The UK Government has welcomed a UNA-UK report detailing recommendations for the UK’s role on the UN Human Rights Council.
Responding to a written question from Lord Avebury, Baroness Anelay, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister with responsibility for global human rights policy, revealed in her statement that the Government “shares much of the analysis contained in the report” and that the UK has either already achieved or is currently working towards delivering on a number of the report’s recommendations. For example, the UK champions the “independence of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights” (OHCHR) and the majority of UK funding to the OHCHR “is not tied to specific conditions”.
It was also stated that the Government shares UNA-UK’s ambitions to “strengthen the UN human rights mechanisms, lead by example and stimulate change on the ground”, but remains resistant to some of the report's proposed methods, including lengthening the mandates of country specific Special Rapporteurs.
Baroness Anelay also voiced the Government’s intention to work closely with civil society, including UNA-UK, on priorities for its second year on the Human Rights Council, and declared that the UK will stand for re-election to the council in 2016.
Click here to read more about UNA-UK’s report on the Human Rights Council.
