Human Rights, DNA and the Higgs Boson?
Yesterday, when launching the FCO’s Annual Human Rights Report, the Foreign Secretary said: “Human rights are part of the lifeblood of the Foreign Office because they are part of our national DNA – our...
View ArticleRemembrance on the way to the coffee shop (what connects IHRA and R2P?)
My department moved offices last week – from rooms “in need of modernisation” on the third floor of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, down to freshly refurbished accommodation on the grand first...
View ArticleLondon Pride has been handed down to us; London Pride is a flower that’s free.
What do human rights and democracy have to do with each other (besides both featuring in the name of my department, HRDD)? And how does the work we do on democracy – which can seem nebulous – fit...
View ArticleMalala and a Big Tent in Cheltenham
I drove to Cheltenham on Saturday – a four hour round trip worth every mile – to hear a former Archbishop of Canterbury deliver a lecture at the Literature Festival. I was there to support a friend,...
View ArticleNew York and the Human Rights 'Third Committee' at the United Nations
I have grounds to be nostalgic about New York, where I cut my teeth on human rights work more than twenty years ago. But I never thought I could be made to feel nostalgic about its “smoke filled rooms”...
View ArticleWhat is civil society?
Last Friday I met members of the FCO’s “Youth Inspiration Group” – nine young people, between 18 and 25, from diverse backgrounds. With a combined network of over 3,000 (via the youth organisations and...
View ArticleGuest blog by Kirstie Smith, Business and Conflict Desk Officer, Conflict...
I’m delighted to host this blog from Kirstie Smith, and grateful to her for approaching me with the suggestion. The Voluntary Principles (VPs) – and the UK’s support for them – are a good example of...
View ArticleGuest blog by Shahida Khan, Business and Human Rights Policy Officer, on...
The FCO is a strong supporter of business efficient flexible working, and extends this right to all its employees. Flexible working takes many forms – compressed hours, flexible hours, job shares and...
View ArticleFCO Human Rights Work: A New Way Forward (leaving no priorities behind)
A change of government is a golden opportunity to look at things afresh, even in an area – like human rights – where our national interest and reputation both argue for continuity, if not for doing...
View ArticleFCO Human Rights and Democracy Programme: Promoting Ethno-Religious Harmony...
Slowly but increasingly surely, Sri Lanka is becoming a human rights success story. This is primarily due to the determination of its people and the courage of its recently elected leaders (see the...
View ArticleFCO Human Rights Work: A New Way Forward (leaving no priorities behind)
A change of government is a golden opportunity to look at things afresh, even in an area – like human rights – where our national interest and reputation both argue for continuity, if not for doing...
View ArticleFCO Human Rights and Democracy Programme: Promoting Ethno-Religious Harmony...
Slowly but increasingly surely, Sri Lanka is becoming a human rights success story. This is primarily due to the determination of its people and the courage of its recently elected leaders (see the...
View ArticleHuman Rights Day 2016
Box-ticking, or changing the real world? That was a question posed at our Minister’s event to mark Human Rights Day. Most people I talk to are ready to agree that the UK government tries to do the...
View ArticleThe Holocaust: Why is it still relevant today?
Introduction by Rob Fenn, Head of Human Rights & Democracy Department: By any standards, 2016 was a dramatic year. Finding myself in interesting times, my personal reaction has been to read...
View ArticleIf you seek his monument, look around you
I seem to have reached an age when there will be funerals. My father’s last year was bittersweet, after a life so fully lived. A similar mixture of grief and celebration permeated the funeral last...
View ArticleFCO Human Rights Work: A New Way Forward (leaving no priorities behind)
A change of government is a golden opportunity to look at things afresh, even in an area – like human rights – where our national interest and reputation both argue for continuity, if not for doing...
View ArticleFCO Human Rights and Democracy Programme: Promoting Ethno-Religious Harmony...
Slowly but increasingly surely, Sri Lanka is becoming a human rights success story. This is primarily due to the determination of its people and the courage of its recently elected leaders (see the...
View ArticleHuman Rights Day 2016
Box-ticking, or changing the real world? That was a question posed at our Minister’s event to mark Human Rights Day. Most people I talk to are ready to agree that the UK government tries to do the...
View ArticleThe Holocaust: Why is it still relevant today?
Introduction by Rob Fenn, Head of Human Rights & Democracy Department: By any standards, 2016 was a dramatic year. Finding myself in interesting times, my personal reaction has been to read...
View ArticleIf you seek his monument, look around you
I seem to have reached an age when there will be funerals. My father’s last year was bittersweet, after a life so fully lived. A similar mixture of grief and celebration permeated the funeral last...
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