Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

persons continue to face severe challenges and a peaceful demonstration
supporting the adoption of anti-discrimination laws was prevented from taking place
in Chisinau city centre by a court ruling in April. There were, however, some positive
developments in 2010. Moldova ratified the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In
January, Moldova commenced negotiations on an EU Association Agreement, in the
framework of the Eastern Partnership. The EU Association Agreement includes
human rights requirements. The Moldovan government has no de facto control over
the Transnistria region, where the human rights record of the separatist regime is
particularly poor.
Despite considerable advances in the protection of human rights over recent years in
Morocco, the progress of reform slowed in 2010. We are particularly concerned
about media freedoms and the closure of a number of independent publications. We
continued to support Morocco’s progress towards ratifying the Optional Protocol to
the Convention against Torture and hope to see this take place soon.
The Commonwealth
In August William Hague endorsed a strategy to reinvigorate the Commonwealth.
The strategy underlines the UK’s commitment to the organisation and our
determination to work closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat, the wider network
and fellow member states to strengthen it as a focus for democracy, development
and trade.
In 2010 we also supported the work of the Eminent Persons Group, established at
the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2009 to review and strengthen
the work of the Commonwealth. The Eminent Persons Group met for the first time in
July and again in October. The Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind MP is one of the 11
members chosen from across the Commonwealth. There will be two further
meetings in 2011, and the group’s final report will be issued after the final meeting in
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