Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to (a) support and (b) help uphold human rights in Syria.

The UK has consistently advocated for an inclusive political transition and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians, both publicly and as part of our engagement with the Government of Syria. We have been clear that civilians must be protected from violence and those responsible held to account. Our regular engagement with and support to Syrian civil society focuses on protecting and advocating for human rights and gender equality, ensuring an inclusive transitional process and supporting social cohesion. Through the Integrated Security Fund, we are also funding programmes to document human rights violations and support the trial and convictions of perpetrators of war crimes, including sexual violence.