{"id":29900,"date":"2024-12-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/csw-yeo.1wp.site\/press\/csw-welcomes-appointment-of-uk-special-envoy-for-freedom-of-religion-or-6394\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T19:12:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T18:12:29","slug":"csw-welcomes-appointment-of-uk-special-envoy-for-freedom-of-religion-or-6394","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/press\/csw-welcomes-appointment-of-uk-special-envoy-for-freedom-of-religion-or-6394\/","title":{"rendered":"CSW welcomes appointment of UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/b1257c77a777735c4bf452e7e486294a.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>CSW welcomes the news that David Smith, MP for North Northumberland, has been appointed the UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB).<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/david-smith-mp-announced-as-uk-special-envoy-for-freedom-of-religion-or-belief?utm_source=miragenews&#038;utm_medium=miragenews&#038;utm_campaign=news\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">press release<\/a> from the Foreign, Commonwealth &#038; Development Office (FCDO) states that: \u2018As Envoy, David will champion FoRB for all overseas, promoting tolerance and mutual respect through and alongside the UK\u2019s global diplomatic network and engagements in multilateral fora. David will represent the UK in international discussions on FoRB, working closely with other special envoys, experts and civil society partners.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lord Collins of Highbury, Minister for Human Rights, said: \u2018David\u2019s appointment is a clear signal of the value placed by the UK on championing freedom of religion or belief for all around the world. No one should live in fear because of what they do, or do not, believe in.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">David Smith MP, who will take up the appointment in the new year, said: \u2018I am delighted to be appointed as the Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief. From sub-Saharan Africa to the Middle East and Asia, I have personally worked with those of different faiths who face religious persecution, and so these are issues that I care passionately about. I look forward to taking forward the Government\u2019s commitment to supporting freedom of religion or belief for all.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CSW\u2019s Founder President Mervyn Thomas CMG said:<b><i> \u2018I am delighted that David Smith MP has been appointed the UK\u2019s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief. Having travelled with David in the past to China and Nigeria, I am greatly encouraged by his passion to champion the cause of those who experience injustice because of their religion or belief. I have no doubt that he will build on the legacy of his predecessor Fiona Bruce and maintain the UK\u2019s position as a world leader in FoRB advocacy, and I look forward to continuing to work with him to promote and protect the right to freedom of religion or belief for everyone everywhere.\u2019<\/i><\/b><b><i><\/i><\/b><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CSW welcomes the news that David Smith, MP for North Northumberland, has been appointed the UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB).<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":44036,"template":"","categories":[],"regions":[159,160],"class_list":["post-29900","press","type-press","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","regions-international-arenas","regions-uk-government"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/29900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/29900\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40485,"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/29900\/revisions\/40485"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29900"},{"taxonomy":"regions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/regions?post=29900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}