Religious Freedom

(asked on 7th February 2018) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make freedom of religion or belief a strategic priority.


Answered by
 Portrait
Mark Field
This question was answered on 22nd February 2018

The protection of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is a priority of the Government's foreign policy and will continue to be so. In their interactions with foreign governments, and Embassies/High Commissions overseas, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers and officials routinely raise individual cases and highlight practices and laws that discriminate against people on the basis of their religion or belief.

The United Kingdom also actively promotes FoRB through multilateral forums. At the most recent United Nations Human Rights Council, the UK worked successfully to help maintain consensus on the adoption and implementation of the European Union sponsored Resolution on 'Freedom of Religion or Belief' and the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation sponsored Resolution on 'Combating Religious Intolerance'. The FCO also continues to support a number of projects to promote tolerance through the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy. Current projects include work to promote religious tolerance through secondary school curricula in Iraq, Morocco and Lebanon.

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