Refugees and human rights
An Opposition Day debate on Refugees and human rights is scheduled for Wednesday 24 January 2018.
The Motion for the debate, in the name of the Leader of the Opposition, is:
That this House believes that conflict resolution, climate change and the protection of human rights should be at the heart of UK foreign policy and that effective action should be taken to alleviate the refugee crisis and calls on the Government to lead international efforts through the United Nations and other international organisations to ensure that human rights are protected and upheld around the world.
The following material may provide some background to the debate:
Conflict, Stability and Security Fund: annual report 2016 to 2017, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 19 July 2017
Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn, Chatham House speech, 12 May 2017
The 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, Commons Library Briefing Paper CBP 7462, 12 January 2016
The UK National Security Council, Commons Library Briefing Paper CBP 7456, 11 January 2016
The 2015 UK National Security Strategy, Commons Library Briefing Paper CBP 7431, 14 December 2015
National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, Prime Minister's Office, 23 November 2015
UK aid: tackling global challenges in the national interest, Department for International Development, 23 November 2015
Further information
Labour Peers presented an amendment to the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill during the Report Stage that would spell out the following purposes for UK sanctions after Brexit:
- resolving armed conflict and protecting civilians in conflict zones
- promoting compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law
- preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
- promoting democracy, human rights, the rule of law and good governance.
- Lord Collins of Highbury said that the amendment would set out the UK’s principles in foreign policy: “…in the new situation we will be in – and it is a new situation.”