Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

The UK Government takes all allegations of human rights violations very seriously. The UK Government has a broad, deep and respectful partnership with the Government of India. This includes sharing perspectives on human rights and minority issues and finding common ground, including at Ministerial level. In 2024, I held a roundtable with stakeholders to discuss Freedom of Religion in India.

Our High Commission in New Delhi and our network across India monitor human rights across the country. This includes raising issues of concern where we have them.

This is a matter that is subject to ongoing court proceedings. It is therefore reserved for the Government of Japan and institutions of Japan. The UK has always been clear that the right to adopt a religion or belief, practise it without hindrance, and to share it with others are all key freedoms that everyone should have. As the Minister for the Indo-Pacific, I will continue to champion the UK's long-standing policy to defend freedom of religion or belief for all and promote respect between different religious and non-religious communities internationally.

Since 2015, there have been 6 full Parliamentary and Health Services (PHSO) investigations regarding the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The FCDO has accepted the findings and recommendations of the PHSO on each occasion.

The costs associated with the deal will be split between the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The UK provides humanitarian aid to Gaza via trusted partners, including UN agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). In January 2025, £17 million was announced for food, healthcare and shelter, alongside a broader £129 million commitment to the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Since October 2023, Israeli-imposed restrictions have severely limited access. While some UK-funded aid has reached Gaza, other supplies remain at border crossings or in regional warehouses. Quantifying exact volumes is difficult due to limited real-time data and operational constraints. The UK continues to press for full, unimpeded humanitarian access and is working closely with partners to ensure aid reaches those in need.

We are aware of the interception of the Madleen and the arrest of its passengers by Israeli Naval Forces. We note that this happened without serious incident or injury to any passenger. We pressed the Israeli authorities in advance of the ship's arrival to ensure that any action they took would resolve the situation safely, with restraint, and in line with International Law. The UK continues to demand that the Israeli government permits the full and unhindered resumption in the flow of aid into Gaza immediately. By far the most effective way to meet the desperate needs of the Gazan people at the speed and scale that is needed is via overland routes. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is appalling. We reiterate that Israel must immediately allow the UN and other agencies to deliver lifesaving aid to those in Gaza who so desperately need it.

We are aware of an incident in May regarding a vessel off the coast of Malta. His Majesty's Government officials were in touch with the Maltese Authorities regarding the incident and understand there were no casualties and that no British nationals were aboard this vessel. We are not planning an investigation into the incident but continue to be in contact with Maltese Authorities if any new information regarding the incident becomes available.

According to the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, around 8,000 Ukrainian children have been sent to re-education camps in illegally annexed Crimea and mainland Russia. We note, with concern, reports that Ukrainian children have also attended so-called recreation camps in Belarus. We call upon Belarus to ensure that no Ukrainian children are forcibly transferred to, or via, it's territory and upon Russia to return all of Ukraine's children to Ukraine and to their families. In March, I met with representatives from 'Save Ukraine' and 'Bring Kids Back', alongside Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa and senior officials from the Ministry of Justice, to discuss child deportation. We will continue to play our full part in international efforts to reunite these children with their families and to pursue justice for them all.

The UK continually raises the forced deportation of Ukrainian children with international counterparts. We are an active member of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian children, and continue to raise this issue in multilateral fora, including the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the UN and the Human Rights Council. The UK has funded 'Save Ukraine', a non-governmental organisation which helps to return Ukrainian children, and 'Bring Kids Back UA' through The Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine. In March, I met with representatives from both organisations, alongside Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa and senior officials from the Ministry of Justice, to discuss child deportation.

It is a matter for the Scottish Government to explain why they have placed restrictions on medical aid to Ukraine.

The latest UN Secretary General's report on Children and Armed Conflict is shocking. It shows that children are being harmed and denied lifesaving aid on an unprecedented scale.

As the UK made clear in our statement at the UN Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict on 25 June, the UK calls on all parties to armed conflict to immediately end and prevent grave violations against children and for perpetrators to be held to account. The UK also remains committed to promoting and defending the UN's Children and Armed Conflict mandate.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is currently reviewing our approach to children in conflict.

The Government is firmly committed to ensuring Russia pays for the damage it has caused and is causing in Ukraine. We have already made progress using sanctioned Russian assets to support Ukraine. Over half of the UK's £2.26 billion contribution to the G7's Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration scheme has now been disbursed to Ukraine, strengthening their defence capabilities in the face of Russian aggression. That contribution will be repaid by the profits generated on sanctioned Russian assets. We are working urgently with partners to explore all legal avenues to go further.

