Source description last updated: 11 March 2021

In brief: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the United Kingdom’s government department responsible for foreign affairs and international development.

Coverage on ecoi.net:

Annual report “Human Rights and Democracy”

Covered quarterly on ecoi.net, for countries of priorities A–E (all available countries).

Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

“We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UK’s security, defend our values, reduce poverty and tackle global challenges with our international partners. [...] We employ around 17,300 staff in our diplomatic and development offices worldwide [...].” (FCDO website: About Us, undated)

The FCDO was created in September 2020 following a merger of the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) (UK Parliament website: Merging success; Bringing together the FCO and DFID: Government Response to Committee’s Second Report, 23 July 2020). The FCO “was a ministerial department from October 1968 to September 2020.” (Website of the former FCO: Homepage, undated)

The annual Human Rights and Democracy reports have so far been “[d]esigned in-house by the FCO Communication Directorate.” (FCO: Human Rights and Democracy: The Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report, July 2020)

Funding:

UK government budget

Scope of reporting:

Geographic focus: The Human Rights and Democracy report covers selected human rights priority countries. (see, for example, FCO: Human Rights and Democracy: The Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report, July 2020, pp. 37–65)

Thematic focus: Coverage in the Report on Human Rights and Democracy includes the following priority issues: democracy and democratic freedoms, civil society, media freedom, gender, LGBT rights, freedom of religion or belief, post-Holocaust issues, modern slavery, human rights and the private sector, death penalty and torture, migration, economic and social rights (see, for example, FCO: Human Rights and Democracy: The Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report, July 2020, pp. 2–25)

Methodology:

Human Rights and Democracy reports are informed by observations made by UK diplomats based in the relevant countries as well as desk research consulting reports from public sources including UN agencies, international human rights NGOs and local civil society groups (see, for example, FCO: Human Rights and Democracy: The Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report, July 2020, pp. 37–65). No further information could be found on the methodology of these reports.

Language of publication:

English

Further reading / links:

AI – Amnesty International: Foreign Office's annual report on human rights fails to hit the mark, 16 July 2018
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/foreign-offices-annual-report-human-rights-fails-hit-mark

 

All links accessed 11 March 2021.