Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 October 2022.

Ambassador Neil Bush thanks Head of OSCE’s Mission to Kosovo, Ambassador Davenport, for their work including on strengthening Kosovo’s institutions.

I would like to welcome Ambassador Davenport back to the Permanent Council. Thank you to you and your team for this comprehensive report, which provides a helpful summary of developments and activities over the reporting period.

The UK highly appreciates the work of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, its close engagement with government institutions, municipalities, and civil society, and its delivery of important initiatives across the three core pillars of its mandate.

In particular, I would highlight the Mission’s work in contributing to the development of government strategies on Preventing and Countering Terrorism, and on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Communities. We also commend the work of the Mission in supporting reviews of 22 draft legal and policy documents for compliance with international human rights standards; and in launching the “Protection of Cultural Heritage in Kosovo” Report in July. The UK also particularly values the Mission’s important ongoing work to implement activities focused on tackling domestic and gender-based violence.

The UK notes the increased tensions in late July – highlighted in the Report – around the introduction of new measures on car number plates, and entry and exit documentation. The UK welcomes the subsequent agreement between Serbia and Kosovo on ID documentation, which we strongly support. We continue to encourage both parties to engage constructively to resolve outstanding issues, and to refrain from any inflammatory rhetoric which may increase tensions between communities and reduce the chances of constructive progress.

The UK – alongside our international partners – continues to strongly support the EU-facilitated Dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, and the need for a comprehensive, conclusive, legally binding agreement, which is acceptable to the citizens of both countries and will deliver long-term benefits to them and to the whole region. We value the continued work of EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajčák, including through his visit to Pristina and Belgrade on the 9th of September, outlined in detail in this Report.

Mr Chair, the United Kingdom remains a long-standing and strong supporter of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state. In this context, we value and appreciate the Mission’s renewed commitment to its work to strengthen Kosovo’s institutions.

In conclusion, I would like to thank you, Ambassador Davenport, for your leadership of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo during this reporting period, and your team for their continued commitment, hard work and expertise.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

 

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 October 2022.

Ambassador Neil Bush denounces Russia’s ongoing and indefensible attacks against civilians across Ukraine, and commends human rights defenders.

Thank you Mr Chair. The Special Permanent Council on Tuesday 11 October denounced Russia’s ongoing and indefensible attacks against civilians across Ukraine. Later that day, G7 leaders “condemned these attacks in the strongest possible terms”.

Again – yesterday, we heard reports of further Russian missile attacks, including on a market in Avdiivka, killing at least seven people and injuring eight.

We mourn with Ukraine for all those impacted by these unspeakable acts across Ukraine. We will not allow these individuals to be forgotten. Individuals such as Dr Oksana Leontieva. On Monday morning, Oksana woke up, got her five year old son ready for school, then drove to her job at one of Kyiv’s children’s hospitals. She took the same short route as every week – but on this day, she unknowingly drove straight into the worst missile attack on her country in months – where she was sadly killed. Oksana specialised in treating childhood cancer. Her hospital described her as “a true professional and supporter of her patients and colleagues”. Her son is now an orphan.

Mr Chair, Oksana and her son are but two innocent victims of Russia’s continued intense barrage of missile attacks on Kyiv and across Ukraine. More civilian infrastructure has been severely impacted in the latest attacks. There have continued to be multiple power blackouts, with areas cut off from water supply and communications. Let us recall: deliberate attacks on innocent civilian populations constitute a war crime. Russia must end its invasion and withdraw all of its forces from Ukraine now.

We condemn Russia’s continued actions at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and the pressure exerted on the personnel of the facility. This is a further irresponsible escalation and we will hold Russia responsible for any incident caused by their actions. The safety, security and safeguards of the nuclear facility are paramount and we support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s efforts in this regard.

