1 Introduction
1. This Report is about the work of the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office in promoting higher standards of human
rights overseas in 2011-12. It takes as a starting point the FCO's
own report on human rights and democracy in 2011, published on
30 April 2012.[1] We look
briefly at the report itself and at some of the initiatives which
the FCO has pursued. We also take the opportunity to comment on
aspects of the FCO's human rights staffing and policy formation
process.
2. In the remainder of our Report, rather than
try to cover exhaustively such a vast field, we have been selective.
We have dwelt upon issues where political considerations are particularly
prominent, such as:
- The designation of "countries
of concern", where human rights failings are serious and
to which the FCO wants to draw particular attention;
- Torture prevention, and in particular its implications
for the Government's policy on deportation and rendition;
- When and how the FCO judges that more public
pressure should be applied, for instance through economic sanctions
or sporting boycotts; and
- FCO policy on the promotion of responsible business
practice abroad by UK firms.
Our inquiry ranged beyond the territory covered by
the FCO's Report to cover matters which were current in the first
half of 2012. The inquiry has also illustrated the connections
between the FCO's human rights work and the work of other Departments,
notably the Home Office, the Department for Business, Innovation
and Skills, and the Ministry of Justice.
3. Written submissions to the inquiry are listed
on page 56. As in 2011, we took oral evidence from two human rights
organisations (Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch) and
from the FCO Minister with responsibility at the time for human
rights (Jeremy Browne MP). We are pleased to acknowledge these
contributions and to present our findings.
1 Human Rights and Democracy: the 2011 Foreign &
Commonwealth Office Report, Cm 8339 Back
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