Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish an updated open societies strategy as part of the 2023 refresh of the Integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy.

The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights across the globe. We are committed to being a force for good in the world, putting human rights, open societies, democracy and the international rule of law at the centre of our foreign policy. We continue to review our policy and guidance in relation to civic space and human rights defenders within the broader strategic framing of open societies and human rights. It is too soon to discuss the outcome of that process but we continue to engage with key stakeholders on these important questions.