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Category: Press Releases

  • PRESS RELEASE : Schools minister Nick Gibb responds to ‘The Guardian’ website’s claims about cutting one-to-one tuition and Every Child programmes [April 2012]

    PRESS RELEASE : Schools minister Nick Gibb responds to ‘The Guardian’ website’s claims about cutting one-to-one tuition and Every Child programmes [April 2012]

    The press release issued by the Department for Education on 26 April 2012.

    In response to Polly Toynbee’s comment published on guardian.co.uk on 24 May 2010, School’s Minister Nick Gibb explains and justifies recent changes in the Department’s funding allocation arrangements.

    Dear Sir,

    Polly Toynbee is completely wrong to claim we are cutting support for children falling behind (The Guardian’s comment is free: 24/05/10).

    We’re actually doing exactly what the taxpayer expects – protecting core schools, college and Sure Start funding in the financial year 2010 to 2011 but not hesitating in cutting out bureaucracy, waste or unused spending.

    We are spending £256 million in the financial year 2010 to 2011 for 7- to 16-year-olds who need catch-up support in English or maths this year so no child due to receive help will miss out. But we are handing £47 million of centrally-held funding, unallocated by the previous government, back to the Treasury as part of our savings package.

    We will continue to spend £89 million this year in the Every Child schemes giving extra support for 5- to 8-year-olds in the three Rs. But we are able to release over £5 million, mainly from unallocated spending because the Department for Education had planned for a higher number of teacher leaders in writing than needed. All local authorities who want to take part in the programmes this year can still do so.

    And longer-term we are clear that while there will be difficult decisions ahead, we will take the right balance between urgent action to manage the public finances; protecting frontline education services; and using the pupil premium to give significant extra funding for disadvantaged children who need the most support.

    Yours faithfully,

    Nick Gibb
    Schools Minister

     

  • PRESS RELEASE : England’s 15-year-olds’ reading – over a year behind the world’s best [April 2012]

    PRESS RELEASE : England’s 15-year-olds’ reading – over a year behind the world’s best [April 2012]

    The press release issued by the Department for Education on 26 April 2012.

    GCSE pupils’ reading is more than a year behind the standard of their peers in Shanghai, Korea and Finland, research reveals today.

    Fifteen-year-olds in England are also at least six months behind those in Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and Australia, according to the Department for Education’s (DfE) analysis of the OECD’s 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study.

    To match the attainment of pupils from Shanghai in the reading assessment:

    • The proportion of England’s pupils achieving five A*-C grades (including English and maths) at the end of Key Stage 4 would need to increase by 22 percentage points.
    • For all maintained schools in England this would be an increase from 55 per cent of pupils achieving the threshold measure (in 2010) to 77 per cent.

    The DfE’s PISA 2009 Study: How Big is the Gap? highlights how far England has slipped behind other nations in reading.

    Schools Minister Nick Gibb said that the Government was taking urgent action to ensure England could match those countries which had closed the gap between the achievements of rich and poor pupils, while raising the attainment of all.

    He said:

    The gulf between our 15-year-olds’ reading abilities and those from other countries is stark – a gap that starts to open in the very first few years of a child’s education. The Government’s focus on raising standards of reading in the early years of primary school is key to closing that gap.

    We are introducing a phonics check for six-year-olds, so those with reading problems can be identified before it is too late and can be given the extra help they need to catch up.

    Having learnt to read, they can then go on to read to learn, and to read for pleasure. Almost 40 per cent of pupils in England never read for enjoyment. The difference in reading ability between these pupils and those who read for just half an hour a day is equivalent to a year’s schooling at age 15.

    We are also bringing in a new spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary test for 11-year-olds and are re-introducing marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar in relevant GCSE exams.

    Nick Gibb added:

    Our writers – Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte, George Orwell and Ian McEwan – are the finest in the world. It is time we are also among the best readers in the world.

    The DfE analysis also calculates the reading gap in terms of GCSE grades. It puts Shanghai’s 15-year-olds the equivalent of 11 GCSE grades ahead of our pupils, while Korea’s are eight grades better off. Those in Finland and Hong Kong are seven grades ahead.

    This means that while a typical pupil at the end of Key Stage 4 in England achieves eight C grades in their best eight GCSEs or equivalent exams, one in Shanghai would score three As and five Bs in their best eight GCSEs – a total of 11 grades better off.

