Government to use ‘Southwest Asia and North Africa' (SWANA) not Middle East

Government should stop using ‘Middle East’ in all its official business and communications. It is colonial, because it is 'Middle East' relative to Britain. We believe that Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) is decolonial, inclusive and a geographically accurate way of identifying the region.

26 Signatures

Status
Open
Opened
Friday 24th October 2025
Last 24 hours signatures
1
Signature Deadline
Friday 24th April 2026
Estimated Final Signatures: 35

Reticulating Splines

You may be interested in these active petitions

1. Ban the use of netting on roofs and outdoor structures - 3,090 signatures
2. End testing on dogs and other animals for development of products for human use - 108,729 signatures
3. Require non-stunned and stunned meat to be labelled accordingly - 115,100 signatures
4. Appoint a Maternity Commissioner to improve maternity care for mums and babies - 146,188 signatures
5. Introduce a Central Microchip Portal to help reunite missing pets without delay - 13,095 signatures

The Government should lead in decolonising language it uses because if it changes, others may change by example. Language matters, because it influences how we think and conceptualise the world. With such turmoil in SWANA at present, it is more important than ever that language used is free from the colonial baggage of the past. Making this change could also demonstrate to everyone that the government and parliament acknowledge and distance themselves from the colonial mindsets of the past.


Petition Signatures over time

Constituency Data

Reticulating Splines