Mr Chair, as the latest Moscow Mechanism report made clear – internal repression and external aggression are two sides of the same coin. I want to spotlight the incredible bravery of those who have stood up in defence of human rights and democracy – many of whom have been detained or ‘disappeared’, notably in Russia and Belarus. We commend the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine, Ales Bialiatski in Belarus and Memorial in Russia for being awarded the Nobel Prize – three of the seven recipients of the OSCE Democracy Defenders Award are now Nobel Peace Prize laureates. We are proud to have spearheaded the OSCE award with a group of States championing democracy and supporting human rights defenders at the OSCE. The role of these human rights defenders is as important as it ever has been in our region.

The UK also commends Vladimir Kara-Murza for being awarded the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize. He has continued to champion human rights and freedom in the face of Russian state aggression. Vladmir Kara-Murza remains in detention on politically-motivated charges; he should be released without delay. But he is not alone. During the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference earlier this month, we heard directly from the courageous wives, mothers and sisters of Ukrainian political prisoners, detained civilians, and those forcibly disappeared. Many remain detained and missing to this day, their families resolutely searching for scraps of information on their whereabouts. We urge Russia to engage with and provide access to international humanitarian organisations. These families deserve answers. We will continue to raise cases until political prisoners are free and the whereabouts of those forcibly disappeared are revealed.

Mr Chair, 143 countries stand united in condemnation of Putin’s illegal attempts to annex four regions of Ukraine, as reflected by the UNGA vote yesterday. The UK calls on Russia to cease all hostilities and “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from Ukraine”. As the G7 leaders have said “we are undeterred and steadfast in our commitment to providing the support Ukraine needs to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support and will stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes”. This needless war has inflicted suffering on too many. Those responsible will be held to account and will serve justice. We are committed. We are in this for the long run. We will not forget.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 October 2022.

Statement by UK Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council meeting on Colombia.

Thank you, Mr. President. I’d like to thank SRSG Ruiz Massieu, Ms Moreno, and Ambassador Muhith for their briefings. And I give a warm welcome to welcome Foreign Minister Leyva and Ambassador Zalabata to the Council today. Their presence with us is a reflection of their personal commitments to the peace process, and to working in partnership with this Council. So let me make three remarks today.

Firstly, the United Kingdom welcomes the renewed momentum for peace in Colombia. The new Government’s commitment to implementation of the peace agreement was clearly demonstrated through President Petro’s attendance at the first meeting of the Commission for the Follow-Up, Promotion and Verification of the Implementation of the Peace Agreement (CSIVI) and the National Commission of Security Guarantees on 2 October. We commend the Government’s focus on vital rural reforms including the intention to accelerate the titling and purchase of land. We note the progress made by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace with the opening of three new cases and with another due to be opened on Sexual and Gender based violence.

Second, we encourage the Government to keep emphasis on the comprehensive implementation of the agreement, despite the challenges. We remain deeply concerned by the ongoing threats and violence faced by former combatants and human rights defenders. We welcome the swift action taken by the Government to set up 14 command posts as recommended by the Emergency Protection Plan. It is clear that further security initiatives are urgently needed. We welcome the new government’s further commitment to making further progress on implementing the gender and ethnic provisions of the agreement including on land ownership.

Third, Mr. President, we recognise the complexity of the instability in Colombia and the need for a multi-dimensional approach to address violence and ensure human security. In this light, the UK welcomes the progress made towards reinitiating talks with ELN. We hope that the delegations to peace talks will be representative and that lessons will be learned from the process which led to the 2016 agreement.

The United Kingdom also welcomes Colombia’s commitment to reinforce international cooperation to tackle narco-trafficking and bring to justice those that profit from the misery of the drugs trade, in both producer and consumer countries.

Finally, President, let me reaffirm the United Kingdom’s support to Colombia and to the Colombian people who remain committed to implementing the peace agreement despite the many challenges they face. In particular we look forward to working with Colombia, the UN and our co-penholder Mexico on the upcoming renewal of the UN Verification Mission’s mandate. Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 October 2022.

