Closed petition Government to use ‘Southwest Asia and North Africa' (SWANA) not Middle East

Government should stop using ‘Middle East’ in all its official business and communications. It is colonial, because it is 'Middle East' relative to Britain. We believe that Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) is decolonial, inclusive and a geographically accurate way of identifying the region.

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The Government should lead in decolonising language it uses because if it changes, others may change by example. Language matters, because it influences how we think and conceptualise the world. With such turmoil in SWANA at present, it is more important than ever that language used is free from the colonial baggage of the past. Making this change could also demonstrate to everyone that the government and parliament acknowledge and distance themselves from the colonial mindsets of the past.

This petition is closed All petitions run for 6 months

48 signatures

Progress of the petition towards its next target: 48 of 10,000 signatures required to get a government response

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10,000 signatures required to get a government response

Date closed 24 April 2026
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