Brexiting human rights diplomacy at the United Nations Human Rights Council: opportunity or cause for concern?

In recent years, the United Kingdom’s influence in multilateral human rights diplomacy has stemmed from its ability to advance its own priorities independently while contemporaneously shaping the collective concerns championed by the European Union. This paper explores the ways in which Brexit may change this state of play. Based on analysis of contributions made at the interactive dialogue sessions at the United Nations Human Rights Council, the paper identifies varying concerns of the United Kingdom and European Union, shedding light on a series of significant gaps that, unless addressed, will exist in Britain’s international human rights diplomacy post-Brexit.