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Human Rights & Democracy Human Rights & Democracy The 2016 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report Human Rights & Democracy The 2016 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by Command of Her Majesty July 2017 Cm 9487 d Human Rights and Democracy: The 2016 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report © Crown copyright 2017 This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected]. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. This publication is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at: Parliament and Communications Team, Human Rights and Democracy Department, Room K1.01, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street, London, SW1A 2AH Print ISBN 9781474141130 Web ISBN 9781474141147 ID P002863281 07/17 Printed on paper containing 75% recycled fibre content minimum Printed in the UK by the Williams Lea Group on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office Designed in-house by the FCO Communication Directorate Cover image: Displaced men, women and children after fleeing ISIL-controlled areas in rural Raqqa to Ain Issa, the main staging point for displaced families, some 50 Km north of Raqqa city (November 2016). © UNICEF/UN039561/Soulaiman i Contents Preface by Foreign Secretary Boris Water and sanitation ......................................12 Johnson ....................................................v Economic empowerment ................................13 Foreword by Minister for Human Rights Social protection .............................................13 Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon .....................vi Chapter II: Human Rights for a Stable World .....................................................14 Chapter I: Democratic Values and Rule of Law ......................................................2 Migration and Refugee Crisis .......................14 Introduction ...................................................2 Freedom of Religion or Belief .......................15 Democracy .....................................................2 Post-Holocaust Issues ...................................15 Elections .......................................................... 2 Countering Extremism ..................................16 Westminster Foundation for Democracy .......... 3 Daesh ............................................................ 16 Freedom of Expression ..................................... 3 Counter-Terrorism ...........................................17 Human Rights Defenders ................................. 4 Death Penalty and Torture Prevention ..........17 Restriction of Civil Society space ...................... 4 Conflict ........................................................18 Non-Discrimination ........................................5 Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Rights of Women and Girls .............................. 5 (PSVI) ............................................................ 18 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) ............. 18 (LGB&T) Rights ................................................. 6 UN Peacekeeping and Human Rights ............. 19 Child Rights ..................................................... 7 Peacebuilding ................................................ 20 Rights of Persons with Disabilities .................... 8 Responsibility to Protect, and Mass Atrocity Human Rights and the Private Sector .............8 Prevention ..................................................... 20 Business and Human Rights ............................. 8 Sexual Exploitation and Abuse ....................... 20 Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Overseas Security and Justice Assistance ......21 Rights .............................................................. 9 Chapter III: Strengthening the Rules- Private Security Companies .............................. 9 Based International System ....................22 Responsible Sourcing ..................................... 10 United Nations .............................................22 The Open Government Partnership ................ 10 Human Rights Council ................................... 22 Modern Slavery ............................................10 Country issues ............................................... 22 Department for International Development Thematic issues.............................................. 23 (DFID): Work on Economic and Social Rights 12 Universal Periodic Review ............................... 24 Rights of Women and Girls .............................12 Treaty Monitoring Bodies and Special Health ............................................................12 Procedures .................................................... 24 Education .......................................................12 Overseas Territories ........................................ 24 ii Human Rights and Democracy: The 2016 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report Sanctions ....................................................... 24 Central African Republic (CAR) .....................34 Export Controls ............................................24 China ...........................................................35 The Commonwealth .....................................25 Colombia .....................................................36 Europe .........................................................25 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea The European Union (EU) ............................... 25 (DPRK) .........................................................36 Council of Europe .......................................... 26 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) .....37 European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ...... 26 Egypt ...........................................................37 Committee of Ministers (CoM) ....................... 26 Eritrea ..........................................................38 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Iran ..............................................................39 Europe (OSCE) ............................................... 27 Iraq ..............................................................39 International Justice System and International Criminal Court .........................27 The State of Israel and The Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) ........................40 Chapter IV: FCO Human Rights Programme Funds ..................................29 Libya ............................................................40 Republic of Maldives ....................................41 Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy ...................................................29 Pakistan .......................................................41 The Rules-Based International System Fund .29 Russia ..........................................................42 Chapter V: Consular Assistance to British Saudi Arabia ................................................43 Nationals Overseas ................................31 Somalia ........................................................43 Introduction .................................................31 South Sudan ............................................... 44 Death Penalty ..............................................31 Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka .. 44 Torture .........................................................31 Sudan ..........................................................45 Overseas prisoners .......................................31 Syria .............................................................46 Forced Marriage ...........................................31 Turkmenistan ...............................................46 Chapter VI: Human Rights Priority Uzbekistan ...................................................47 Countries ................................................32 Venezuela ....................................................47 Afghanistan .................................................32 Yemen ..........................................................48 Bahrain ........................................................32 Zimbabwe ....................................................49 People’s Republic of Bangladesh ..................33 Annex A: Objectives for 2017 .................50 Burma ..........................................................33 Communications ..........................................50 Burundi ........................................................34 iii Death Penalty ..............................................50 Democracy and Civil Society ........................50 Europe .........................................................50 Equalities .....................................................50 Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) ............50 Modern Slavery/Business and Human Rights 50 Post-Holocaust .............................................50 Torture Prevention .......................................50 UN ...............................................................51 iv Human Rights and Democracy: The 2016 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report v Preface by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson
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