Myanmar: Religious Freedom
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with international partners on fostering interfaith tolerance in Myanmar in light of the recent military attacks on churches, monasteries, and other religious sites; and what plans his Department has to integrate education on religious freedom and tolerance within its initiatives in the region.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK supports the protection of all religious minority groups in Myanmar. We consistently raise concerns about the discrimination of religious minorities and their places of worship in international fora, including co-sponsoring a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar in April 2024, which underlined the importance of addressing the root cause of violations against religious minorities. Additionally, we fund the UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, and the Myanmar Witness programme to collect and preserve evidence of violations and abuses, including atrocities against religious minority groups. Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is incorporated within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's broader human rights training programme across the region, including workshops on religious engagement for our staff.
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