    Attainment gap between England and the countries performing significantly better than England in the PISA 2009 reading assessment expressed using various measures of attainment.

    Reading strand
    Difference in pupil attainment… 
    Comparison Country1 …in GCSE grades …in % pupils achieving 5 A*-C (inc. English and Maths) …in years’ progress
    Shanghai – China 11 22% 1.5
    Korea 8 16% 1.1
    Finland 7 16% 1
    Hong Kong – China 7 15% 0.9
    Singapore 6 13% 0.7
    Canada 5 13% 0.7
    New Zealand 5 13% 0.7
    Japan 5 11% 0.6
    Australia 4 9% 0.5
    Netherlands 3 6% 0.3
    Belgium 2 6% 0.3
    Norway 2 3% 0.2
    Iceland 1 3% 0.1

    Source: OECD, PISA 2009 Database

    The OECD PISA studies compare the abilities of pupils across a number of countries. The studies in 2000, 2003 and 2006 focused on reading, maths and science respectively.

    The 2009 study returned to reading as the main focus but also looked at maths and science. In the former, 20 countries scored significantly higher than England, with Shanghai top. England was also out-scored by Estonia, Iceland, Denmark and Slovenia. In science, Shanghai again leads the rankings. Estonia and Australia are among the nine other countries significantly ahead of England’s 15-year-olds.

    Across all three strands, England has tumbled down the international tables in the last nine years – from 7th to 25th in reading; 8th to 28th in maths; and 4th to 16th in science.

    The research shows that high-performing nations have the following in common. They:

    • recruit and develop excellent teachers
    • allow greater freedoms for schools and leaders
    • have clear standards, high expectations, and external exams
    • have effective identification and sharing of best practice
    • have clear, transparent and proportionate assessment and accountability systems.
  • PRESS RELEASE : Crisis-proofing the Single Market – equipping Europe with a robust toolbox to preserve free movement and availability of relevant goods and services [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Crisis-proofing the Single Market – equipping Europe with a robust toolbox to preserve free movement and availability of relevant goods and services [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the European Commission on 19 September 2022.

    Today, the Commission is presenting the new Single Market Emergency Instrument (SMEI). This crisis governance framework aims to preserve the free movement of goods, services and persons and the availability of essential goods and services in the event of future emergencies, to the benefit of citizens and businesses across the EU. While the Single Market has proven to be our best asset in crisis management, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted structural shortcomings hampering the EU’s ability to effectively respond to emergency situations in a coordinated manner. Unilateral measures caused fragmentation, worsening the crisis and affecting particularly SMEs.

    Executive-Vice President for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age, Margrethe Vestager, said: ”The COVID-19 crisis made it clear: we must make our Single Market operational at all times, including in times of crisis. We must make it stronger. We need new tools that allow us to react fast and collectively. So that whenever we face a new crisis, we can ensure that our Single Market remains open and that goods of vital importance remain available to protect European people. The new Single Market Emergency Instrument makes it possible.”

    Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, said: “In the sequence of crises of the past few years, we worked hard to preserve a smoothly functioning Single Market, keep our borders and supply chains open and ensure the availability of products and services that our citizens needed. But we must be better prepared to anticipate and respond to the next crisis. Rather than relying on ad hoc improvised actions, the Single Market Emergency Instrument will provide a structural answer to preserve the free movement of goods, people and services in adverse times. The SMEI will ensure better coordination with Member States, help pre-empt and limit the impact of a potential crisis on our industry and economy, and equip Europe with tools that our global partners have and that we lack.”

    The Single Market Emergency Instrument complements other EU legislative measures for crisis management like the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, as well as EU rules for specific sectors, supply chains or products like health, semiconductors or food security, which already foresee targeted crisis response measures. It establishes a well-balanced crisis management framework to identify different threats to the Single Market and ensure its smooth functioning by:

    • Creating a crisis governance architecture for the Single Market: A new mechanism to monitor the Single Market, identify different levels of risk and coordinate an appropriate response comprising several stages – contingency, vigilance and emergency modes. First, the contingency planning framework enables the Commission and Member States to set up a coordination and communication network to increase preparedness. Subsequently, when a threat to the Single Market has been identified, the Commission can activate the vigilance mode. Finally, in case of a crisis with a wide-ranging impact on the Single Market, the Council can activate the emergency mode. An advisory group, comprised of the Commission and Member States, will be established to assess a given situation and recommend the most suitable response measures. It will play an essential role throughout the whole process.
    • Proposing new actions to address threats to the Single Market: In vigilance mode, the Member States in cooperation with the Commission would focus on monitoring supply chains of identified, strategically important goods and services as well as on building up strategic reserves in these areas. When the emergency mode has been activated, free movement in the Single Market will be upheld through a blacklist of prohibited restrictions and, more generally, through reinforced and rapid scrutiny of unilateral restrictions. The Commission may also recommend Member States to ensure the availability of crisis-relevant goods by facilitating the expansion or repurposing of production lines or accelerating permitting. Finally, it may also recommend Member States to distribute the strategic reserves built during the vigilance phase in a targeted manner. New rules will also apply to facilitate public procurement of relevant goods and services by the Commission on behalf of the Member States both in vigilance and in emergency modes.
    • Allowing last-resort measures in an emergency: Under extraordinary circumstances, and only when the emergency mode has already been activated, the Commission may also make use of tools which will require a separate activation step. In this case, the Commission may issue targeted information requests to economic operators, which can be made binding. It may also ask them to accept priority rated orders for crisis-relevant products, in response to which firms must either comply or explain the grave reasons justifying refusal. Furthermore, the accelerated placing on the market of certain products through quicker testing and accreditation, including through conformity assessment, will ensure their availability during emergencies. Rules permitting such derogations are laid down in separate proposals for a Regulation and a Directive amending a number of product-specific regulatory regimes, which accompany the SMEI Regulation.

    Next Steps

    The proposals will now be discussed by the European Parliament and Council of the European Union. After adoption by the co-legislators, the Regulations will enter into force on the twentieth day following their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. 

    Background

    For almost 30 years, the Single Market has been the EU’s most important asset, offering certainty, scale and a global springboard for our companies, and wide availability of quality products and services for consumers. However, in recent crises, and particularly in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses and citizens suffered from entry restrictions, supply disruptions and a lack of predictability of rules which fragmented the Single Market. Intra-EU export restrictions and travel limitations, adopted in response to the pandemic, but in many cases poorly designed and justified for that purpose, disrupted the free circulation of goods, services and persons, causing economic costs, delays and hampering the overall crisis response.

    The SMEI package presented today follows calls by the European Council, which in its Council Conclusions of 1-2 October 2020  stated that the EU should draw the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and address remaining fragmentation, barriers and weaknesses of the Single Market in facing emergency situations. In response, the Commission announced in its Updated Industrial Strategy Communication of May 2021 that it would present a dedicated instrument to ensure the freedom of movement of goods, services and persons as well as greater transparency and coordination in times of crisis. The European Parliament welcomed the Commission’s plan to present a Single Market Emergency Instrument and called on the Commission to develop it as a legally binding structural tool to ensure the free movement of persons, goods and services in case of future crises. Before presenting the proposal, the Commission undertook extensive consultations, including by publishing a call for evidence and a public consultation as well as a Member States’ survey, in addition to organising a large stakeholder workshop and numerous more targeted stakeholder consultations.

    For More Information

    Questions & Answers

    Factsheet

    Video on SMEI

    Proposal for a Regulation establishing a Single Market Emergency Instrument and repealing Council Regulation (EC) 2679/98

    Proposal for a Regulation for the laying down measures to facilitate the supply and availability of crisis-relevant goods in the context of a Single Market emergency and amending Regulation (EU) 2016/424, Regulation (EU) 2016/425, Regulation (EU) 2016/426, Regulation (EU) 2019/1009

    Proposal for a Directive amending Directives 2000/14/EC, 2006/42/EC, 2010/35/EU, 2013/29/EU, 2014/28/EU, 2014/29/EU, 2014/30/EU, 2014/31/EU, 2014/32/EU, 2014/33/EU, 2014/34/EU, 2014/35/EU, 2014/53/EU and 2014/68/EU and introducing emergency procedures for the conformity assessment, adoption of common specifications and market surveillance in the context of a Single Market emergency

  • PRESS RELEASE : Parents get the full facts about every secondary school [April 2012]

    PRESS RELEASE : Parents get the full facts about every secondary school [April 2012]

    The press release issued by the Department for Education on 26 April 2012.