It is the Government's long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on matters of protective security. To do so could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and affect the security of the individuals concerned.

On 10 January, the UK sanctioned 15 new individuals associated with Maduro's contested regime responsible for undermining democracy and committing serious human rights violations. The UK and Overseas Territories Governments work closely to apply UK sanctions across the Territories. The UK Government has been providing technical support to teams across the Overseas Territory Governments to build capability and to strengthen sanctions enforcement.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)'s non-Official Development Assistance budget primarily funds operating costs, including the UK's diplomatic capability, 24/7 consular services and rapid crisis response to support British nationals worldwide. The settlement also supports the FCDO's priorities across security, growth, migration and the UK's relationship with Europe, alongside constitutional obligations to the Overseas Territories. A portion of this funding will contribute to the UK's NATO-attributed defence spending, including FCDO-led programming in partnership with the Ministry of Defence and the Intelligence Community to counter cyber-attacks, election interference, disinformation and other threats to stability. The amount of the FCDO contribution is being worked though. It will not be included in the Defence budget for 2027.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)'s non-Official Development Assistance budget primarily funds operating costs, including the UK's diplomatic capability, 24/7 consular services and rapid crisis response to support British nationals worldwide. The settlement also supports the FCDO's priorities across security, growth, migration and the UK's relationship with Europe, alongside constitutional obligations to the Overseas Territories. A portion of this funding will contribute to the UK's NATO-attributed defence spending, including FCDO-led programming in partnership with the Ministry of Defence and the Intelligence Community to counter cyber-attacks, election interference, disinformation and other threats to stability. The amount of the FCDO contribution is being worked though. It will not be included in the Defence budget for 2027.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office supports the inclusive, responsible, and sustainable digital transformation of partner countries.

Our Digital Development Strategy 2024-2030 aims to support last-mile connectivity, to help close the digital divide in a world where 2.6 billion people are still offline.

Through our Digital Access Programme, we catalyse sustainable, scalable technology and business models that enhance access to inclusive and affordable Internet connectivity.

We work with telecoms regulators in developing countries, facilitating peer learning with Ofcom, and sharing approaches to spectrum management that enable internet service providers to serve remote low-income areas.

To drive safe and productive use of digital connectivity, we support digital skills and cyber-hygiene awareness, with a focus on underserved communities and marginalised groups, for example women and persons living with disabilities.

The Digital Access Programme has sustainably improved the digital inclusion of over 15 million people, within 5,000 communities across 5 countries, including 3 Commonwealth members: Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

In Indonesia, we supported 'community networks' that use local recyclable materials and renewable energy for local internet infrastructure; and we're sharing this knowledge through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and with the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific.

Working with the Commonwealth Telecoms Organisation we are engaging with its 33 member states (including SIDS) to support policies, strategies, and regulations that create a conducive environment for inclusive connectivity and affordable digital access.

The LGBTQIA+ Legal Guidebook has been published online on the website of TrustLaw, the Thomson Reuters Foundation's global pro-bono legal network.

We remain committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across all government departments to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes supporting the Government's commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services.

Additionally, a new cross-Government Level 3 apprenticeship programme in Business Administration, The 'Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship' (CLA), will see new apprentices kickstart their careers, across various departments, starting from January 2026.

We are also working on aligning our apprenticeship approach with our capability framework. For example, we are exploring new apprenticeship opportunities to scale our approach and build internal capability on Data and AI.

The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Ministers in MHCLG will make this decision independent from the rest of Government in their quasi-judicial capacity. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials speak regularly with the Chinese officials about a range of issues.

"Statistics on International Development" is the official source of information on UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend. Country-level data for 2024 will be published in Statistics on International Development (SID): Final UK ODA Spend 2024 in autumn 2025.

The UK is deeply concerned by rising levels of acute food insecurity and catastrophic hunger. We are a key government donor to the World Food Programme (WFP); in 2024 we contributed over $600 million to WFP initiatives, including in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Sudan, South Sudan and Haiti.

We are also driving international action to scale-up Pre-Arranged Finance, making sure finance reaches the most vulnerable and hardest hit ahead of, or quickly after, a disaster strikes. This includes supporting vulnerable countries and humanitarian agencies to respond to harvest failures caused by drought. We recently supported anticipatory drought insurance for WFP in Syria, which paid out $7.7 million for emergency assistance.

However, simply responding to crises is not a long-term solution, and we are working with partners to improve early warning systems, to act ahead of shocks and invest in strengthening countries' resilience to food crises in the longer-term.

