Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 October 2022.

FCDO Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia and the United Nations Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon has issued a statement on the UN resolution.

Responding to the UN resolution, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia and the United Nations Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon said:

We welcome the result of today’s vote on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHCR). This resolution will support progress on human rights, justice, and accountability. It has renewed the mandate of the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to report on Sri Lanka and to protect and preserve evidence of past human rights abuses to use in future accountability processes. This is integral to establish truth and achieve lasting justice and reconciliation, as well as to improve human rights in the country.

Our focus should now turn to our collective and renewed ability to work with the new Government of Sri Lanka to take forward their commitments to the Council. We call on UNHRC members to support this effort, and to work together to address the economic challenges faced by the people of Sri Lanka.

Notes to editors:

The UK has supported efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, including at the UNHRC for many years. This new resolution acknowledges the challenging economic situation in Sri Lanka, and the progress made in addressing this in recent months. It continues the international community’s efforts to centre and support victims of Sri Lanka armed conflict. The UNHRC framework is integral to establish truth and achieve lasting justice and reconciliation, as well as to improve human rights in the country.

The UK is the penholder on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council, meaning we lead on preparing resolutions and other products, and has held this position since 2017. The UK is a member of the Core Group on Sri Lanka, along with United States, Canada, Germany, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Malawi.

The FCDO has a range of UK-funded programmes which support a number of human rights priorities, including UK’s £11.3 million Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) programme (2022 to 2025) for Sri Lanka which focusses on addressing the legacy of conflict in the country.

The UK is providing £3 million of lifesaving humanitarian support for Sri Lanka. The funding will be delivered through Red Cross and UN partners. It will provide access to food, seeds, and tools to help grow crops as well as mental health care, including for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

 

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 October 2022.

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said:

North Korea’s decision to conduct a further ballistic missile test on 6 October is a violation of UN Security Council Resolutions. The UK continues to work closely with our partners to urge North Korea to return to dialogue and take credible steps towards denuclearisation in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

We call on North Korea to prioritise the well-being of their people instead of the illegal pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 October 2022.

Ambassador Neil Bush urges all allegations of mistreatment, abuse and summary killings be urgently and fully investigated.

The UK welcomes the release of 17 Armenian prisoners by Azerbaijan this week. This is an important humanitarian gesture at a time of raised tensions in the region.

We were horrified by media reporting of a video which appears to show captured Armenian soldiers being shot by members of Azerbaijan’s forces. We welcome the announcement by Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office of their commitment to comprehensively investigate the video and urge them to share the outcome publicly. It is essential that all allegations of mistreatment, abuse and summary killings be urgently and fully investigated by the appropriate authorities.

We urge both sides to resolve all outstanding issues through diplomatic means, including discussions on the fate of missing people and the return of all remaining prisoners of war. We will continue to support the diplomatic efforts of international partners as they seek to secure much-needed stability and security for the people of the region.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 October 2022.

Ambassador Simon Manley, Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, made the below comments following the vote on whether the UN Human Rights Council should hold a debate on the situation of human rights in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China.

Ambassador Simon Manley, the UK’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, said:

Given the gravity of the report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights which found that China has carried out serious human rights violations including possible ‘crimes against humanity’ in Xinjiang, it is important that UN members are given the opportunity to consider it fully. China’s attempts to stifle debate and hide the truth will not succeed.

Today’s vote sent a clear message to China: that a significant number of countries will not be silenced when it comes to egregious human rights violations – no matter where and by whom they are committed. We will continue to work with our partners to hold the Chinese authorities to account and to shine a spotlight on China’s human rights violations.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 October 2022.

Ambassador Simon Manley delivered a general comment ahead of the draft decision to hold a debate on the situation of human rights in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China.

Mr President,

The United Kingdom has consistently raised the grave human rights situation in Xinjiang. We are not alone in our concerns. Indeed, since our first joint statement on this issue at the UN General Assembly back in 2019, the growing number of countries from around the world have spoken up – including here at the Human Rights Council.

We have heard concerns from elsewhere too. Special Procedure mandate holders, Treaty Bodies and Non-Governmental organisations have all repeatedly expressed alarm following numerous reports of gross violations and systemic discrimination over several years.

