Written question asked by John Glen (Conservative) on Monday, 8 September 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 September 2025. It was answered by Hamish Falconer (Labour) on Friday, 3 October 2025 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Iraq: Minority Groups
- Question
-
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts to ensure the protection of (a) Yazidis, (b) Christians and (c) other religious and ethnic minority groups in Iraq; and what steps she is taking to ensure aid reaches displaced communities in northern Iraq.
- Answer
-
The UK is committed to supporting displaced communities in northern Iraq. We fund quick impact projects and livelihood support activities through the International Organisation for Migration and, through our Building Peace and Stability in Iraq programme, fund the office of the UN Durable Solutions Adviser which leads the UN's strategic coordination efforts.
The UK champions freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. On 8 July, the Government publicly set out its approach to FoRB, providing a framework for UK engagement including for countries navigating the impact of conflict, both past and present, such as Iraq, including the Kurdistan region.
In July 2025, the former Minister for Human Rights and the UK Special Envoy for FoRB met with Mir Hazem Tahsin Beg, the Prince of the Yazidis. We also raise threats to minority faith communities in regular engagements with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and in multilateral fora. For example, at Iraq's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in June, we recommended that Iraq upholds the right for minorities to freely practice their religion or belief, without fear of persecution.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- 75586
- Session
- 2024-26
- Related items
- Subjects
- International assistance Iraq Minority groups Oppression
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-03-03 12:09:16 +0000
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2024-26/75586
- In Indexing
- http://indexing.parliament.uk/Content/Edit/1?uri=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2024-26/75586
- In Solr
- https://search.parliament.uk/claw/solr/?id=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2024-26/75586