The High-Level Panel on Social Protection in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings (FCAS) is exploring why social protection remains neglected in the places that need it most. To support this, the Panel launched a public enquiry to gather evidence, structured around seven questions, chosen for their political and operational relevance. One question focuses on equitable access, with expected input on marginalised groups such as older people, women and girls, and displaced populations. The Panel Secretariat has engaged widely with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), UN agencies, academia, and civil society about the public enquiry - including a major age-focused NGO - and remains committed to ensuring an inclusive approach throughout its work.

We remain committed to supporting key global health institutions, including the Global Fund and Gavi, recognising their central role in the multilateral health architecture.  The UK announced our new investment in Gavi at the High-Level Summit on 25 June. Following the spending review, we are working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used, including the decision regarding the UK's pledge to the Global Funds 8th replenishment, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments.

The Home Secretary is committed to ensuring that asylum costs fall and has already acted. The government has taken measures to reduce the asylum backlog and reform the asylum accommodation system to end the use of expensive accommodation in the next Spending Review (SR) period to ensure more of our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget is spent on our development priorities overseas. The aid spent in the UK on refugee and asylum costs fell by a third last year and the Home Office is working to bring it down further.

In addition to this, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) budgets will no longer be exposed to the volatility of GNI fluctuations or ODA spending by other departments, including changes in asylum costs, providing greater predictability in our budgets.

Since the 2021 coup, the UK has provided more than £190 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance, emergency healthcare and education support, and support to civil society. No UK funds go to the Myanmar military, and we work through local partners to reach populations most in need, including in areas beyond military control. Through our Humanitarian Programme in Myanmar, we have reached 1.3 million people since 2022 in conflict affected areas with essential humanitarian support.

The UK continues to hold the Myanmar military regime to account and has sanctioned 25 individuals and 39 entities targeting the regime's access to finance, arms and equipment, including ten sanctions targeting import of aviation fuel into Myanmar.

The Treaty between the UK and Mauritius regarding sovereignty is not capable of being a source of domestic rights or obligations save to the extent that in due course Parliament enacts provision for them.

As today, there is no automatic right of entry to Gibraltar for non-resident British nationals. Under the agreement announced on 11 June, immigration and entry to Gibraltar will remain the responsibility of the Gibraltarian authorities. Spain, on behalf of the EU, will be responsible for granting or refusing entry to the Schengen area. The Government of Gibraltar have taken the decision to mutually recognise decisions taken by Spain to refuse entry to Schengen. As is the case today when UK nationals arrive at either a Gibraltar or a Schengen checkpoint, we expect the overwhelming majority of travellers to proceed without difficulty through the checks, which are carried out in the mutual public safety interest. British nationals who are resident in Gibraltar will not be refused entry to Gibraltar.

On 1 June, the Foreign Secretary endorsed Morocco's autonomy proposal as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the Western Sahara conflict. The UK's position on the legal status of Western Sahara has not changed. We are clear that any solution to the conflict must be mutually agreed by the parties. The UK continues to support the parties and the UN to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, which conforms with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the principle of respect for self-determination. The UK will encourage dialogue and compromise with the aim of achieving a peaceful and mutually agreed resolution that upholds the dignity and rights of the people of Western Sahara and contributes to long-term regional stability.

Chinese companies continue to provide military and dual-use goods to Russia's military industrial complex. This is enabling Putin's invasion of Ukraine. We have repeatedly urged China to take all measures to investigate and to prevent Chinese companies from supplying Russia's military, including when the Foreign Secretary last spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 22 April. To date, the UK has sanctioned 35 China-based entities for supplying Russia's defence industry under the Russia sanctions regulations.

Iran has supported Russia through its large-scale supply of drones, munitions, and ballistic missiles. In response to Iran's supply of ballistic missiles, the UK and its partners took actions including terminating our air services agreement with Iran Air and implementing new sanctions.

Each Overseas Territory's constitution is unique. In relation to the 2021 amendment to the Constitution of Saint Helena, the Governor, in concert with the Legislative Council, commissioned an independent review of governance arrangements by the Westminster Foundation of Democracy. The findings are now with the Legislative Council for consideration and to determine if further constitutional amendment is required.

We can confirm the Secretary of State for Defence was notified in 2021, of the generous offer for a sports facility to the Royal Navy by His Majesty the King of Bahrain and gave approval. The facility was completed earlier this year in 2025 and remains under full UK operational control and is used solely for the welfare of UK service personnel stationed in Bahrain.

