Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that its legal obligations under Article 8 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples are met.

The UK supports the principles of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including Article 8, which protects against forced assimilation, loss of cultural identity, and dispossession of lands, territories and resources. While the UN Declaration is not legally binding, the UK remains committed to promoting these principles through our wider human rights work, international engagement and in multilateral fora. The UK recognises that Indigenous individuals are entitled to the full protection of their human rights and fundamental freedoms under international law, on an equal basis with all others.