Human Rights and Global Responsibility. An international agenda for the UK

Article

This report addresses in detail three human rights issues where UK Government policy could be strengthened, and sets out new policy recommendations in each.

The events of September 11, the military action against Afghanistan and Iraq, and George Bush's

self-declared 'war on terror' have been the critical backdrop to UK foreign policy over the last few years. These issues have also had a significant and sometimes negative impact on UK international human rights policy.

This report addresses in detail three human rights issues where UK Government policy could be strengthened, and sets out new policy recommendations in each:

  • Human rights and the international business agenda, including company policies on corporate social responsibility
  • Human rights and multilateral organisations, with a particular focus on the role of the United Nations
  • Human rights and military intervention, including an assessment of recent interventions in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq, and proposed new principles to guide future interventions.

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