HC Deb 05 March 1999 vol 326 cc944-5W
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to publicise the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to UK citizens. [74954]

Mr. Tony Lloyd

Throughout 1998, we supported a wide range of events in the UK—and abroad—to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Specific initiatives to increase public awareness of the rights enshrined in the Declaration include a Foreign Office funded schools information pack, the joint FCO/DfID Annual Report on Human Rights, and the human rights page on the FCO's website.

Related activities included the participation of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary in Amnesty's "Get Up, Sign Up!" campaign; a series of Ministerial keynote speeches on human rights, and FCO funded human rights seminars.

We will continue to publicise the Declaration and other international human rights standards.