Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the international conference to promote freedom of religion or belief due to take place in London in July 2022.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Preparations for the conference are ongoing, including consultations with our international and domestic partners to consider possible themes and outcomes. We expect to issue invitations to partner governments, civil society representatives, including faith and non-faith leaders, and others interested in the international FoRB agenda over the next few weeks.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which countries have been invited to attend the international conference to promote freedom of religion or belief due to take place in London in July 2022.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Preparations for the conference are ongoing, including consultations with our international and domestic partners to consider possible themes and outcomes. We expect to issue invitations to partner governments, civil society representatives, including faith and non-faith leaders, and others interested in the international FoRB agenda over the next few weeks.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to use the Global Partnership for Education replenishment fund to help ensure that there is equitable education financing for the most marginalised children, including children with disabilities.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has made strong commitments on inclusive education for children with disabilities, and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is an important vehicle for improving mainstream education systems to be inclusive of all learners. The Prime Minister and President Kenyatta of Kenya will co-host the Global Education Summit: Financing the Global Partnership for Education in London this July. A well-funded GPE will be central to delivering the two global objectives endorsed by G7 Foreign and Development Ministers - to get 40 million more girls in school, and 20 million more girls reading by age 10 in the next 5 years.
As one of the biggest donors to GPE, the UK has been instrumental in ensuring equity and gender is hardwired throughout GPE's new strategy for 2025. During the pandemic, GPE funding has targeted the most marginalised children, with 54 countries including interventions for children with disabilities and special needs in their Emergency Response Plans. For example, in Nepal, fast-tracked GPE funding guaranteed accessible remote learning content with captioning, interpretation, and inclusive examples that do not stigmatize.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether supporting women and girls from marginalised religious and belief communities is a priority for his Department.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We recognise that women and girls from religious minorities can often suffer because of both their gender and their faith. That is why we ensure our human rights policy work considers the intersectionality of human rights, for example the importance of addressing the specific vulnerabilities experienced by women and girls from religious minority communities. We have no programmes that specifically target women and girls from marginalised religious or belief communities but there are programmes that benefit these women and girls.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has publicly committed to retaining and building on the Strategic Vision for Gender Equality (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/708116/Strategic-vision-gender-equality1.pdf) which sets out our commitment to leave no girl or woman behind, particularly those facing multiple exclusions including on the basis of their ethnicity, religion or belief.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what programmes run by his Department specifically support women and girls from marginalised religious or belief communities; and how much was spent by those programmes in 2020.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We recognise that women and girls from religious minorities can often suffer because of both their gender and their faith. That is why we ensure our human rights policy work considers the intersectionality of human rights, for example the importance of addressing the specific vulnerabilities experienced by women and girls from religious minority communities. We have no programmes that specifically target women and girls from marginalised religious or belief communities but there are programmes that benefit these women and girls.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has publicly committed to retaining and building on the Strategic Vision for Gender Equality (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/708116/Strategic-vision-gender-equality1.pdf) which sets out our commitment to leave no girl or woman behind, particularly those facing multiple exclusions including on the basis of their ethnicity, religion or belief.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the UN and the international community on the treatment of Uighur women by the Chinese Government.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are deeply concerned by distressing testimony of the treatment of Uyghur women in Xinjiang detention centres. In February, the Foreign Secretary used a personal address at the UN Human Rights Council to draw attention to the plight of Uyghur women and call for China to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, or another independent expert, urgent and unfettered access to Xinjiang so that they are able to assess the situation first hand.