§ Mr. ReedTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what training is available in his Department in the recognition of religious persecution. [28644]
§ Peter HainPromotion of human rights, including freedom of thought, conscience and religion, is at the heart of our foreign policy. We condemn instances where individuals are persecuted because of their faith or belief, wherever they happen and whatever the religion of the individual or group concerned.
Our approach is to treat religious freedom as an integral part of our foreign policy. Protecting and promoting freedom of religion is most effective when it is done in the context of the promotion and protection of other human rights. So we emphasise that human rights are everyone's business. That is why we have made human rights an essential element of training for all policy officers, including ambassadors.
We work closely with Amnesty International and other NGOs in designing and running our Human Rights courses. Courses are open to members of other Government Departments, including the Home Office, to attend.
In addition all decision-makers in the Joint Entry Clearance Unit and staff serving overseas as Entry Clearance Officers or Managers or Consular Officers receive training on the provisions of the Human Rights Act 1999 and the European Convention on Human Rights, which includes freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
The FCO also offers its staff a wide-ranging programme of training on inclusion and diversity issues. Our Managing Inclusion course is core training for all grades, both at home and overseas. Regional diversity training is also available for staff engaged locally overseas.
§ Mr. ReedTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what resources are available in his Department to monitor human rights violations of Christians; [28643]
(2) what responsibility UK embassies have been given to monitor religious freedom in the host country. [28607]
§ Peter HainPromotion of human rights, including freedom of thought, conscience and religion, is at the heart of our foreign policy. We condemn instances where individuals are persecuted because of their faith or belief, wherever they happen and whatever the religion of the individual or group concerned.
The Human Rights Policy Department (HRPD) is the FCO's central point of advice and expertise on human rights, including freedom of religion. But we emphasise that human rights are everyone's business. Staff at our posts and on geographical desks in London monitor human rights abuses overseas, including persecution of Christians. Human rights is an essential element of training for policy staff, including ambassadors and staff serving overseas as entry clearance officers or managers.
The FCO, in a number of ways, supports practical projects promoting human rights on the ground, including through the Human Rights Project Fund (HRPF). Since 767W its inception in April 1998, the fund has supported over 400 projects and allocated more than £15 million in some 90 countries around the world. Its budget for financial year 2001–02 has been increased to £6.8 million.
§ Mr. ReedTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of Christians persecuted across the world in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [28608]
§ Peter HainPromotion of human rights, including freedom of thought, conscience and religion, is at the heart of our foreign policy. We condemn instances where individuals are persecuted because of their faith or belief, wherever they happen and whatever the religion of the individual or group concerned.
Staff at our posts and on geographical desks in London monitor human rights abuses overseas, including persecution of Christians. But the FCO does not collate figures on the number of Christians persecuted across the world, not least because of the difficulty in defining this category.
Collecting this information for this PQ would represent a disproportionate cost.