsible for human rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, hosted a successful Arria meeting in the margins of the UN Security Council in March 2021, raising awareness of persecution of religious minorities in conflict. This meeting brought together high profile speakers, including Ekhlas Khudur Bajoo (a survivor of sexual violence and ISIS captivity), the Archbishop of Canterbury, Professor Azza Karam (Secretary General of Religions for Peace) and Karim Khan (Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court). We continue to discuss the potential for a UNSCR with Council members.