    In recent years the main exam result information available has been the proportion achieving five A* to C GCSEs or equivalent, including English and maths.

    This year a new measure has been introduced, showing the percentage of children in a school who achieve the English Baccalaureate.

    And over 14 million “hidden” exam results have been opened up to the public so parents are able to rank schools by seeing:

    • The number of children who enter each GCSE subject in a school.
    • The number of children who get certain grades in each GCSE subject in a school (for example, the number of children who get A*-A in History GCSE).
    • The number and proportion of students in each school achieving five A* to C grades including English and maths, with and without GCSE equivalencies.
    • The number and proportion of students in schools taking each component of the English Baccalaureate – for each subject and the grades achieved in English, maths, science, languages and a humanity.

    This new data means that parents will get a proper and detailed understanding of the performance of local schools. They will then be able to make the most appropriate choices for their children. The new information will drive schools to improve standards across the board, not just in certain league table measures.

    Education Secretary Michael Gove said:

    We live in an age when people expect more information, not less, in all areas of life. Our schools should be no different. For too long exam results in schools have been hidden.

    Parents have been desperate for more information on schools but too little has been available in the past. By publishing all this data we are giving parents the ability to choose the right school for their child.

    It will drive standards across the board and ensure that schools are accountable for their performance.

    Today’s publication comes after school-by-school spending data for 2009-10 was also published alongside the January performance tables. This allows parents, researchers and the public to look at how much each individual institution spends per pupil on staffing, energy, catering and other costs.

  • PRESS RELEASE : PM meeting with President Macron [20 September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : PM meeting with President Macron [20 September 2022]

    The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 20 September 2022.

    The Prime Minister met French President Macron at the UN General Assembly in New York today.

    The Prime Minister thanked President Macron for his kind words following the passing of Her Late Majesty The Queen and they reflected on the warmth of international feeling towards His Majesty The King.

    The leaders welcomed the impressive advances made by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in recent days. They agreed on the importance of Ukraine’s friends and allies staying the course and supporting the country militarily, economically and politically.

    As our people face a difficult winter with huge uncertainty of energy supply and the cost of living, the Prime Minister and President Macron underscored the importance of working together to end reliance on Russian energy and strengthen energy security. We must continue to demonstrate to Putin that his economic blackmail over energy and food supplies will not succeed.

    The leaders agreed to enhance UK-France cooperation on energy to reduce volatility in the market and cut costs for households.

    The Prime Minister and President looked forward to strengthening our partnership with France and other likeminded European nations, including through the G7 and NATO.

  • PRESS RELEASE : COP26 President Alok Sharma calls for urgent climate action ahead of COP27 at UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : COP26 President Alok Sharma calls for urgent climate action ahead of COP27 at UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 20 September 2022.

    • Mr Sharma will represent the UK government together with Prime Minister Liz Truss, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Minister for the UN Lord Ahmad and Minister of State Lord Zac Goldsmith
    • The COP President will participate in a range of UN and Climate Week NYC events, where he will urge climate leaders from governments, businesses and civil society organisations to accelerate more ambitious climate action
    • Mr Sharma will also co-chair the second Climate and Development Ministerial alongside the Rwandan Minister of Environment on 20 September

    COP26 President Alok Sharma will travel as part of the UK delegation attending the 77th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). He will also participate in Climate Week NYC events, held alongside UNGA, engaging with businesses, financial institutions and civil society to support greater progress on the Glasgow Climate Pact ahead of COP27.

    While in New York, Mr Sharma will emphasise the critical importance of sustained action to limit global temperature increase to below 1.5 degrees, particularly from major emitters. Mr Sharma will make clear that G20 nations must demonstrate leadership by delivering on the commitments collectively made in the Glasgow Climate Pact.

    As part of UNGA, the COP President will attend the UN Secretary-General hosted leader-level Climate Roundtable and also welcome the UN Secretary-General’s Early Warning for All initiative at a side event, where attendees will take stock of progress on addressing gaps in early warning systems for climate impacts and the need to scale up early action efforts.

    The Governments of the United Kingdom and Rwanda will co-host the second Climate and Development Ministerial meeting on Tuesday 20 September from the Microsoft UN Affairs Office. Building on the successes of the first Ministerial meeting in 2021, the COP26 President and Rwandan Minister of Environment will bring countries together to discuss the priorities of climate vulnerable countries, and chart a path to make tangible progress on them.