Statement by UK Ambassador Aidan Liddle to the UN First Committee meeting on Disarmament.

Mr Chair

The maintenance of international peace and security, including through the suppression of acts of aggression, is one of the fundamental purposes of the United Nations and at the core of this Committee’s mandate. Article 2 of the Charter prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State. On 24 February this year, the Russian Federation trampled over those fundamental principles by launching an unprovoked and barbaric invasion of its neighbour, Ukraine.

Over seven months into this war, its disastrous impact – on Ukraine, on Russia, and on the world – is clear.

And now, President Putin’s efforts to incorporate Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson into the territory of the Russian Federation constitute a new low point in Russia’s blatant flouting of international law, and a further violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The United Kingdom is proud to stand in solidarity with the Government and people of Ukraine, as they fight for their freedom and independence.

Mr Chair

Russia’s aggression has also cast a long shadow over international disarmament negotiations.

Unable to acknowledge the consequences of its war for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – including issuing grossly irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, undermining security assurances by flouting the Budapest Memorandum, and recklessly endangering the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant – Russia alone blocked the adoption by consensus of a final document at the Tenth Review Conference in August.

Russia also tried – and failed – to airbrush from the record the criticisms it faced at the Conference on Disarmament this year.

Russia has attempted to exploit the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention by deliberately misrepresenting peaceful public health cooperation between the United States and Ukraine as a biological weapons programme. The Formal Consultative Meeting convened under Article V last month demonstrated that there is no merit in Russia’s allegations. Such disinformation risks undermining scientific and technical cooperation between States for peaceful purposes under Article X.

Russia has also made baseless allegations about Ukraine in the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Russia and its ally, the Assad regime in Syria, continue to impugn the expert, impartial and evidence-based work of the Technical Secretariat.

Consistent reports of Russia’s use of anti-personnel mines and victim-activated booby traps calls into question its compliance with its obligations under Amended Protocol II of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. The United Kingdom, as President of the Tenth Meeting of States Parties of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, expressed its grave concern at Russia’s repeated use of cluster munitions.

Moreover, Russia has resorted to desperate procedural manoeuvres to curtail any discussion of its war, or of the means and methods by which it is pursuing it. Russia repeatedly attempts to rewrite history to justify the unjustifiable. It portrays itself as the victim, when it is the aggressor. It blames everyone but itself for the consequences of its own choices. Try as it might, though, Russia cannot hide from the revulsion the world feels at its actions.

Mr Chair

We cannot let Russia’s aggression distract our attention from the many other challenges the world faces.

We reiterate that Iran must never develop a nuclear weapon. We regret that Iran has chosen not to seize the opportunity to restore the JCPOA and instead continues to escalate its nuclear programme. We urge Iran to return to full implementation of the JCPOA and to urgently provide credible answers to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s separate investigations to fulfil Iran’s legally binding safeguards obligations.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea launched an unprecedented number of ballistic missiles in 2022. It has also restored its nuclear test site. Any nuclear test must merit a swift and robust response from the international community. These programmes continue to threaten international peace, the stability of the Korean Peninsula and the integrity of the NPT, and violate unanimously adopted Security Council Resolutions. We call on all Member

States to condemn these provocations, and urge the DPRK to take concrete steps towards denuclearisation in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

Syria’s non-compliance with its chemical weapons obligations must be resolved, in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council Resolution 2118.

More generally, the illicit and uncontrolled proliferation of conventional arms contributes to instability, terrorism, and organised crime and causes untold death and devastation.

We are concerned by continuing efforts by some States to undermine and discredit Multilateral Arms Control Regimes, which are a critical part of the non-proliferation system, and facilitate exports and technology transfer around the world.

And States’ consistent concern that information and communication technologies can be used for purposes that are inconsistent with international peace and security is now a reality.

The world must stand together to promote the application and observance of International Humanitarian Law both in the physical and virtual worlds, and in outer space.

