THE UK’s Special Envoy for Religious Freedom, David Smith MP, has set out a framework for tackling restrictions of freedom of faith or belief (FoRB) and highlighted ten countries where the Government will focus its efforts, mainly in Asia.
During a 90-minute debate in Westminster Hall on Thursday, he said: “The Government have formally made a latest commitment to the centrality of FoRB of their foreign policy. . . FoRB will play its own distinctive part in our foreign policy.”
He explained that the ten countries were: Afghanistan, Algeria, China, India, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Ukraine, and Vietnam. They had been chosen, he said, “for his or her historical or geographical links that place the United Kingdom in a special position of influence; because we imagine that there’s a potential to make a difference now; and since of their place on the Pew Research Center index, by way of high levels of FoRB persecution.”
He also addressed civil servants, MPs, and peers on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office per week earlier. At each events, Mr Smith outlined a five-point strategy, which incorporates maintaining support for international standards on FoRB in multilateral forums resembling UN bodies; encouraging partner nations towards pro-FoRB behaviour, laws, and policies to encourage more inclusive and tolerant societies; strengthening coalitions resembling the Article 18 Alliance and the International Contact Group on FoRB; mainstreaming (making the norm) FoRB considerations throughout the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), and increasing understanding of the difficulty within the FCDO; and dealing more closely with civil society and human-rights groups.
DAVID SMITH MPThe strategy launch on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 8 July
Mr Smith also explained that his work on FoRB wouldn’t be limited to the ten countries. “I might be championing FoRB for all wherever and every time I can,” he said. “Promoting FORB revitalises our national story, challenges our darker impulses, and creates a future to work towards. That is the role of FORB in Britain’s foreign policy — not as a policy, but as a blessing for individuals who need and deserve freedom.”
At the talk, the Conservative MP John Glen praised Mr Smith for the “tone and manner with which he’s approaching this complicated and difficult work”, and said that choosing ten countries would make it easier to measure progress. Interacting with countries where FoRB was restricted was complex. “It isn’t that we cannot speak about what is occurring with the Uyghur Muslims in China while recognising that China is a vital economic actor on the planet that should be respected. We need to seek out ways of interacting well together,” he said.
The Liberal Democrat MP Martin Wrigley expressed concern that diplomatic pressure within the ten priority countries “stays inconsistent and at times ineffective”, and urged the Government to resource the FoRB Special Envoy properly — a measure that might have been agreed if a Private Member’s Bill introduced by the previous Special Envoy, Fiona Bruce MP, had been passed before the last election.
The Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Andrew Rosindell MP, responded: “What matters now is whether or not this Government are matching the words with actions. . . Will they publish regular updates on how the five-point strategy is being delivered? Will they bring about transparent, accountable, and measurable goals into the work published?”
The Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Catherine West MP (Labour), offered examples of the inclusion of FoRB in diplomacy. She said that one other Foreign Office minister, Hamish Falconer MP, had, in Pakistan, “discussed this topic with government ministers and spiritual leaders during his visit in November”. In October, she had “personally pressed the Vietnamese government to respect people’s rights to talk freely, to satisfy in groups, and to practise their religion”.
Mr Smith was appointed special envoy in December (20 December 2024), five months after the General Election. The delay in his appointment had led to concerns that the Government would downgrade the position and the work that had been begun by Ms Bruce (News, 29 November 2024).
A communiqué from the NGO Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), issued after the Foreign Office speech, said that the brand new FoRB strategy “was generally welcomed as a timely and vital initiative to reinvigorate the UK’s role in championing FoRB globally”.
CSW’s parliamentary liaison officer, Chibuzor Tina Amadi, said: “CSW welcomes the Special Envoy’s strategic approach to embedding FoRB considerations more intentionally throughout the UK’s foreign policy. The prioritisation of key countries where FoRB violations are widespread and systemic, and where the UK’s interventions will be handiest, provides a critical focus for ongoing government engagement.
“We also welcome the express commitment to champion FoRB in countries not included within the list where the precise is violated egregiously.”
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