International Human Rights Day 2025

Chris Elmore Excerpts

Wednesday 10th December 2025 Westminster Hall

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Chris Elmore)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship for the first time, Ms Butler. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Penrith and Solway (Markus Campbell-Savours) for securing this debate and for his work with the APPG on human rights.

I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds North East (Fabian Hamilton) for his long-standing commitment to human rights as a shadow Minister, through his work with the Inter-Parliamentary Union and his work in this House over what I believe is now 28 years—I am testing my memory. I am grateful to him, too.

I congratulate the APPG, and all those Members who declared their interest today, on the International Human Rights Day events it held last week. I am genuinely sorry not to have been there. The reason, you will be glad to hear, Ms Butler, is because I was in Jamaica looking at the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Melissa and at the work the UK Government have been doing out there since the hurricane as we build towards reconstruction.

I will try to answer the questions that have been asked, but I am conscious of time. The hon. Member for Penrith and Solway asked about overseas security and justice assistance guidance, and I reassure him that we are in the process of reviewing the OSJA guidance to make sure it is effective, up to date and clear to internal users across His Majesty’s Government. And we support the independence of the ICC—I cannot be clearer than that. We do not support sanctioning individuals or organisations associated with the court, which I hope gives him some reassurance.

Today I have played my part in marking International Human Rights Day, which is an important occasion. Earlier, in the Foreign Office, I hosted more than 100 parliamentarians, academics, diplomats and campaigners from around the world—the commitment and determination in that room was simply inspiring. Among those present were human rights defenders from as far afield as Malawi and Mexico.

The hon. Member for North Herefordshire (Dr Chowns) mentioned Claudia, who was there today to speak on a panel about the work she has done, not just in recent times but throughout her life. I was so sorry to hear that her niece had been killed as a human rights defender. Of course, she is one of many who have been murdered over the last year simply for defending the basic principles of the rule of law and human rights that many of us take for granted in the United Kingdom.

It was a privilege to hear about it at first hand before taking part in this thoughtful and engaging debate. I am grateful to all hon. Members for their contributions, and I will try to respond to their points in the order in which they were raised.

As the shadow Minister, the right hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Wendy Morton), and a number of colleagues mentioned, this year’s theme for International Human Rights Day is “our everyday essentials.” That is exactly right. Human rights are not just abstract ideas; they shape our daily lives, protect our freedoms and help our communities to thrive.

Standing up for human rights is not just the right thing to do; it is also in Britain's interests. When we defend human rights, we protect our future security, growth and prosperity. If we respect the rule of law, businesses can plan and invest. And if we protect people’s rights at work and in society, we can build a healthier and more skilled workforce.

I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon). In the 10 years that I have served with him in this House, barely a week has gone by without his talking about freedom of religion or belief. On violations, about which he has talked so passionately in debates over the years, I reassure him that we are an active member of the Article 18 Alliance. We continue to raise these issues in our role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and, of course, the G7.

In addition, I warmly pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for North Northumberland (David Smith), the UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, and his predecessors in that role. Regardless of party politics, all those envoys have done significantly good work in not just highlighting but challenging positions around religious persecution—whether of Christianity or of any faith. It is important that we acknowledge the work of my hon. Friend and all his predecessors. If we defend the right to life and freedom from torture, we keep our country safe. The Government stand firm in defending human rights, the rule of law and democracy. We do that because it is right and it is good for Britain.

Let me now turn to the current situation, which is of huge concern and was mentioned by all Members across the conversation today. Freedom House reports that global freedom has declined for the 19th year in a row. As mentioned by a number of hon. Members, 60 countries saw a deterioration in political rights and civil liberties last year, and conflicts are spreading instability and undermining democracy.

We are seeing record levels of humanitarian crises and displacement. Every news report seems to bring fresh horrors: Palestinians attacked in olive groves in the west bank; journalists in Georgia imprisoned for speaking out; children killed by Russian missiles in Ukraine—I will come back to the Russian abduction issue shortly; Gazan families suffering while aid is blocked at the border; and crimes in Sudan so appalling that they are literally visible from space. It is unimaginable. Doing nothing is not an option. We must act, and as a UK Government we are. Earlier today at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office event, I reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to human rights. We are backing words with action, highlighting concerns on the international stage while providing financial and practical support to partners around the world.

The shadow Minister and a number of other Members have mentioned Sudan. In this context, that issue includes an update from the conference held in the earlier part of the year. I hope that most Members will be aware that the Foreign Secretary led efforts to call the Human Rights Council into a special session to condemn atrocities in Sudan and push for better humanitarian access. We have supported a fact-finding mission to investigate violations in El Fasher and are providing £125 million in lifesaving aid this year, reaching over 650,000 people, and including the £5 million for El Fasher announced by the Foreign Secretary just last month.

