PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Diplomatic Service: LGBT+ People (30 June 2015)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent on promoting LGBT rights (a) in British Overseas Territories, (b) in the Commonwealth and (c) globally in the last year.

Asked by:
Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat)

Over the past year, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) promoted inclusive societies in all parts of the world including in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Terrirories, and condemned restrictions on and violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGB&T) people. In September 2014, we strongly supported the adoption of the UN’s second ever resolution on sexual orientation at the Human Rights Council and at the United Nations General Assembly. We worked hard to retain language in the biennial resolution on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, which calls for the protection of the right to life of all people, including those targeted on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

In the Caribbean, we supported a regional workshop for LGB&T rights defenders. In Jamaica, we worked with the Jamaican police to improve the investigation of complaints and set up a public forum to tackle homophobic bullying in schools. Other examples may be found in our Annual Report on Human Rights, launched in April 2015.

The FCO regularly raises these issues with Territory governments.

Answered by:
Sir David Lidington (Conservative)
6 July 2015