There has been no shortage of reports on Xinjiang. But the recently published assessment by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is the most significant to date. We now have a thorough, objective and independent assessment from the principle UN human rights body which confirms our worst fears.

If I may quote the exact words of the assessment – “the extent of arbitrary and discriminatory detention of members of the Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim groups may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity”.

These crimes include – torture, sexual and gender-based violence, forced sterilisations, severe restrictions on freedom of religion and belief and forced disappearances on a massive scale.

And what is all the more significant is that so many of those findings are based on official public information from the Chinese authorities – corroborated by other sources.

Our ask today is a simple one – a debate at the next session of this Council. Given the harrowing details and serious findings by the Office of the High Commissioner – this really is the minimum that an assessment of this nature should lead to.

So, Mr President, I urge us to remember why we are here. We are members of the Human Rights Council. We are here to raise situations of systemic discrimination. We are here to discuss the most serious human rights violations and abuses, wherever and by whomever they are committed. There can be no doubt that the gravity and scale of what has been reported in Xinjiang warrants such a debate.

I therefore appeal to our fellow members of this Council to do what is right. Not to turn a blind eye. But to support the decision simply to have a debate. No more, no less.

Thank you, Mr President.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 October 2022.

Ms Jill Morris CMG has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Türkiye in succession to Sir Dominick Chilcott KCMG who will be retiring from the Diplomatic Service. Ms Morris will take up her appointment during January 2023.

Full name: Jill Morris

Curriculum vitae

2016 to 2022	Rome, Her Late Majesty’s Ambassador to Italy and Her Late Majesty’s Non-Resident Ambassador to San Marino
2012 to 2015	FCO, Director, Europe
2011	FCO, Head, Counter-Proliferation Department
2008 to 2010	FCO, Head, Consular Strategy Department
2006 to 2008	Brussels, Counsellor, UK Permanent Representation to the EU
2005 to 2006	Brussels, Desk Officer – External Relations, UK Permanent Representation to the EU
2001 to 2005	Nicosia, Second Secretary
1999 to 2000	FCO, Desk Officer, United Nations Department
1999	Joined FCO

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 October 2022.

Ambassador Simon Manley introduced a resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council.

Thank you Mr President.

I have the honour to introduce draft resolution L1 Rev 1 entitled ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’ which has been proposed by a group of states comprising Canada, Germany, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The text is largely based on last year’s resolution but has been updated to reflect some of the key developments over the last 18 months in what has been a rather dramatic time for Sri Lanka – an economic crisis, mass protests, and a change in government, all of which have had a significant bearing on the human rights situation in the country.

The draft both recognises the challenges which Sri Lanka has faced during this period and acknowledges progress where this has occurred.

It reflects some of the more recent concerns outlined in the High Commissioner’s report, especially the human rights impact of the economic crisis.

And it also addresses several longstanding issues which still need to be addressed. These include the lack of accountability for past violations, the many unresolved cases of enforced disappearances, the need for Sri Lanka to meet its own commitments on the devolution of political authority, as well as the need to uphold the rights of all people in Sri Lanka including Tamils and Muslims.

The main requests in the resolution are in Operative Paragraphs (OP) 8 and 18.

OP8 seeks to continue the work initiated in last year’s resolution which created capacity within the Office of the High Commissioner to collect, consolidate, analyse and preserve information to support judicial and other proceedings.

This capacity was set up in response to the lack of progress made by Sri Lanka’s domestic legal mechanisms towards accountability for past alleged gross violations of human rights. Unfortunately, this capacity has only been fully operational since May of this year and so requires more time to complete its mandate. We are therefore seeking to extend it for a further period as recommended by the former High Commissioner.

OP18 requests further reporting by OHCHR and proposes to move from an 18-month time frame to 2 years. This is in recognition of the severe challenges which Sri Lanka is currently facing – allowing Sri Lanka sufficient time and space to make progress on human rights in what we all recognise is a very difficult context.

Mr President – the UK is a close partner to and long-standing friend of Sri Lanka, our times run deep. We bring this resolution in order to help Sri Lanka address ongoing challenges and in order to encourage progress on reconciliation, justice and human rights.

I commend this draft resolution to my fellow members of this Council.