![]()
FCDO Human Rights
Human rights work at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
30th April 2012
Budapest, Hungary
Guest blog by Levente Nyitrai, Policy Officer, British Embassy Budapest Today marks an important occasion in the United Kingdom and the field of human rights worldwide. William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, is launching the Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report for 2011 in London. He is laying the report in Parliament after which he is […]
Read more on Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report – 2011 | Reply
30th April 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
On 30 April the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, launched the FCO’s Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report for 2011. This is one of the British Government’s major annual human rights events, highlighting our global human rights priorities. It is intended to increase awareness of the UK’s role in promoting human rights worldwide, as well as […]
Read more on Human Rights and Democracy | Reply (2)
26th March 2012
Geneva, Switzerland
For every Council delegate there is one resolution, above all others, whose success or failure takes over their life. It dominates their working hours and prays on their subconscious mind even during the little sleep it’s possible to squeeze in. For me, it was Sri Lanka. There was a huge amount riding on the United […]
Read more on Council Catharsis | Reply (2)
19th March 2012
Geneva, Switzerland
It’s been a strange week. Even during the frenzied latter stages of a Human Rights Council session you expect the UN to be a courteous place. Anything less than model behaviour would feel out of place in an organisation devoted to peace and harmony and based in a country whose last outbreak of anything resembling […]
Read more on Good Manners and Bad Behaviour | Reply
12th March 2012
Geneva, Switzerland
Maybe it’s just that I’m getting older but this feels like a particularly tiring Council session. And judging by the number of weary diplomatic faces around this week, I’m not the only one whose been feeling the strain. The Council is set to adopt more resolutions than at any other previous session, and with a […]
Read more on Sleep-walking and breaking taboos | Reply
12th March 2012
Nairobi, Kenya
Last week the world marked International Women’s Day – a day to renew our commitment to the empowerment, education and advancement of women and girls around the world. Somalia is, according to a 2011 survey, one of the worst countries in the world in which to be a woman. Women are subjected to violence, harassment […]
Read more on Celebrating International Women’s Day | Reply (7)
7th March 2012
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
To mark International Women’s Day, I’m delighted that Gail Featherstone, the wife of the High Commissioner, has agreed to write a guest blog on the efforts of one woman to give underprivileged girls in Malaysia a genuine chance in life.
Read more on The Home of Peace: Educating and Empowering Vulnerable Girls | Reply (10)
6th March 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
One of the dangers of International “Days” is that they can generate a great deal of well-meaning talk, but little action. Sometimes they serve to raise public consciousness about an undeservedly forgotten issue or a neglected cause. But too often they come round on the annual calendar, and nothing much seems to change. International Women’s […]
Read more on International Women’s Day: Doing Something Practical | Reply (1)
5th March 2012
Geneva, Switzerland
It’s been a busy week. With our Ministers in town for the Council’s High level Segment, we’ve all been suffering from higher than average stress levels. Many Ministers chose to use their statements to focus on the appalling violations in Syria, which the Council addressed in an urgent debate on Tuesday. Council members spoke out […]
Read more on Panels, Protocols and Ponchos | Reply (2)
27th February 2012
Geneva, Switzerland
What a difference a year makes. 12 months ago the Human Rights Council had just limped to the anaemic conclusion of a year-long review process, with many countries and human rights organisations wondering how much longer they could justify spending time and energy on the Council with little to show for it. During its first […]
Read more on From limping to sprinting | Reply (1)
