Written question asked by Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 22 July 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 1 September 2025. It was answered by Hamish Falconer (Labour) on Thursday, 4 September 2025 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Syria: White Helmets

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to cooperate with the Syria Civil Defence.

Answer: The UK has long supported the Syrian Civil Defence (also known as the White Helmets) in their vital work to facilitate humanitarian access, conduct search and rescue operations, and enable the safe removal of unexploded weapons. We are proud of this partnership and remain committed to supporting the White Helmets during its transition into the Syrian Government's Ministry for Emergency and Disaster Relief. In the financial year 2025/26, the UK has committed £2.25 million of support for them to provide emergency civil protection services and community resilience activities.

Secondary information