To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Director-General of UNESCO on the naming of the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences in light of the human rights record of the government of Equatorial Guinea. (309480)

We are concerned about the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea, and made this clear at the UN Human Rights Council on 9 December 2009, when Equatorial Guinea underwent its Universal Periodic Review. Our ambassador to Equatorial Guinea will continue to raise our concerns with the Equato-Guinean authorities during his visits to the country. However, we have no plans to make representations to the Director General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) about the creation of the new UNESCO-Obiang prize, which was a matter for the UNESCO Executive Board.