Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) humanitarian, (b) political and (c) human rights situation in Togo.

The UK was pleased to welcome Togo to the Commonwealth last month; as the organisation continues to grow it will remain a champion of shared values of peace, democracy and stability. The UK welcomed the Presidential election in Togo in February 2020, which was assessed as predominantly free and fair, although not without some irregularities. We noted Togo's progress highlighted in the 2022 UN universal periodic review, in particular on constitutional and institutional reforms, the adoption of core instruments relating to the promotion of international human rights and dialogue with political actors. However, progress on LGBT+ rights remains a concern and we continue to monitor developments. The UK is also following closely the impact on West African states of deteriorating security in the Sahel and of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.