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

Ambassador Holland calls out Russia’s illegal attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory and the system of violence and terror that accompanies Russian occupation.

Thank you, Madam Chair.  Next week marks the second anniversary of Russia’s illegal annexation attempts in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts. Russia claims these land grabs, and ten years of control over Crimea, have brought liberty. On the contrary, these years of occupation have brought violence, terror, and occupation. Carried out under the guise of sham referenda and backed by military force, Russia aims to legitimise its aggression and create a false narrative of rightful control over Ukrainian land.

First implemented in Crimea, the Russian state has expanded to the newly occupied territories a systematic campaign, designed to suppress Ukrainian heritage, history, and language. This campaign goes beyond territorial ambitions; it seeks to dismantle the idea of Ukraine as a distinct nation, stripping away the cultural and national identity of its people.

We continue to be appalled by widespread reports of violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and violations and abuses of International Human Rights Law (IHRL) within the temporarily occupied territories. As the independent Moscow Mechanism reports have shown, arbitrary detentions, forced deportations, and the persecution of civilians are prevalent. Particularly alarming is the forced deportation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children. The most recent report details the atrocious conditions faced by both civilians and prisoners of war held in detention, and the widespread and systematic use of torture, as well as sexual violence. In recent weeks, we have also seen media reports of POWs being executed in the most barbaric manner.

Russia is also deliberately targeting Ukraine’s cultural heritage in the territory it occupies. Museums, religious sites, and historic buildings have been bombed, looted, or appropriated. This systematic destruction of cultural sites not only devastates the physical symbols of Ukraine’s heritage but also attempts to erase crucial elements of its national identity.

Madam Chair, Russia’s annexation attempts are a clear violation of the Helsinki Final Act, which enshrines the principle of territorial integrity and the inviolability of national borders. As a signatory, Russia committed to respect the sovereignty and independence of all states in the OSCE region, including Ukraine. They made the same pledge more directly in the Budapest Memorandum in the 1990s.  By attempting to seize Ukrainian territory through force, Russia has flagrantly disregarded these principles. Moreover, the purported annexations represent a breach of the Paris Charter of 1990, in which all participating nations, including Russia, reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful relations, the rule of law, and the right of nations to determine their own destiny without external interference.

Russia’s continued imperialist ambitions destabilise the world, creating insecurity for all. We must call it what it is. And We must stand together to resist this dangerous expansionism. Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, and Crimea are all irrefutably part of Ukraine. The UK will never recognise Russia’s illegitimate claims to these regions. We call upon Russia to immediately cease its unprovoked illegal war and withdraw its forces unconditionally from all of Ukraine. Thank you.

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

States’ obligations on the role of the family in supporting human rights of its members. Delivered by the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders.

Thank you, Vice-President and dignitaries, for your opening remarks.

The United Kingdom is pleased to be joining this important panel discussion marking the 30th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family.

It is clear this commemoration reflects our common commitments to promoting and protecting all human rights of all individuals within the family unit, bringing us one step closer to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

The United Kingdom recognises the importance of considering the needs of all families, no matter how they are composed, to ensure everyone can live in a loving environment with dignity and respect.

We are committed to promoting and protecting the human rights of parents, children, persons with disabilities, older persons and other family members who experience societal marginalisation, including their right to an adequate standard of living and freedom from violence and discrimination.

We look forward to further collaboration with fellow member states on this initiative going forward.

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

Statement by Foreign Secretary David Lammy at the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Lebanon.

This is a moment of maximum danger.

We are on the brink. The precipice. At a few minutes to midnight.

We talk of the risk of full-scale regional war but the truth is we are already witnessing conflict on multiple fronts.

In Gaza. In the West Bank. In Lebanon. And the Red Sea.

The strikes in recent days have taken 550 lives in Lebanon.

The death of civilians, women and children.

The UN workers killed.

The Hizballah rockets that have killed Israelis are just the latest in the cycle of pain, anguish and loss.

