Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the statement by the President of Tunisia on 21 February on immigration, whether he plans to hold discussions with his counterparts in Tunisia on the potential impact of that statement on (a) commitments under the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination and (b) rates of hate crimes and racial discrimination against citizens of other African states in Tunisia.

The statement by President Kais Saied on 21 February led to an alarming and rapid increase in instances of racially motivated discrimination and violence in Tunisia, primarily towards migrants of Sub-Saharan African origin, but also other Black people, including Tunisians. We have followed these developments closely and updated our Travel Advice. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tunis announced new measures on 5 March to extend residency rights for people from African countries, improve the safety and security of migrants, including more flexible regulations towards irregular migrants. The UK underlines the importance of equality, human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination.