Submission to the UK Labour Party’s National Policy Forum 

Forest Peoples Programme made a submission to the ‘Britain in the world’ Policy Commission, part of the UK Labour Party’s National Policy Forum that invites any interested organisation or individual to provide insights for their consideration whilst they develop future policy commitments during Labour’s Annual Conference later this year. 

FPP’s input focused on outlining how indigenous and forest peoples’ rights intersect with Labour’s priorities for trade and promoting Labour values abroad, setting out four key areas for Labour to take into account: 

1.The need for Labour’s policies to respect and protect indigenous and forest peoples’ rights. 

The ‘Britain in the World’ Policy Commission must take the opportunity to discuss how it can contribute to the UK meeting its commitments and obligations to uphold human rights, including the rights of indigenous peoples.  This is key to ensuring support for cultural diversity, a healthy, biodiverse environment and a stable climate.  

2. The UK’s role in championing shared universal values needs to be based on articulating, promoting and fulfilling International Human Rights Law to which the UK is committed. 

The ‘Britain in the World’ Policy Commission should use this opportunity to underscore its resolve to support the fulfilment of all human rights, including the collective rights of indigenous peoples. Currently the UK only recognises their individual human rights, which is not sufficient to ensure the protection of their human rights, including to self-determination, to collectively own their traditional lands, and to exercise their cultures in community with others, amongst others. 

3. The UK’s longer-term prosperity requires a human rights-based approach to trade, overseas development assistance (ODA) and all environmental policy, including on climate change, deforestation and degradation, and biodiversity. 

The ‘Britain in the World’ Policy Commission must discuss how to ensure human rights are a central aspect of trade, ODA, environmental policies and new laws.

4. The UK’s standing on the international stage requires action to protect human rights and the environment through mandatory obligations on business and financial institutions, including those with operations and value/supply chains that have impacts outside of the UK. 

The ‘Britain in the World’ Policy Commission must raise the need for a new UK ‘Business, Human Rights and Environment Act’. 

The full submission can be read in full here.