President,

As we face the abyss, this Council has a duty to speak with one voice.

And we must say that the rockets must stop now. The air strikes must stop now. Talks must start now. With an immediate ceasefire on both sides now.

It is time to pull back from the brink.

President,

A full-blown war is not in the interests of the Israeli or the Lebanese people.

And that is why within hours of last week’s strikes I called for an immediate ceasefire between Lebanese Hizballah and Israel.

Since then, we’ve worked closely with the US and France to formalise a wider demand for the ceasefire and a political plan to implement it.

And at the UN in New York, the Prime Minister and I have been urging our G7 and other partners to do the same.

Our priority must be a political solution in line with Resolution 1701. It is our duty to do all we can to exert maximum diplomatic pressure so Israeli and Lebanese civilians can return to their homes. So lives can be saved. So security can return to Northern Israel and Southern Lebanon. So that daily life can begin to return.

Now let me be clear.

The United Kingdom condemns Hizballah’s attacks on Israel over the last 11 months, which have driven more than 60,000 people from their homes.

There was no justification for these attacks.

They have brought misery to ordinary people in Lebanon and Israel.

And they have done nothing to end the conflict in Gaza or secure Palestinian statehood.

And Iran, nothing justifies supplying weapons to terror groups in defiance of this Council.

We call on Tehran to use its influence and urge Hizballah to agree a ceasefire.

President,

For the people of Israel and for the people of Lebanon, a brilliant, multicultural and tolerant nation taken captive by an armed militia that puts itself before the Lebanese people, we must come together to bring this conflict to an end.

In 2006, this Council acted in the interests of peace and security. All parties need to embody that same spirit today.

By coming together, act now to bring this conflict to an end.

To stop the cycle of destruction.

To stop the loss of yet more innocent lives.

And to stop this conflict from exploding into full-blown war and open a path to peace.

That is what we need.

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

Rachel Kyte will support ministers to increase senior international diplomatic engagement on climate and clean energy.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Energy Secretary of State Ed Miliband have announced Rachel Kyte as the UK’s Special Representative for Climate. The role, previously left vacant for over a year, has been re-appointed under this administration as part of our ambitions to restore the UK’s role as an international leader on the climate.

Ms Kyte is Professor of Practice in Climate Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford and dean emerita of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. She has extensive international climate experience with previous roles including Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and CEO of Sustainable Energy for All, World Bank Group Vice President and Special Envoy for Climate Change as well as Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank and for Business Advisory Services at the International Finance Corporation.

The announcement was made in New York in the margins of a discussion on ‘Accelerating Deployment of Clean Power: Building a Global Clean Power Alliance’, an event hosted by the Foreign Secretary and Energy Secretary.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

We cannot address the urgency of the climate and nature crisis without coordinated global action. This government is committed to boosting the UK’s climate leadership. Rachel Kyte will bring invaluable expertise and experience as we work together with partners to drive the energy transition, support those most vulnerable to the worst impacts of the climate crisis and meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:

Climate change is the defining issue of our time. The governments mission for clean power by 2030 is about protecting energy security for families and businesses at home, whilst also driving global action to provide climate security for our future generations.

Rachel’s expertise will be invaluable in unlocking climate finance and supporting countries on the front line of the crisis – backing that strong action at home with leadership on the international stage.

Rachel Kyte said:

This government is committed to reconnecting the UK to the world with climate action as a priority.  And the world is being shaped politically and economically by climate change.

This provides an opportunity to use international action to help deliver on the UK’s energy mission. And it provides challenges, not least in mobilising the financing to protect people and drive greener growth. There is no time like now for the UK to help drive action and I am excited to play my part in this new role.

The UK Special Representative for Climate role will support ministers to increase senior international diplomatic engagement on climate and clean energy, increasing UK international leadership, building influence, raising global ambition and accelerating progress on UK strategic climate objectives.

A joint role between the FCDO and DESNZ, Ms Kyte will report to both the Foreign Secretary and Energy Secretary.