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Paul Johnston

Ambassador to Ireland

Part of FCDO Human Rights

17th April 2013

Human Rights and Democracy Report 2012

This year it will be 65 years since the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Open any newspaper or news website today and you find depressingly many and varied examples of continuing breaches of those universal rights in countries around the world.

Advancing respect for universal human rights is a priority for UK, and EU, foreign policy. For that reason, every year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office publishes a Human Rights Report. The Report covers our global human rights priorities and countries of concern. On 15 April our Foreign Secretary William Hague launched the FCO Human Rights and Democracy Report 2012.

If you follow the Embassy on Twitter or Facebook or read my last blog you will know how the UK as G8 President is prioritising the issue of tackling rape and sexual violence in conflict. This year there is a new section on the Preventing of Sexual Violence Initiative in the Report.

At the launch event the Foreign Secretary was joined by two guest speakers; Dr Ahmed Shaheed, Human Rights Council special Rapporteur on Iran, who shared his insight into the work of the UN and Madeleine Rees from the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and a member of the PSVI steering board spoke more widely about the violence against women, including sexual violence.

We want to know what you think too. On the FCO’s Human Rights and Democracy homepage you can submit your comments on this important issue.

2 comments on “Human Rights and Democracy Report 2012”

  1. I Think that discrimination against woman is still obvious in most of the countries that actually signed on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
    if governments of these countries are serious about Human Rights they will come up with laws that will help in reducing the discrimination against woman,but we can see that even the governments are biased to men almost in every aspect of life , special in middle east .

  2. Dear sir

    Where is the human rights you talking about am a father of tow chlid and awife they live all in uk I received apaper from ukboarder agencey deprive me from my natrulaisation while am away from my family I went back to jordan for visit and couldnt go back to my family my kids cause of adecidion from home office to take of my passport so I cant go back to myfamily in uk where is the human rights I tried my best to call and mail all the goverment agency to appeal but no answer is it fare to be away from my kids and u talking about humanity and rights for people to live good life and with there family thx again

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About Paul Johnston

Paul Johnston joined the UK Civil Service in 1990, working for the Ministry of Defence initially. He has served in Paris and New York and has also had a wide…

Paul Johnston joined the UK Civil Service in 1990, working for the Ministry of Defence initially.

He has served in Paris and New York and has also had a wide range of political and security roles in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. Paul joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1993 as Desk Officer for Bosnia. As part of this role he was also Private Secretary to EU negotiator Lord Owen and his representative on Bosnia Contact Group.

His first foreign posting was to Paris in 1995-99 as Second Secretary Political. He was Private Secretary to the Ambassador and latterly part of the UK delegation to the Kosovo Rambouillet negotiations. Then he returned to London as Head of the Kosovo Policy Team, leading work on post-conflict policy in the EU, NATO, UN and G8.

Before his second overseas posting to New York in 2005, Paul held a variety of other EU policy and security appointments in London, such as Head of European Defence Section between 2000-01 and Head of Security Policy Department between 2002-04.

As Head of the Political Section in UKMIS New York, he advised on major policy issues for the UK on the Security Council and the UN World Summit, including the UK EU Presidency in 2005.

Paul returned to London in 2008 as Director, International Security for the FCO. He was responsible for policy on UN, NATO, European Security, arms control and disarmament, human rights and good governance.

Paul was British Ambassador to Sweden from August 2011 to August 2015 and then was Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO.

He was UK Ambassador to the EU for Political and Security affairs from 2017 to January 2020 and became Ambassador to Ireland in September 2020.

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Human Rights human rights and democracy report 2012 Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative PSVI