    Alok Sharma, COP26 President, said:

    Since last November when we met at COP26, the world has faced multiple global crises, precipitated by Vladimir Putin’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, which need immediate attention.

    However at the same time the chronic threat of climate change has worsened with the devastating floods in Pakistan, which have left a third of the country underwater, one terrible example of our changing climate.

    Therefore at this critical juncture less than two months before COP27, and just days ahead of the UNFCCC Synthesis Report deadline, it is more important than ever that all countries deliver on the commitments we made, collectively, in the Glasgow Climate Pact.

    The COP26 President will use sessions at Climate Week NYC to call for maximum ambition and accelerated progress from non-state actors. He will particularly focus on mobilising private finance institutions – through the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) network – to eliminate commodity-driven deforestation from investment and lending portfolios, advancing progress of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use agreed at COP26.

    Speaking at the Hub Live opening on 20 September, Climate Week NYC’s flagship event, the COP26 President will underscore the need for further, faster transitions in key sectors including energy and transport initiatives. He will address the link between energy security and climate security, highlighting that the commitments made at COP26 to urgently scale-up the deployment of clean power and phase down fossil fuel usage are more relevant than ever in the present global context.

    Mr Sharma will also underline the need for ambitious action across the transport sector by announcing the intention to launch the Accelerating to Zero Coalition. The coalition will build on the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Declaration launched at COP26, which aims to reach 100 percent zero emission cars and vans by 2035 in leading markets, and 2040 globally.

    The COP President will chair a roundtable to promote the Breakthrough Agenda Report, an independent progress assessment of the Breakthrough Agenda launched at COP26. He will encourage countries to implement an action plan the UK – as current secretariat of the Breakthrough Agenda – has developed based on the assessment, focusing on clean technologies and sustainable solutions in high emissions sectors to deliver the net zero transition.

    Following his attendance at UNGA and Climate Week NYC, the COP26 President will continue to work closely with Egypt’s incoming COP Presidency and other global partners to deliver on the Glasgow Climate Pact and secure an impactful COP27 outcome.

  • PRESS RELEASE : HRC 51 – UK Statement under Item 2 General Debate on Acting High Commissioner Oral Update [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : HRC 51 – UK Statement under Item 2 General Debate on Acting High Commissioner Oral Update [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 September 2022, relating to a meeting in Geneva on 13 September 2022.

    UK Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French, delivered a statement on the Acting High Commissioner’s Oral Update on Xinjiang, Sudan and South Sudan.

    Thank you Mr President,

    Acting High Commissioner,

    The former High Commissioner’s recent report on Xinjiang included credible evidence of arbitrary and discriminatory detention, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, forced sterilisations and abortions, and the destruction of religious sites. This report provides further compelling and harrowing evidence of the extent of China’s efforts to silence and repress Uyghurs and other minority groups in the region including acts that may constitute crimes against humanity. China must allow independent UN experts to conduct unrestricted visits to Xinjiang to verify the findings. The Council must not stay silent as an ethnic and religious minority is so brutally targeted.

    Turning our attention to other countries, in Sudan, violence, the killing of protestors and other human rights violations continue. We are disappointed that important progress made on human rights since the 2019 revolution has been lost following last year’s coup. The UK urges the Sudanese authorities to allow peaceful protests, to deliver on their commitment to protect civilians, to implement the Juba Peace Agreement, and to hold those responsible for violations to account. All parties must recommit to Sudan’s democratic transition to deliver the peace and justice the Sudanese people deserve.

    In South Sudan, the human rights situation is appalling, evidenced by harrowing reports of violence, killings and widespread sexual violence. The UK calls on the Government of South Sudan to hold the perpetrators of these abuses to account, end impunity, and protect civilians. A secure, stable and enduring peace is essential. The Government should now implement the 2018 peace agreement, meeting the timelines set out in their recently announced Roadmap.

    We are also deeply concerned by the recent violence seen in Libya, most notably on the weekend of 26 August when 32 people were killed and over a hundred injured. The Libyan authorities must prioritise the protection of civilians and respect the human rights of all Libyans.

