Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 the Cameroon authorities concerning the recent kidnapping and detention of Christian clergy in the Northeast region.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the kidnappings of Catholic priests and others in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon, including 6 priests who have now been released. The UK Government monitors the human rights situation in Cameroon closely and discusses the issues in the Anglophone regions with a range of interlocutors, including at the highest levels of the Cameroonian Government. We continue to call for inclusive dialogue which addresses the root causes of the crisis and urge all parties to pursue a peaceful resolution. We also advocate for the protections of all vulnerable communities through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of increased prison restrictions for human rights activist Zhang Zhan; and what diplomatic steps she has taken with international partners to help ensure her release.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 20 October to Question 81324.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she had with international counterparts concerning ongoing reports of (a) detention and (b) killing of the Falun Gong in China.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 9 April to Question 43452.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of her policies of the recent murder of 20 people following an attack on a Christian-run hospital in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer he received on 24 November in response to Question 91327.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the attack on a Christian-run hospital in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We condemn the horrifying attacks by Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) on Christian communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Healthcare facilities, hospitals, and other humanitarian centres must never be targeted. We remind all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law and stress that those responsible for human rights violations and abuses must be held accountable. We have raised the actions of the ADF repeatedly at the UN and have sanctioned them under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act. UK Ministers and senior officials regularly raise the importance of protecting civilians with the Government of DRC. We continue to work through UN bodies and other multilateral fora to promote and protect these rights.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she had had with international counterparts on the recent rise of violence against Christian communities in Hama, Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 18 September to the question 74583.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 her international counterparts on reports of the (a) detention and (b) killing of the Falun Gong in China.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 9 April 2025 to Question 43452.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 her Chinese counterpart on reports of attacks against Christian communities in eastern China; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure the protection of those communities.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 14 October to question 77079.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the attack on the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Village Piro Chak, Pakistan, on 28 September 2025; and whether she has had discussions with her Pakistani counterpart on this matter.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 29 October to question 83844.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that overseas farmers and workers involved in UK agricultural supply chains are receiving living incomes.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to advancing free and fair trade around the world that is inclusive, sustainable and reduces poverty. To do this, the UK supports a range of initiatives to drive inclusive growth and create more and better jobs at scale, including in agricultural supply chains.
Such initiatives include the recently concluded Work and Opportunities for Women (WOW) programme, which aimed to advance women's economic empowerment in global supply chains. In Kenya, WOW supported over 300,000 tea farmers, over 80% of whom reported improved productivity and income through climate-resilient practices and diversified livelihoods.