Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

companies to account is low. To meet demand for natural resources, oil, gas, and
mining companies explore potential deposits and develop projects in increasingly
difficult operating environments. The increasing use of developing countries for the
production of clothing and footwear has drawn attention to poor working conditions in
some global supply chains. We are therefore committed to supporting better
business environments in host countries and promoting more responsible business
practice as a central strand of our human rights policy.
To achieve this we work with the EU to encourage new trading partners to commit to
human rights, through the use of human rights clauses in trade agreements. These
clauses provide a framework for dialogue and engagement and also, in the event of
a serious breach, the threat of the agreement’s suspension. There are a few
countries where human rights protection is so poor that we do not encourage UK
companies to do business. In these cases, the UK supports the adoption of targeted
sanctions focused on individuals and entities in countries with poor human rights
records.
We encourage British businesses to adopt best-practice initiatives that will help them
to avoid contributing to human rights abuses. We will also encourage countries to
put in place higher standards of business accountability and responsibility in their
domestic law to ensure, for example, that their natural resources are not used to
fund conflict. Through the multilateral system and our bilateral relations we will
encourage all countries to implement their human rights obligations, while working to
secure the conditions for British companies to succeed overseas. We do not see
this in terms of trade off but as two central government objectives which we will
pursue with energy and careful diplomacy.
EU Trade and Human Rights
The human rights “essential element” clause
Since 1995 the EU has incorporated a human rights clause as an essential element
in all framework agreements with third countries, stipulating that respect for human
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