Today Fiona has contributed to a UN Human Rights Council Side Event on Religious and Belief Minorities at Risk.
Religious or belief minorities are often seen as the expendable communities. However, in certain cases, religious or belief minorities are specifically targeted because of their identity, from the Yazidis, Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq, targeted by Daesh, to the Rohingya Muslims targeted by the Burmese military in Rakhine State, Myanmar. From the Uyghur Muslims in China to Christians targeted by Boko Haram in Nigeria or the Hazara Shia’s in Afghanistan. The targeting of religious or belief minorities requires comprehensive responses, including with domestic and multilateral approaches. The speakers discussed the situation of various targeted communities, the responses taken to date and those urgently needed.
Speaking at the event Fiona said,
"I want to thank Dr Shaheed for his very comprehensive and thought-provoking report, which underlines the way that minorities from every faith or belief are persecuted and discriminated against in so many places the world over. This truly is a key problem in our time and we should not stand idly by."
Reflecting on her work as the UK Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Fiona said,
"The UK government, which I am representing here today, firmly believes that no-one should face discrimination, hatred or violence because of their religion or belief. Discrimination not only damages societies, but it also holds back economies. Countries cannot fully develop while they fail fully to include members of minorities. Communities are stronger when they include everyone.
And the UK is fully committed to standing up for the right to freedom of religion or belief. We work through multilateral bodies such as the UN and the OSCE, we lobby individual governments and we support project work designed to help promote and protect the right to freedom of religion or belief in different countries."
In her concluding remarks Fiona highlighting the forthcoming Ministerial
"I am delighted that the UK will be hosting a major ministerial conference in July. It will draw on all the UK’s FORB work to build stronger global partnerships and agree common goals on FORB for everyone, everywhere. It will be a major international gathering and an opportunity for us as a nation to support FORB as a right for all and to agree pathways to action with partners internationally. The conference will be supplemented in June and July by an active FORB fringe of, we hope, over 100 events in and around Parliament and beyond, both in-person and virtual. I do hope that many of you joining us today will already be planning events around the Ministerial. Do please let my office know of your plans so that they can be promoted as part of this major international event.
In conclusion, I want to say that we have not forgotten about the plight of religious or belief minorities. I, and the UK government, are committed to working with others to ensure that they can no longer be targeted with impunity."
Fiona was joined on the panel by Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, who spoke about his new report "Rights of persons belonging to religious or belief minorities in situations of conflict or insecurity."
There were also several moving contributions from Pari Ibrahim, Free Yezidi Foundation, who spoke on the situation of the Yazidis, and Wai Wai Nu, a Burmese human rights advocate who spoke on the situation of the Rohingyas.