I’ve blogged before about Business and Human Rights. Sustainable trade is vital for our economy, it supports employment and promotes British and global growth.
But at the same time, human rights values are intrinsic to our foreign policy.
So we will not promote trade at the expense of human rights.
Our work on business and human rights is a top priority for the British Government. It is also an area where we are collaborating closely with many partners in Spain.
Tomorrow, 24 April, I’ll be taking part in a seminar on this important issue here in Madrid. The Embassy has worked with Business and Human Rights to prepare it. We have a great cast of speakers, and the event will benefit from our excellent collaboration with the Spanish Foreign Ministry and BBVA.
Our focus will be on the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human rights. The UK was the first country to translate these principles into a national plan. Following extensive consultation across government, with business and with NGOs we launched the UK’s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights on 4 September 2013.
Tomorrow’s seminar will provide a timely opportunity to reflect on our experience of our Action Plan. We will also, I am sure, have a valuable discussion of the wider challenges of delivering the UN’s Guiding Principles globally.
You can find full details of tomorrow’s event here. While attendance in person is by invitation only we will be live tweeting throughout using the hash-tag #Empresayddhh.
Tomorrow will also be one year on since the tragic factory collapse in Rana Plaza, Dhaka, Bangladesh. We will be marking that with a minute’s silence at the seminar tomorrow. This very powerful Guardian report offers some reflections on the modern textile industry.
The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, says that foreign policy should be about improving the human condition, not just reacting to events. I think the international community’s work on business and human rights is a good example of trying to improve the human condition, and to do so through the efforts of a broad coalition of partners: government, business, NGOs and wider civil society working together successfully.
I’ll blog again after tomorrow’s seminar.