David Miliband

Foreign Secretary

FCO Logo
« Foreign Policy in a... | Main | Keep Hope Alive »
Thursday 26 March, 2009

Human Rights Report

Today we publish the 11th FCO Human Rights report  - a compendious guide to work great and small around the world by the Government to promote, economic, civil, social and political rights. 

In my speech to launch the report I make the distinction between obligations and aspirations - must dos according to national or international law and hope to dos according to our values.  The drive for economic and social rights especially are aspirations. Some debate whether there really are universal rights. I believe there are. And that they are defined in important treaties.

Posted at 17:05 26 March 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[7]

  • Share this with:
Comments:

In light of the human rights that you advocate, what action is being taken by your office to seek the freedom of Gao Zhisheng who was abducted by chinese police 50 days ago and has not been seen since. Given his torture during his last arrest we can only assume that this is being repeated again. Please can this government take a stand against China. For further information please see: http://www.freegao.com/

Posted by John Lee on March 26, 2009 at 07:01 PM GMT #

Any reference to Tibet?

Posted by OwenE2 on March 27, 2009 at 03:33 PM GMT #

This report on human rights is impressive. I am particularly surprised to see the detailed report on Israel. What I cannot understand is how the UK still considers Israel to be a friend of Britain. I would be ashamed to refer to the Israel government as a friend. I suspect that the argument is that it is better to have influence but surely this argument does not stand up to time. If we do have influence then it is better to use that influence. As I have previously said on this blog, it is now time to put the rights of the Palestinians to the fore. We have enough spokesmen for Israel.

Posted by Paul Macdonald on March 28, 2009 at 03:00 PM GMT #

@OwenE2 Are these policemen are the communist party there in China? Please let me know. Thank you.

Posted by watzabatza on March 28, 2009 at 10:13 PM GMT #

What is the point of Human Rights reports when a British citizen is left languishing in a prison cell in Dubai seemingly in accordance with religious dogma? I refer of course to the terrible fate of Tonya Thompson and the loss of her two children on the dubious grounds of adultery. There is no point in producing documents on Human Rights until the fear of condemning religious and political bias is banished from this earth. Get this lady out of jail and get her children back to her - then discuss Human rights. She needs protection - she's British - get it for her even if it means upsetting very rich and powerful people. This case is absolutely disgusting and shows how toothless and worthless a fleet of Trident Missile systems really is when we can't even protect our women against a male chauvinist group of bigots.

Posted by John J kirkham on March 30, 2009 at 04:36 PM BST #

Ah the FCO Human Rights Report 2009! Tell us David has the FCO once again given virtually no prominence to the appalling issue of China's coercive birth-control program and the human rights violations it inflicts upon women in Tibet, China and East Turkestan. Despite being acutely aware of the realities of forced sterilisations upon Buddhist Tibetan and Moslem-Uyghur women, and having been provided with detailed documentation, your department keeps a shameful silence. The traumatized women suffering such medical atrocities have little to thank the FCO for.

Posted by tibettruth on April 02, 2009 at 02:44 PM BST #

Mr Miliband - did you actually say, “Like every other EU member state, and the United States, we regard Tibet as part of the People’s Republic of China”? Several sites say you did, but I can't believe any sensible, intelligent, decent person who claimed an interest in human rights would say anything so wrong and so devastating to the position of the Tibetans, who have now suffered more than 50 years of brutal illegal occupation by the Chinese. Please confirm that you have been mis-quoted and that you did not make such a remark, that you place the well-being and freedom of millions of people above a perceived need by this Government to remain friendly with China by giving in to their demands.

Posted by Pip Jones on April 25, 2009 at 12:15 AM BST #

Post a Comment:
  • HTML Syntax: NOT allowed