Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress her Department has made on supporting LGBT+ communities in (a) low- and (b) middle-income countries.
Answered by Vicky Ford
As co-chairs of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC), the UK and Argentina oversaw the adoption of the ERC's first strategy and five-year implementation plan in July 2021. Donor coordination is one the ERC's priorities and was discussed at the ERC Conference co-hosted by the UK in Buenos Aires on 8-9 September.
Plans for levels UK funding for the 2022-5 Spending Round are not yet confirmed, but we will continue to focus on low and middle income countries in the global south. In June 2022, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced £2.7 million of new UK funding to support LGBT+ grassroots human rights defenders, and advance equality and freedom across the Commonwealth.