Academic Freedom

(asked on 10th December 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support UK academics’ freedom and security overseas.


Answered by
Nigel Adams Portrait
Nigel Adams
This question was answered on 23rd December 2020

The UK is committed to supporting and promoting academic freedom. In October Universities UK published guidelines which provide advice to senior leaders at UK higher education providers on how best to protect their people, assets and reputation, including when travelling overseas.

The UK fully supports freedom of expression as both a human right in and of itself and as an essential element for the enjoyment of the full range of other human rights. Freedom of expression is required to allow innovation to thrive and ideas to develop; it leads to more secure and prosperous societies. In July 2019, the UK co-sponsored a joint statement alongside Canada and the Netherlands at the UN Human Rights Council, reiterating our commitment to defending the right to freedom of opinion and expression. In his statement to the Human Rights Council on 9 April, our Ambassador to the UN in Geneva stressed the importance of ensuring the actions of governments and international agencies are scrutinised, within the context of the international human rights framework.

Should a British national require consular assistance overseas we make every effort to contact vulnerable customers within 24 hours of being notified of their situation.

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