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The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 September 2024.

Deputy Ambassador Brown condemns Russian disinformation and other forms of malign influence.

Thank you Madam Chair.

The United States has just informed this Council of steps it has taken to defend its democratic institutions in the face of a covert foreign influence operation by the Russian Federation. This follows other participating States’ interventions in this Council to highlight multiple forms of malign interference across our region in recent months.

Indeed the United Kingdom put Russia’s malign influence and interference onto the Permanent Council’s agenda in May and I thank the US for once again raising this matter.

All OSCE Participating States – including the UK – have made important commitments to uphold media freedom, including to foster “free, independent and pluralistic media” as part of open societies and accountable governments.

The United Kingdom will continue to uphold media freedom, learning from best practice – including that shared by the Office of the Representative for Freedom of the Media. And we again call on all other participating States – particularly Russia and Belarus – to uphold OSCE commitments on media freedom, safety of journalists and freedom of expression.

At the same time the United Kingdom will also take action to defend our national and regional security against the full spectrum of threats emanating from Russia, working in partnership with others. This has included sanctioning Russian media outlets like Rossiya Segodnya and TV Novosti (which controls Russia Today) which spread disinformation and propaganda designed to incite violence and hatred towards Ukraine and its people.

Madam Chair. Our message to Russia is clear: stop this illegal war; withdraw your troops from Ukraine; cease your malign activities including disinformation and information manipulation; and, respect the OSCE principles and commitments that keep us all safe.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 September 2024.

Ambassador Neil Holland voices UK support for the OSCE Programme Office’s work in Tajikistan, especially on border security, gender equality, and human rights.

Ambassador Kempel, welcome to the Permanent Council and thank you for your report. Your presence after a long vacancy in the role is very welcome. The OSCE field missions need leadership – as well as reliable resourcing – to operate effectively. We again urge participating States to break the endless impasse over budgets and ensure that all OSCE institutions – including the important Border Management Staff College – are adequately funded to effectively fulfil their mandates.

I would like to highlight several areas of the Programme Office’s work today that are particularly important to the UK.

Firstly, the Mission’s work to promote gender equality and support those affected by domestic violence through the Women’s Resource Centres. The importance the UK attaches to addressing domestic violence cannot be understated. These OSCE centres support vulnerable women and help them engage in crucial advocacy with local administrations to prevent Gender Based Violence.

Secondly, the crucial role the Programme Office plays in facilitating cross-border cooperation and security. Tajikistan has undertaken valuable work in the demarcation of 94% of its border with Kyrgyzstan, highlighting the value of diplomacy and peaceful dialogue. We commend these efforts and look forward to seeing further progress. The UK is also committed to working with Tajikistan, its neighbours and the OSCE to mitigate the challenges arising from Afghanistan.

Finally, I want to commend the mission’s efforts in the human dimension, notably its support to the Government of Tajikistan to promote the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners. I also welcome the Mission’s work with the Government of Tajikistan to embed human rights within government training courses. Issues remain: detention and prosecution of journalists and political opposition, including in but not limited to the Gorno Badakhshan autonomous region, is an issue of concern for the UK; and is undermining Tajikistan’s international reputation and prospects for investment.

Madam Chair, I would like to commend the Government of Tajikistan for their continued leadership on climate and water security, not least demonstrated by their water management event during the 31st OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum in Prague this month, as well as the Water Conference in Dushanbe in June. As climate change makes water access more competitive and harder to manage, cooperation and solutions become more vital.

From the environmental climate to the business one. For the Government of Tajikistan to make progress in its efforts towards driving economic development and improving the business climate, it must recognise the importance of offering a predictable business environment where business owners can generate profit. This will encourage quality foreign investment that can create clean growth and jobs for Tajik citizens.

To conclude, I would like to thank you again, Ambassador Kempel, for presenting your report today; and wish you all the best in your new role.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 September 2024.

Emma Logan, UK Delegation to the OSCE, says that by disrupting cultural property trafficking, we can also disrupt broader Serious Organised Criminal activity.

Thank you Chair for bringing together a set of very interesting speakers today.

The trafficking of cultural property, be it an antiquity or modern artwork, can be an enabling element to conflict, non-state threats and can facilitate money laundering for Serious Organised Crime (SOC). As today’s panel has illustrated, the protection of cultural property from intentional destruction, looting and trafficking becomes far more complex during times of war.

I will pick up on three points that have been mentioned today. Firstly, the need for continued cooperation of international organisations, agencies and bodies was recently reaffirmed at the G7 in Naples; with Minister Bryant, Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and- Tourism, representing the UK. Today, we thank the OSCE for continuing the dialogue in this critical area.

Secondly, I want to add the UK voice to underline the importance of the OSCE’s Heritage Crime Taskforce. The UK Government has invested specifically in the OSCE project establishing the new national Heritage Crime Task Force in Ukraine. We plan to continue this partnership with the OSCE, and invest in the Taskforce beyond this project, as recognition of the critical role that cross-border cooperation plays in combating transnational crime, including the illicit trafficking of cultural property.

UK organisations are part of that cross-border cooperation. As an example, the Metropolitan Police recently assisted Homeland Security in investigations which revealed new evidence of money laundering by proscribed terrorist organisations through the UK and US art markets.

We agree with what many of other speakers have said: that by enhancing a collective understanding of the linkages between cultural property trafficking and wider Serious Organised Crime, and by demonstrating opportunities to disrupt broader harms through the cultural property lens, we can expose the harms of cultural property trafficking to a wider group of stakeholders. For example, the UK Department for Culture Media and Sport’s International Cultural Heritage Protection Programme has funded investigations into artefacts known to have been looted from Syria and trafficked through pre-existing networks. Providing information and assistance to law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities, namely the Met Police, OSCE and INTERPOL was integral to this project. Additionally the UK Government is a founding member of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory (ACA) Group, which supports Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression through its own domestic criminal justice system. Over the last year, ACA has made concerted efforts to engage with national-level officials on issues relating to heritage crime.

The Met Police plays an important role in tackling the illicit trade in cultural property, with the support of expertise from the museum and antiquities sectors. Earlier this month, the Met played a pivotal role in repatriating the largest antiquity back to Iraq, a stone relief carving depicting a winged genie from the Palace of Nimrud, looted from Iraq after the first gulf war.

Lastly, every panellist has mentioned recommendations of what more needs to be done. For the UK, we recognise that our museums and art market businesses need to undertake more provenance research and engage more actively in the identification and authentication of looted items. And in cases where looted and illicitly-traded objects cannot be seized, we need to find effective ways within existing legal systems and by cooperating with the trade, so that they can be returned to the country or community to which they belong.

In conclusion, we should continue making the point that by disrupting cultural property trafficking, wider SOC activity can also be disrupted. This may stimulate engagement and a more effective response across operational, policy, programming, and diplomatic partners. The UK remains committed to being part of this network to combat illicit trade in times of war and peace.

Thank you, Chair.