§ Lord Blakerasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list (a) the states with which they are conducting a dialogue with regard to unsatisfactory human rights performance, and (b) the states whose observance of human rights is unsatisfactory and against which they are pursuing a policy of sanctions because those states will not engage in such a dialogue. [HL2572]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalHer Majesty's Government have adopted a policy of critical engagement—the pursuit of political dialogue wherever it can produce benefits. Her Majesty's Government therefore promote human rights through dialogue wherever and whenever we can. The nature of that dialogue varies according to the circumstances. In some cases we have a formally structured dialogue (such as that held with China). We hold regular discussions on human rights issues with the majority of countries in the world. Where we have human rights concerns, we will take every realistic and responsible step to pursue them.
The UK does not pursue a policy of sanctions against states solely because they will not engage in a dialogue on human rights. However, the UK is currently implementing sanctions, under UN, EU and national regimes, against a number of states whose human rights performance we consider to be unsatisfactory.