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.

Related items

  1. A view of Glasgow, Scotland, from above.

    More than a safety net: The welfare state as springboard to economic success and a better country

    A perceived conflict between social spending and economic dynamism is deeply embedded in both Scottish and UK political discourse.
  2. The Home Office building in London

    Far from settled: The government’s ‘earned settlement’ consultation

    How long should people have to wait until they can permanently settle in the UK? This is the core question underpinning the Home Office’s ‘earned settlement’ policy, currently out for consultation.

  3. Rethinking public sector productivity

    This is the second in a series of IPPR Scotland blogs as part of our project on Employment, Productivity and Reform in the Scottish Public Sector. This project is funded by the Robertson Trust.