Annual report 2007

This is the 10th FCO annual report on human rights. In these reports we have tried to provide a frank assessment of our concerns, the progress and the setbacks.

A number of countries have featured as countries of concern in every report since this aspect was first introduced in the 1999 report: Burma, China, Iraq and Zimbabwe. Afghanistan and Iran have featured in all but one. In other places, like Indonesia, the western Balkans and Turkey, we have seen real improvements in recent years.

Whether acting together with partners, or directly with other governments, throughout this time we have kept the individual at the heart of our work promoting and protecting human rights. Our thematic concerns reflect this, including children, gender equality, the death penalty and combating torture. In recent years, we have been at the forefront of promoting the rights of those who suffer discrimination, but often lack a voice at the international level, like disabled people, religious minorities, the victims of trafficking and
contemporary forms of slavery, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

During this decade, the UK has worked to strengthen the international machinery for protecting human rights: at the UN, through the
Human Rights Council; at regional level, through the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe; as well as domestically, through the Human Rights Act. While still imperfect, the international machinery for protecting human rights has probably never been stronger.

It has become increasingly clear in these reports that human rights can only be fully realised in a democratic society. Democratic accountability is the way to promote the equal worth and dignity of every human being, which is the ultimate purpose of human rights. But while democracy has made unprecedented advances, we need to improve our support for it both nationally and internationally.

In 2008 we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document has been a beacon of hope for countless people. We have seen its progressive realisation in the pages of these annual human rights reports, although for far too many people its ideals have always been mere aspirations. This 2007 report demonstrates what we have achieved over the past 16 months, and it also serves to remind us how much more we still have to do in the years ahead.

The government remains determined to work for the universal recognition and observance of human rights in all the fora in which the UK is
active. As foreign secretary, I am proud to lead these efforts.

Read the 2007 human rights report [PDF 2MB, new window]

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