Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the risk of (a) violations of freedom of religion or belief and (b) a rise in ethno-religious nationalism and intolerance in Myanmar (i) before and (ii) after the forthcoming elections in that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is very concerned by the discrimination facing religious minorities in Myanmar, and by reports of hate speech, destruction of places of worship and forced conversions. The Race and Religion Laws and the 1982 Citizenship Law have been used to discriminate against non-Buddhists. The UK continues to raise the issue of freedom of religion or belief with the Myanmar Government. The UK also works with partners and community leaders to improve religious tolerance and social cohesion through facilitating a greater understanding of religious and cultural differences, and promoting dialogue between different communities across Myanmar.
The UK is deeply concerned that the Rohingya and other minorities will be excluded from the upcoming elections. I raised this directly with the Myanmar Minister for International Cooperation in June. The 2020 elections are an important milestone but the transition to democracy will be a long-term process. The UK is clear that universal suffrage for all of Myanmar's communities is a key part of achieving an effective, plural democracy. We will continue to call for elections to be credible and inclusive, allowing individuals of all communities to participate.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 20 October 2020 to Questions 104086 and 104087, if his Department will publish the findings of the projects funded by the John Bunyan fund with sensitive information redacted if necessary.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The authors of the reports provided them on the basis that they would not be published by the FCDO. Given the sensitivity of the topics, and the potential harm that releasing the reports might cause to those threatened by religious intolerance, we have no plans to make the contents of the reports public.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress there has been on using British armed forces to train and support counter-terrorism squads in Nigeria.
Answered by James Duddridge
For over a decade, terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, have caused immense suffering to local communities in North East Nigeria. Since 2015, UK military personnel have provided training to Nigerian military personnel on topics including human rights compliance, countering improvised explosive devices and first aid. Many of those trained have been deployed on operations to tackle the terrorist threat in North East Nigeria. The UK Government has also provided training to the Nigerian authorities on responding to terrorist attacks, bomb scene management and improving aviation security. We remain committed to helping Nigeria and its neighbours tackle the threat of terrorism.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of deploying British armed forces to join a UN peacekeeping mission against Boko Haram in Nigeria similar to that of the deployment of armed forces in Mali.
Answered by James Duddridge
There is no UN peacekeeping mission in Nigeria. The UK has no plans to make representations to the UN Security Council on the deployment of peacekeeping forces to Nigeria as we do not assess their deployment to be the most effective way to tackle the conflict with Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, and create long-term stability. In North East Nigeria, the UK provides a comprehensive package of security, humanitarian and stabilisation assistance to help Nigeria tackle the threat from these terrorist groups, and support affected communities. We work closely with the UN, including through our support to the UN Development Programme Stabilisation Facility in North East Nigeria and our support to the work of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel.
UN peacekeeping is not suited to mounting offensive operations against terrorist networks. The UK troops deploying to MINUSMA, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, will help the mission fulfil its mandated tasks, including protection of civilians and support towards implementation of the Algiers Peace Agreement.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria the Government plans to use to make an assessment of the effectiveness of the fight against West Africa's Islamist insurgency; and what steps the Government is taking to provide social and economic support to that region after that conflict ends.
Answered by James Duddridge
The Government condemns all acts of terrorism committed by extremist groups, including Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM). We are committed to working with West African countries and our international partners to support the fight against Islamist insurgencies in West Africa. We consider a wide range of factors when assessing the effectiveness of the fight against these groups, including reporting from our staff in country and information from international partners.
We provide a comprehensive package of security and stabilisation support across West Africa to tackle the immediate impact and long-term drivers of conflict, and to support local communities. Examples of this support include: a contribution of £2 million in 2019-20 and a further £3 million in 2020-21 to the Lake Chad Basin Regional Stabilisation Facility, to strengthen community security, provide basic services and support livelihoods; and our adaptive social protection programme in the Sahel, which has helped over 92,000 vulnerable households across the Sahel adapt and build their resilience to climate change, a key driver of instability.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the titles are of the 15 projects funded through the John Bunyan fund for Freedom of Religion and Belief.
Answered by Nigel Adams
In August 2019, we launched the John Bunyan Fund for Freedom of Religion or Belief. This is a designated funding stream. Last financial year we funded 15 research projects which cover the challenges faced by different communities, such as Christians, Yazidis and Humanists, as well as cross-cutting issues such as migration and the double vulnerability experienced by women from minority faith backgrounds. The research projects have provided the Government, and the wider international community, with more granular recommendations on how we might tackle the problem of persecution as it affects particular countries or groups. The titles of the 15 projects have not been published for sensitivity reasons, but we can confirm that the FCDO supported research projects in a diverse range of geographic regions, including Asia, the Middle East and Africa. All projects have reported back in line with FCDO agreed project management processes.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the reporting requirements and accountability mechanisms are for projects funded from the John Bunyan fund for Freedom of Religion and Belief.
Answered by Nigel Adams
In August 2019, we launched the John Bunyan Fund for Freedom of Religion or Belief. This is a designated funding stream. Last financial year we funded 15 research projects which cover the challenges faced by different communities, such as Christians, Yazidis and Humanists, as well as cross-cutting issues such as migration and the double vulnerability experienced by women from minority faith backgrounds. The research projects have provided the Government, and the wider international community, with more granular recommendations on how we might tackle the problem of persecution as it affects particular countries or groups. The titles of the 15 projects have not been published for sensitivity reasons, but we can confirm that the FCDO supported research projects in a diverse range of geographic regions, including Asia, the Middle East and Africa. All projects have reported back in line with FCDO agreed project management processes.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of the John Bunyan fund for Freedom of Religion and Belief remains unallocated.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Over the past two financial years (2018 - 19 and 2019 - 20), we allocated £1m to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) projects via the Magna Carta Fund. FoRB policy programming is now done through the John Bunyan Fund. This financial year, we have allocated less than before across human rights programmes because of delays as a result of COVID-19. This reduced amount also reflects the shorter delivery period for the remainder of this financial year. £100,000 has been allocated this financial year through the John Bunyan Fund for Freedom of Religion or Belief. None of this funding remains unallocated. Last financial year, the 15 research projects received around £140,000 in total.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of the £1 million Magna Carta fund for freedom of religion and belief projects remains unallocated.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Over the past two financial years (2018 - 19 and 2019 - 20), we allocated £1m to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) projects via the Magna Carta Fund. FoRB policy programming is now done through the John Bunyan Fund. This financial year, we have allocated less than before across human rights programmes because of delays as a result of COVID-19. This reduced amount also reflects the shorter delivery period for the remainder of this financial year. £100,000 has been allocated this financial year through the John Bunyan Fund for Freedom of Religion or Belief. None of this funding remains unallocated. Last financial year, the 15 research projects received around £140,000 in total.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding has been allocated to each of the 15 projects funded through the John Bunyan fund for Freedom of Religion and Belief.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Over the past two financial years (2018 - 19 and 2019 - 20), we allocated £1m to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) projects via the Magna Carta Fund. FoRB policy programming is now done through the John Bunyan Fund. This financial year, we have allocated less than before across human rights programmes because of delays as a result of COVID-19. This reduced amount also reflects the shorter delivery period for the remainder of this financial year. £100,000 has been allocated this financial year through the John Bunyan Fund for Freedom of Religion or Belief. None of this funding remains unallocated. Last financial year, the 15 research projects received around £140,000 in total.