Iraq: Religious Freedom

(asked on 17th September 2026) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their freedom of religion or belief strategy for Iraq; and whether the strategy includes specific benchmarks that are tied to Sinjar's reconstruction and minority return.


Answered by
Lord Wood of Anfield Portrait
Lord Wood of Anfield
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 2nd October 2026

Through our Embassy in Baghdad and Consulate in Erbil, the UK is in regular contact with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government regarding the rights of religious minorities, including the Yazidis. Responsibility for reconstruction and return lies with the Government of Iraq.

Through diplomatic engagement and programmes such as the British Embassy Baghdad's Building Peace and Stability in Iraq programme, we continue to promote FoRB, support social cohesion and durable solutions for displaced communities, and monitor conditions for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of displaced Yazidis.

Reticulating Splines