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 impact of the Equal, Safe and Free Fund on (a) the rights of and (b) protections for LGBTQI people.

Across our global diplomatic network, missions collaborate with local partners to challenge discriminatory laws and policies that enable violence and discrimination against LGBT+ people, and to mark key moments including Pride, but there is no central recording of each of these activities.

In multilateral settings, the UK engages likeminded partners in the Equal Rights Coalition, the UN LGBTI Core Group, and the Council of Europe to champion the universality of human rights, and to promote global action to end violence, persecution, and discrimination.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Ministers and officials also collaborate with other government departments, including the Office for Equality and Opportunity, to align domestic and international efforts to advance human rights and equality for LGBT+ people, ensuring everyone can live with dignity and without fear of violence and persecution.

We continually keep the impact of all FCDO policies and UK-funded programmes under review to ensure they are achieving their objectives, and providing value for money.