Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) women and (b) other human rights defenders.

​In December 2017, the Foreign Secretary issued the diplomatic network with an updated version of the United Kingdom Guidelines on Working with Human Rights Defenders. The Guidelines instruct the United Kingdom's diplomatic network to support human rights defenders. This includes taking into account groups who may face additional risks such as those defending the rights of women. The UK co-sponsored the Resolution on Human Rights Defenders at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in November, 2017. This year marks the 20^th anniversary year of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. We will work with fellow co-signatories to uphold the principles of the Declaration.