Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Religious Freedom
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department spent on promotion of freedom of religion or belief in the financial year 2024/25.
Answered by Stephen Doughty
The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding, including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) John Bunyan Fund (JBF), a designated programme for FoRB-focused overseas projects. The JBF has a budget allocation of £460,720 in FY24/25. The FCDO works to ensure that Official Development Assistance (ODA) is allocated to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance irrespective of race, religion, or ethnicity. This includes minority religious or belief communities, who are assessed by our partners when determining those most in need of protection and assistance.
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