Asked by: Nesil Caliskan (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to support a political solution in Cyprus .
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is fully committed to supporting ongoing UN efforts to reach a Cyprus Settlement. I represented the UK at the informal talks in Geneva in March chaired by the UN Secretary General, where I encouraged all sides to engage constructively towards a Settlement. I welcome the outcomes of the Geneva meeting, notably the Secretary General's appointment of a Personal Envoy on Cyprus and the agreement to six initiatives to build trust between the two communities. Ahead of the New York meeting, I am continuing to encourage all sides to engage constructively. I am in regular contact with the Republic of Cyprus' Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos. I also both met Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and spoke to opposition leader Tufan Erhürman on 25 June. On 1 July, I met the Secretary General's Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, and we discussed how the UK can best support her efforts to bring progress towards a Settlement. The UK also continues to contribute to peace and stability in Cyprus through our deployment of military personnel to the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
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 raise concerns about the treatment of (a) Christians and (b) other religious minorities in Uzbekistan at the United Nations.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to championing freedom of religion or belief for all. In Uzbekistan's most recent UN Universal Periodic Review, the UK raised concerns regarding upholding freedom of religion or belief amongst other human rights issues. We continue to seek opportunities to raise concerns at the United Nations and in other international fora where appropriate. Our Embassy in Tashkent also regularly raises human rights with the relevant authorities in Uzbekistan and maintains a dialogue with human rights groups in the region.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) his Brazilian counterpart and (b) Indigenous Brazilian representatives on (i) protecting and (ii) recognising the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ ahead of COP30 in Belem; and what steps he is taking to collaborate with (A) his European counterparts and (B) other donors on this issue.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 24 June 2025, the Minister of State for International Development, Latin America and the Caribbean met Brazil's Minister for Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara. They agreed on the importance of ensuring meaningful inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in COP processes. Sonia Guajajara has spoken publicly about the importance of COP30 as a "COP of implementation" and securing concrete benefits for IPLCs. The UK collaborates with European and international partners on this issue through multilateral funds and initiatives such as the Amazon Fund and the REDD+ Early Movers programme, which support IPLC-led forest protection and sustainable livelihoods. Through the Forest and Climate Leaders' Partnership (FCLP), which the UK co-chairs with Guyana, we are working to promote greater recognition of IPLCs as vital stewards of critical forest ecosystems.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent support he has offered to Bosnia and Herzegovina on the rule of law.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to peace, stability and the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Our embassy in Sarajevo provides support politically and through our programmes to help BiH's domestic institutions deliver their mandates and combat corruption and serious organised crime. In response to actions by Republika Srpska's leadership which undermine the rule of law, we have worked with the High Representative and international partners to bolster domestic institutions against threats to the constitution and independence of the judiciary. I and the Foreign Secretary underlined this commitment to Presidency Members Becirovic and Komsic on 17 June.
I recently convened members of the quint to discuss these issues, and am closely following developments with partners. We look forward to hosting the Berlin Process in the UK later this year, which also provides an opportunity to discuss a range of issues in the Western Balkans with partners.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
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 UK ODA spending supports women and girls internationally.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to supporting women and girls around the world. We are strengthening the integration of gender equality across the full breadth of FCDO work and will use our convening power and diplomacy to maximise our impact, including through encouraging multilateral organisations to deliver on their commitments to women and girls.
Following the Spending Review, detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of ongoing resource allocation processes. We will publish the FCDO final 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts in July.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his policies to (a) protect global forests, (b) protect and (c) recognise the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Globally, rates of forest loss are declining but climate change is making forests more vulnerable to threats from wildfire and pests. The UK is committed to the goals of halting and reversing deforestation and supporting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLC). Through diplomacy, partnerships and development programming, we are working to improve forest governance, sustainable trade and investment, and to mobilise finance to protect and restore the world's major tropical forest basins.
At the Glasgow Climate Conference (COP26) in 2021, the UK mobilised the $1.7 billion IPLC Forest Tenure Pledge and committed £163 million to advance IPLC tenure rights. UK programmes such as the Amazon Catalyst for Forest Communities (AMCAT) and the Global Land Governance Programme, work with partner governments and IPLCs to strengthen forest governance and national land governance systems. These initiatives have contributed to policy reforms, capacity building, and land registration efforts in multiple countries.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Serbian government on (a) human, (b) civil and (c) political rights in that country.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary and I underlined the UK's strong support for fundamental rights and the rule of law, and the important role of civil society in Serbia during our respective visits to Belgrade earlier this year. In the context of continuing protests, we continue to stress to the Serbian leadership that, in any society, it is important that the rights to peaceful freedom of expression and assembly are respected. We continue to raise these issues via our Ambassador in Belgrade, and discussions with ministerial counterparts.
Asked by: John Cooper (Conservative - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department had with the Scottish Government on the planned visits of the Scottish Government's (a) Minister for Business and Employment to China and Japan in April 2025 and (b) Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to Japan in June 2025.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and our Embassies in Beijing and Tokyo engaged with Scottish Government officials in support of the visit of the Scottish Government's Minister for Business and Employment to China and the visits of Minister Lochhead and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to Japan. Such support is common practice supporting Devolved Government Ministerial visits overseas.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to to Amnesty International's report entitled No one guarantees my safety: the urgent need to strengthen Mexico’s federal policies for the protection of journalists, published in March 2024, what discussions he has had with his Mexican counterpart on (a) strengthening Mexico’s Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists and (b) the need for its effective implementation.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to Media Freedom, and to championing democracy and human rights around the world. Independent media is essential to a healthy democracy. The danger facing journalists in Mexico is highly concerning and Amnesty International's report rightly raises concerns about the effectiveness of the Federal Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists. Our Embassy in Mexico City works closely with the Mexican Government and civil society organisations on understanding and reducing the risks faced by journalists and human rights defenders due to their professions. Representatives from the UK Government and the Mexican Government held their second Multilateral and Human Rights Dialogue on 13-14 May 2025 where both Governments reaffirmed their commitment to human rights. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials met with representatives of Amnesty International on 17 June in London to understand their concerns around the mechanism.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the (a) Special Envoy to Afghanistan and (b) Afghanistan department will be located within the Whitehall premises of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Special Envoy to Afghanistan and the Afghanistan department operate from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's headquarters in the UK. This arrangement ensures the UK can continue to engage effectively on Afghanistan policy, including with a broad range of Afghan stakeholders, while maintaining flexibility in how and where that engagement takes place.