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.
Signatures
48
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 48/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 48/100,000
- 24 APR 2026Petition closedFinal total: 48 signatures
- 24 OCT 2025Petition opened for signatures
Background
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.