The Bishop of Worcester received the following written answers on 9th March 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government which countries are observers to the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, FCDO): There are three categories of participation in the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (Alliance): Members, Observers, and Friends. Members are states which have joined the Alliance and are invited to participate at Ministerial level during the annual Ministers’ Forum; Observers are organisations, institutions, or entities which actively advance freedom of religion or belief globally: and, Friends are states or organisations that are considering joining or becoming observers.
The current Members are Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Estonia, The Gambia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Togo, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States; the current Friends are Canada, Japan, Norway, South Korea, and Sweden; the current Observers are the Sovereign Order of Malta and the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief.
The Lord Bishop of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance established by the government of the United States.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is a founder and active member of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (‘Alliance’), which was established in February 2020.
The Alliance is a network of countries committed to the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). As the Minister of State response for Human Rights, I represented the UK at the first Ministers’ Forum of the Alliance in November 2020. Following her appointment in December 2020, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP, represents the UK at meetings of the Alliance. We use our membership to coordinate advocacy with other states to raise awareness of cases of particular concern and advocate for the rights of individuals being discriminated against or persecuted for their faith or belief. Since its launch, the Alliance has increased its membership from 27 to 32 countries. In August 2020, the UK joined a statement (https://www.state.gov/covid-19-and-religious-minorities-pandemic-statement/) by the Alliance which recognised the impact of Covid-19 on minority and religious belief communities and called for the full respect for FoRB during the pandemic.
The Lord Bishop of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to convene a Special Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council to address the human rights situation in Myanmar.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK worked quickly after the coup, in conjunction with the EU, to convene a Special Session of the Human Rights Council on 12 February. We secured a resolution, agreed by consensus, which called for the immediate and unconditional release of all persons arbitrarily detained in Myanmar, and the lifting of the state of emergency. During this session, the UK read a statement submitted by elected Myanmar MPs, calling for support and an investigation into human rights violations.
As a champion of the rules based international order, and democratic government, we are driving the international response, including in our role as President of both the G7 and UNSC, urging the military to immediately hand back power to the Government that was democratically elected in November 2020.
The Lord Bishop of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the security situation in Iraqi Kurdistan following the mortar attack in Erbil on 15 February; and what assistance they are providing to the Kurdistan Regional Government (1) to investigate, and (2) to hold accountable, those responsible for the attack.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We recognise the security threat against Western interests posed by militia groups seeking to sow instability across Iraq, including Iraqi Kurdistan. Although a militia group claimed responsibility for the attack, we have committed to supporting the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Government of Iraq in investigating the attack and holding accountable those responsible.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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