SECTION I: Promoting British Values

As Foreign Secretary William Hague said on 15 September in his speech

“Britain’s Values in a Networked World”, “It is not in our character as a nation
to have a foreign policy without a conscience, and neither is it in our
interests”. The values of fairness, dignity, liberty and justice, as well as our
support for democratic freedom, universal human rights and the rule of law
are “part of our national DNA and will be woven deeply into the decision-
making processes of our foreign policy at every stage”. They form the
essential framework for the pursuit of the Government’s foreign policy.

Our approach is based on realism. Each country is different and we work with
the local grain to achieve our goals. This does not mean that we will ever
overlook human rights abuses; indeed, we raise our human rights concerns
wherever and whenever they arise, including with our allies and those
countries with which we are seeking closer ties. But our approach is a
practical one, working with others to promote human rights in a pragmatic and
effective way that strengthens the global commitment to universal human
rights, the rule of law, democracy and respect for all. We also have a
strategic interest in promoting these values, as they are integral to long-term
stability and prosperity, both for the UK and more widely.

Human rights and the rule of law are inextricably linked. The rule of law is more than
a set of legal rules that govern society. It encompasses representative government,
an independent judiciary, independent courts and proper systems of accountability.
These institutions, at both the national and international level, ensure that individuals
are treated equally before the law and prevent those in power from acting in an
unfettered or arbitrary way. To achieve this, the rule of law must also guarantee the
proper exercise of an individual’s human rights, as articulated in international human
rights law, and as set out in instruments such as the International Covenants on Civil
and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This international
human rights framework is the basis by which we judge human rights in other
countries. We are also committed to ensuring that our own standards match those
enshrined in international law.
The rule of law underpins democracy. We support democracy worldwide
because we believe it is the system of government that best provides for free
and fair societies. We recognise that countries develop at different paces and
that our support will need to be specific to the context. Establishing stable
democracies takes time, but supporting the development of democracy is in
our national interest. Societies that enjoy genuinely participative participatory
democracy are more likely to be secure and prosperous in the longer term, as
democratic development alleviates poverty, reduces corruption and creates
the conditions to sustain economic growth.

Democracy rests on respect for each individual in society, regardless of race,

religion, gender, sexual orientation or other status. We are committed to
fighting all forms of discrimination and intolerance. We place special
emphasis on combating the global rise of religious intolerance, including
Islamophobia, antisemitism and violence against Christian communities or
other faiths. We continue to champion women’s rights and gender equality
against the discrimination that still exists in both the developed and
developing world. We will also promote freedom of expression as an
essential element of our work on democracy and all our human rights
priorities.

But we will be judged by our actions and not just by our words. In order to
achieve our human rights objectives we provided £5 million from our Strategic
Priority Fund for Human Rights and Democracy in practical, real world support
in 2010 to more than 100 human rights and democracy projects in over 40
countries. These included local-run initiatives to strengthen human rights
mechanisms, improve criminal justice systems, promote equality, improve
electoral processes, promote and protect the role of civil society and
strengthen freedom of expression.

The Government’s efforts are focused where we believe the UK is best placed
to effect change and to shape international practice. Much of our work is in
support of locally based projects, run by local organisations that understand
the situation on the ground. But all of our embassies and high commissions
have a responsibility to monitor and raise human rights in their host countries
and to take action on individual cases of persecution or discrimination. We
also lobby for changes in discriminatory legislation and practices, including
through the UN, the EU, the Commonwealth and other multilateral
organisations.