All parties are committed to finalising the text of the UK-EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar as soon as possible. The final text will be brought before the House for scrutiny in the normal way pursuant to the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

The Foreign Secretary regularly discusses a range of bilateral issues with his US counterpart, and officials are regularly in touch with US authorities on consular and immigration issues which may affect British Nationals living in the US. Data collected by the US Government as part of their own processes is subject to US law, which is a sovereign matter for the US.

AUKUS is a landmark partnership which enhances UK deterrence, supports UK growth, and strengthens Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security. The Foreign Secretary regularly discusses AUKUS with his US counterparts. He most recently raised AUKUS with Secretary Rubio when he visited Washington DC in June. In April at the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting, he and Secretary Rubio both mentioned Indo-Pacific security as a challenge our countries are working together to address, including through AUKUS. In January, the Foreign Secretary discussed the partnership in his very first call with Secretary Rubio.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has supported medical practitioners and the provision of medical services through funding partners, such as the World Health Organization, in Ukraine. We have supported the strengthening of Ukrainian rehabilitation systems through training and capacity building of Ukrainian healthcare staff; the provision of rehabilitation equipment to facilities across Ukraine; and support on health and social policy. Last year, the UK contributed to £320,000 of funding to the Superhumans War Trauma Centre in Ukraine. The clinic provides innovative rehabilitation services to people who have been impacted by war, including training surgeons on prosthetics. In addition, the Ukraine Red Cross Society, funded by UK assistance channelled through the British Red Cross, provides specialised training at the Burns Unit in Kyiv.

We are proud of our fast, flexible, and responsive support to Ukrainians living through Russia's invasion. The UK has provided £5 billion of non-military support to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. The Prime Minister has said in Parliament that we will continue to support Ukraine, including for humanitarian purposes. On 9 May, the Foreign Secretary announced almost £25 million in new funding to support local Ukrainian organisations to protect the most vulnerable who continue to suffer from Russia's ongoing aggression. This forms part of our funding for 2025-2026 - final funding allocation decisions for the current financial year are ongoing and will prioritise support for those most in need.

The agreement has been backed by key allies and international partners, including the US and all of our 5 EYES allies. India, Japan and South Korea have all also made clear their support for the deal. As US Defence Secretary Hegseth said, the UK's "very important deal with Mauritius secures the operational capabilities of the base and key US national security interests in the region. We are confident the base is protected for many years ahead."

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office tackles forced displacement through a wide range of interventions which aim to: reduce the drivers of displacement; protect people once they are displaced; support host communities; find long term solutions; and create the conditions that allow people to return home.

This includes working closely with international partners to provide humanitarian assistance in key situations of displacement and using all the diplomatic, development and security levers available to prevent conflict and conflict-related displacement. Our work includes focusing on improving early warning systems, reforming multilateral institutions, and supporting regional mediation and peacebuilding.

To unlock the benefits of a fluid border, everyone arriving at Gibraltar's airport will undergo dual immigration controls, allowing them to move freely into the EU if they wish to. As visitors will be free to cross into Spain without checks, time spent in Gibraltar will count towards the EU's 90 in 180 requirement. This approach reflects the unique situation in Gibraltar, ensuring a fluid border and delivering certainty for Gibraltar's people and businesses.

This Government takes the safeguarding of UK operational independence and sovereign interests extremely seriously. In the case of the sports facility generously gifted by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa to the Royal Navy, the Ministry of Defence fully considered the offer and found no cause of concern. The facility is located within the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain and remains under full UK operational control. It is intended solely for the welfare and morale of UK service personnel stationed in the region.

I met with President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House in Harare on June 11. During this meeting I reaffirmed the UK's commitment to building a respectful, modern partnership with Zimbabwe, with a strong focus on delivering mutually beneficial economic growth including on trade and investment, energy and climate. I also underlined that the UK remains committed to engaging in Zimbabwe's arrears clearance dialogue and encouraged progress on the three tracks, which include governance reforms.

Through our Plan for Change, this Government remains resolutely committed to preventing sexual violence in conflict. Over the last year, UK funding through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) has helped over 55,000 survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) to access justice and rebuild their lives. The Spending Review confirmed the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget from 2026/27 onwards. We will work through how the ODA budget will be used, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.

The motivations of the perpetrators behind these violent and shocking attacks are not fully known. There is no current evidence to suggest that the victims in the recent attacks in Benue state were targeted because of their religion. Whilst religious identity can play a role, farmer-herder conflicts are common in Nigeria with disputes often based on the loss of economic opportunity, historical grievances connected to competition over land and natural resources and disruption to traditional livelihoods created by environmental degradation.