    Thank you

  • PRESS RELEASE : HRC 51 – UK statement for the Interactive Dialogue on the report of the OHCHR on Sri Lanka [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : HRC 51 – UK statement for the Interactive Dialogue on the report of the OHCHR on Sri Lanka [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 September 2022, relating to a meeting in Geneva on 12 September 2022.

    UK Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French, delivered a statement on the worsening situation in Sri Lanka.

    Thank you Mr President,

    The United Kingdom welcomes the High Commissioner’s comprehensive report.

    We recognise the economic challenges facing Sri Lanka, and the hardships these have caused.

    In coming together to protest about the economic situation, Sri Lanka’s people exercised their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association and freedom of expression. We are dismayed that in response, violence was used against protesters. We are deeply concerned about the arrest and ongoing detention of protestors under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and continue to call for reform of the Act.

    We are also concerned about reports of continued militarisation and intimidation impacting on communities in the north and east, including on families of the disappeared. We regret the limited progress made on accountability and justice as requested in HRC resolution 46/1. The domestic reconciliation and accountability process promised in 2020 has not emerged. For these reasons, OHCHR’s work collecting and preserving evidence must continue.

    We welcome Sri Lanka’s recent commitments on respect for the rights of those from all religious and ethnic groups, including through political inclusion and constitutional reform. We stand ready to continue dialogue and support Sri Lanka with this and with the promised approaches to accountability, justice and reconciliation.

    Thank You.

     

  • PRESS RELEASE : HRC 51 – Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the human rights situation of women and girls in Afghanistan [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : HRC 51 – Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the human rights situation of women and girls in Afghanistan [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 September 2022, relating to a meeting in Geneva on 12 September 2022.

    UK Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French, delivered a statement on the deteriorating situation faced by women and girls in Afghanistan.

    Thank you Mr President,

    Two months ago, this Council concluded that “the oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan is grave, institutionalized, widespread and systematic”. Tragically, nothing has changed.

    To the human rights defenders across Afghanistan and to the Afghan women here today, let me begin by saying thank you. Thank you for continuing to shine a spotlight on the appalling situation you face. I am humbled by your courage and tireless determination.

    Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls cannot attend secondary school. Women in Afghanistan are unable to move around freely. They are confined to their homes. In many cases they are unable to work. They are severely restricted from enjoying their human rights.

    With girls kept out of school, and as parents struggle to feed their families, the risk of child early and forced marriage increases.

    Without education for girls, there will be fewer doctors, teachers and entrepreneurs in Afghanistan.

    The UK will continue strongly championing the voices of Afghan women and girls and continue to provide life-saving support and provide space for Afghan women’s voices.

    Our message to the Taliban is clear. Listen to Afghan women. Allow girls to go to school. Allow women to work. Allow women humanitarian workers to deliver life-saving aid. To put it simply, uphold their human rights.

    Mr President, this Council must unite and demonstrate, once again, that we stand with Afghan women and girls.

    Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : HRC 51 – Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : HRC 51 – Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 September 2022, relating to a meeting in Geneva on 12 September 2022.

    UK Human Rights Ambassador Rita French delivered her statement on the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan.

    Thank you, Madam Vice President.

    Special Rapporteur,

    Let me start by thanking you for your detailed and sobering update to this Council. It is a reminder to us all, on this first day of the fifty-first session of the Council, of how crucial your mandate is in providing a voice to millions of Afghans.

    We share your grave concern about the, “staggering regression in women and girls’ enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights since the Taliban took power”. Indeed, in no other country have women and girls so rapidly disappeared from all spheres of public life, particularly secondary schools. We call on the Taliban to urgently reverse these policies and practices restricting the human rights of Afghan women and girls.

    Special Rapporteur, we also welcome your efforts to shed light on the broader situation of human rights in Afghanistan. Religious and ethnic minorities continue to be targeted, including by terrorist groups. There are allegations of arbitrary detention, torture and extrajudicial killings at the hands of the Taliban. Media freedoms have been restricted and there are all too frequent reports of peaceful public dissent being violently repressed.

    The UK remains committed to supporting the Afghan people. We urge the Taliban urgently to take steps to protect the rights of all Afghans. This includes ensuring inclusive dialogue, which truly reflects Afghan society.

    Your role, Special Rapporteur, is vital to provide an independent voice for the Afghan people, including women and girls. We will do all we can to support you in your work and we encourage our fellow members of this Council to do the same.

    Thank you.