Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with his counterpart in Iraq on the rights of (a) women and (b) children in that country.

Countering rollback and promoting the rights of women and girls is a key focus of UK diplomatic and policy engagement and our programming in Iraq. The UK/ Iraq Joint Statement in January 2025 affirmed commitment to deepening cooperation on the Women, Peace and Security agenda and agreed the importance of supporting women's rights organisations. This statement further recognised the need for on-going support for all survivors of Daesh-perpetrated sexual violence, including mothers and their children born of conflict-related sexual violence. The Foreign Secretary will be raising these and other priority issues with her Iraqi counterpart.