Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Paraguay on the adoption of a comprehensive law against all forms of discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, in accordance with the recommendations of the UN Human Rights Council as set out in the report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of Paraguay published on 12 April 2016.

The British Embassy in Paraguay regularly raises these issues with the Government of Paraguay. The Secretary of State for Scotland discussed issues related to discrimination during his visit to Paraguay in September 2017. He discussed human rights with the Deputy Foreign Minister while noting Paraguay's co-operation with the UK on human rights issues at the UN Human Rights Council. We will continue to seek opportunities to press the Paraguayan Government to deliver against the recommendations in their 2016 Universal Periodic Review.