Mr Chair

Notwithstanding these dark clouds, there are some rays of light. The fact that every country bar one was prepared to join consensus on the draft final document at the NPT Review Conference was an expression of their determination to uphold the centrality of the NPT. And we welcome the decision to establish a working group on strengthening the review process.

We warmly congratulate President Gustavo Zlauvinen and the whole bureau for their superb efforts. We will continue to work in this constructive spirit in the new cycle.

The Ninth BTWC Review Conference at the end of November is a vital opportunity to strengthen this important regime, including through proposals for a science and technology review process, operationalising Article VII, and more agile decision-making. To keep the Convention fit for future challenges, we also support the proposal for an Experts Working Group to study the key issues and identify steps to strengthen implementation of the Convention in all aspects.

We also welcome the progress made by the Open-Ended Working Group on reducing threats to space systems through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours, thereby preventing an arms race in outer space and maintaining the use of space for peaceful purposes. This task is increasingly urgent. Space systems underpin life in the 21st Century, and are vital for the functioning of the global economy, for the mitigation of the climate and humanitarian crises we face, and for ensuring defence and security. Disruption or damage to these systems could have far reaching consequences, including conflict.

One of our key concerns is the destructive testing of direct ascent anti-satellite missiles. Such tests generate significant debris and puts continued use of space at risk, as well as being potentially destabilising. I am therefore pleased to announce that the United Kingdom has joined others in committing not to carry out destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile tests. We encourage others to do the same, especially those countries with such capabilities.

Mr Chair

We must seize on these opportunities. In the face of growing global instability, the international security, non-proliferation and disarmament system has never been so important. Instead of undermining it, in this Committee or elsewhere, now is the time for the

UN membership to work together to protect and strengthen it. It is in all our interests to do so.

 

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 October 2022.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the Security Council meeting on climate and security.

Thank you Mr. President, and let me thank all our briefers for their presentations today.

The United Kingdom sees an undeniable link between climate, nature, peace and security in Africa – and around the world. We were the first to bring climate security to this Council in 2007, and we hosted the first leader level debate in 2019. So we welcome continued African leadership on this issue under Gabon’s presidency, and we regret that Niger and Ireland’s resolution last December was blocked by a single veto.

As the Secretary-General has advised this Council many times before, the impacts of climate change multiply the threats faced by vulnerable populations.

We are seeing this play out in the drought in East Africa, and changes in rainfall across the Sahel. Climate change is exacerbating pre-existing drivers of insecurity, pushing these regions into humanitarian crisis, and increased competition for water and land, biodiversity loss, and migration are risking conflict, food insecurity – and lives.

The Security Council can help ensure the UN system has the mandates and capacities to integrate climate into its analysis and response to the drivers of conflict and fragility.

President, the UK is clear that we must accelerate climate action, deliver the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed last year, and meet financing commitments to build resilience. We are working to achieve this in a number of ways:

The United Kingdom made 10 commitments to Africa at COP26 – and has started delivering on these.

In January, we announced $23 million to support 1 million people in drought and flood-affected areas in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan.

Under the ‘African Union Green Recovery Action Plan’, the UK has funded experts in the AU Commission and enhanced capacity to implement climate action plans across the continent.

The UK has committed £100 million to the ‘Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance’, part of which established a new Climate Finance Unit in Uganda’s Ministry of Finance.

And we have committed to doubling our International Climate Finance to at least £11.6 billion up to 2026, balanced between mitigation and adaptation.

We are also taking responsibility for our country’s impact on climate change, as the first major economy to commit to reducing all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

Mr. President, collectively, we cannot allow any roll back from the commitments made in the Paris Agreement or the Glasgow Pact.

Instead, we should redouble our efforts to progress these agreements into action, at COP27 next month and the CBD COP15 in November. Our commitment to climate action is the basis for a peaceful and secure world.