We will continue to work with partners to keep the spotlight on Sudan. There was a specific question from the hon. Member for Melksham and Devizes (Brian Mathew), who has since left, but I want to be as explicitly clear as I can about the issue of arms sales: we take very seriously allegations that UK-made military equipment may have been transferred to Sudan in breach of the UK arms embargo. To be clear, there are no current export licences for that equipment and there is no evidence of UK weapons or ammunition being used in Sudan. I hope that that will reassure colleagues.

I turn to the middle east. On 27 November, we joined France, Germany and Italy in condemning settler violence in the west bank. Meanwhile, UK funded tents are providing urgent shelter for 12,000 civilians in Gaza this winter. We have also pledged to match £3 million of public donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s middle east appeal. We continue to do all we can to ensure that aid is delivered to Gaza. I agree with the shadow Minister that it is incredibly important that the body of the last hostage is returned and that we all work as much as we can on the very basic principle that we should have a long and sustained peace in the region and work towards a two-state solution.

In Ukraine, we are backing efforts to hold people responsible for war crimes. We have supported the special tribunal for Ukraine, helped set up the atrocity crimes advisory group, and worked with others to refer cases to the International Criminal Court. We have funded training for hundreds of Ukrainian judges, prosecutors and investigators so that victims can have their voices heard.

The shadow Minister asked specifically about the abhorrent deportation of children. The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff South and Penarth (Stephen Doughty), has spoken recently about that and directly challenging what the Russian Government have done. We continually raise it with allies and play a significant and full part in the international efforts to reunite those children with their families. I am sure we can all agree that there can be no greater victim of conflict than children. There is also the additional horror to their abduction: their re-education, so that they forget their families. We need to make sure that that is dealt with and that those children are returned as quickly as possible.

We also continue using our position at the United Nations to encourage states to uphold their international human rights obligations. The UK has led efforts at the UN Human Rights Council on renewing mandates on countries such as Syria, Sudan and South Sudan. Those mandates matter: they keep international attention focused and help drive accountability. We are also leading negotiations on a new international convention on crimes against humanity. The treaty will reflect progress on international law, including on sexual and gender-based violence. I am very pleased that the UK was re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council in October, and we will use our membership to defend civic space, uphold the rule of law and champion equal rights.

Today, we are marking not just International Human Rights Day, but the conclusion of 16 days of activism to end gender-based violence. Over the past two weeks, our actions have included the Foreign Secretary launching a major new global coalition, bringing together pioneering women from across the world to tackle violence against women and girls. Officials have also met activists and organisations working to end violence in Sudan and elsewhere, to understand what more can be done to protect them and amplify their calls for justice.

On the shadow Minister’s concerns around online platforms, which I share, we also announced new support to tackle non-consensual intimate image abuse, expanding a UK-hosted online system to help victims remove and block online images. Our special envoy for women and girls, Baroness Harman, continues to champion the issue worldwide, co-ordinating international efforts and sharing best practice.

Sanctions are an important tool that we are using to hold rights abusers to account. In May, we sanctioned individuals and organisations supporting violence against Palestinians in the west bank. In October, alongside the US, we sanctioned the Prince Group, a scam-centre operator responsible for widespread abuses. These measures are targeted and co-ordinated with international partners to maximise their impact. We will keep up the pressure and continue to send a strong signal to the world that we will not stand by.

We are also working closely with partners on the ground to protect human rights and the rule of law. That work is backed by £50 million in funding this year, and includes support for organisations working to prevent torture, to end the death penalty and to ensure that the Holocaust is never forgotten. Our rule of law expertise programme sends UK experts to more than 50 countries. We have helped train police chiefs in east Africa to use interview techniques that respect people’s rights. That means people are treated fairly and the evidence gathered can be used in court. In Malawi, we supported the legal process to abolish the death penalty, taking the number of people on death row from 33 to zero. Those are real, practical results delivered in partnership with local authorities and organisations.

I recognise concerns about reductions in the UK’s official development assistance budget and what that means for our work; I acknowledge the question from the hon. Member for North Herefordshire on the subject. We are responding by finding new, innovative ways to support change, working in greater partnership with local actors and tailoring our work for maximum impact. The development of new FCDO centres of expertise will support the delivery of human rights objectives in individual countries, providing practical help and advice to posts and partners—something that countries right across the world have called for. We will continue to report publicly on our work ensuring transparency and accountability. Our commitment is not just to fund and support projects, but to share what we learn and show the impact that we are making.

To conclude, this Government are working to protect and promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law internationally—not just because it is the right thing to do, but because it is in our national interest. A world where human rights are respected is a more peaceful world, where Britain and our partners are more secure and prosperous. We remain committed to achieving that goal.

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[Chris Elmore]

indicated assent.

[Dawn Butler (in the Chair)]

Thank you very much. For the record, the Minister was nodding.

Question put and agreed to. 

Resolved, 

That this House has considered International Human Rights Day 2025.