Category: Press Releases

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 09/01/2020.

Statement by Ambassador James Roscoe at the Security Council briefing on UNOWAS.

May I join others in welcoming you to the chair and welcoming you and your other co-elected members of the Council. We look forward to working with you.

In the context of this briefing, we also welcome particularly the delegation in Niger. We know from last month that you have suffered first hand the consequences of violence in the region. You have our condolences for the losses to your armed forces.

It’s also very good to see SRSG Chambas back in the chamber to brief us. We welcome the very productive role that UNOWAS has played in the region. In particular, we welcome the role that you play, sir, through your good offices. People don’t always see the result of that work because it is, by its very nature, diplomatic and quiet. But we know it goes on and we know it makes a difference, so thank you to you and your team for that.

We’re also very grateful to the Secretariat and Secretary-General for their report on the trends in the region. As others have said, these continue to be of significant concern, particularly on the security side, but also on the humanitarian side. Because the security side is so bleak, the impact on the broader development opportunities in the region are also very affected.

We wanted to cover three areas today. The first is security and to talk about that in a little bit more detail. The second is elections, and we’ve heard a bit about that already today. And the third is to focus on the underlying causes of conflict and what we can do to address those once the security situation is addressed.

On the security and humanitarian side, as I said, we’re continuing to be concerned about the damaging cycles of violence that we’re seeing. And I think, Mr Chambas, you called them “unprecedented” and the spike between the year before last and what we saw last year was exponential. So a real cause for concern, particularly the deterioration in central Mali, an area where we’re separately sees this council, and northern Burkina Faso, since the last report.

The increased violence is exacerbating an already perilous humanitarian situation, particularly in central Mali and Burkina Faso. The UK has just released a further 20 million pounds in additional humanitarian funding in the Sahel on top of the 50 million pounds we’re already spending to help address this situation. I think we all need to think again about whether we’re doing enough in this region to look at the humanitarian situation.

It’s also worth just noting, as others have said, that we also need to ensure and states in the region need to ensure humanitarian access for those who do deliver that humanitarian response. We need to ensure that they’re able to get to the regions they need to and given the protection they need, both legally and in security terms.

I think the main point is that security needs to be this council’s principal focus. We cannot help those who urgently need assistance unless we can help the states that they are in to bring the security situation there under control.

Like many others in this chamber, we heard the African Union talk in the middle of December, when we last touched on this issue, about the variety of regional initiatives that we now have on the security front. And I wonder if one thing that this council might want to consider is whether we can help bring some coherence, to those to look at how we map those, look at whether the current issues we have are addressing the concerns that we have, whether they’re duplicative or complementary. So, I just think that’s something we can consider in due course in line with the African Union advice.

Turning now to elections, again, I think it’s useful to hear that there has been progress in the region and there are some upsides over the last year on the political front and on the election front. We agree with the emphasis, Mr Chambas, you’re placing on helping states deliver credible elections over this next period. And from our perspective, freedom of assembly and expression are essential to that, so we hope in particular you will send that message to states in the region. But in the context of the deteriorating security situation we’ve already touched on, we have to help states avoid these elections becoming flash points of violence or enabling abuses of power, as this will only exacerbate conflicts and violence further. Citizens must be able to exercise their democratic rights to votes without fear of intimidation or retribution. We stand ready to do what we can with your advice to support those.

In terms of the underlying causes, the immediate humanitarian and security efforts to support the elections and the wider region are obviously critical, but we must also do what we can to address the root causes of these conflicts and violence. And I think one of the interesting things that we see in the report is that, in the countries themselves, there is a growing recognition of the need to address those underlying issues, but it’s very difficult to do so in the absence of proper security that states can do something. They can work to address long-term governance issues by reducing abuses by security forces. We can help governments to build their legitimacy by providing inclusive and accountable basic services where they’re able to do so – and that’s something I think we should give more focus on. And it’s good to see the report looking at giving UNOWAS the ability to help the UN in the region to think about the development assistance that it can provide when it can provide it. These kind of interventions will help build the foundations for stability that the region so desperately needs.

So, Mr Chambas, we thank you, we thank your team. This is an incredibly important region and you have a challenging year ahead, but you have our full support.

Thank you.

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 08/01/2020.

The Foreign Secretary calls for urgent de-escalation following an attack on Iraqi military bases.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

“We condemn this attack on Iraqi military bases hosting Coalition – including British – forces.

We are concerned by reports of casualties and use of ballistic missiles.

We urge Iran not to repeat these reckless and dangerous attacks, and instead to pursue urgent de-escalation.

A war in the Middle East would only benefit Daesh and other terrorist groups.”

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 07/01/2020.

Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Dr Andrew Murrison calls on Israel to halt settlement expansion immediately.

Commenting on Israel’s announcement of plans for new housing units across the West Bank, Dr Andrew Murrison, Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, said:

“The UK condemns the Israeli government’s advancement of yet more plans for over 1,900 housing units across the West Bank.

It is the UK’s longstanding position that settlements are illegal under international law and undermine the viability of the two-state solution.

We call on Israel to halt settlement expansion immediately.”

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 29/10/2019.

Statement by Ambassador Karen Pierce, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, at the Security Council briefing on Women, Peace and Security.

Well, thank you very much indeed, Madam President, and thank you for coming here today. And thank you, particularly along with the German Minister, for creating an environment where over two thirds of the people sitting around this table are women. So that is fantastic, a taste of things to come, and I hope you will visit us often.

I also wanted to congratulate you for the fantastic record of South Africa with that 30 percent figure that you gave us and your military colleagues sitting in the chamber. That’s incredibly impressive. Thank you for your commitment to carry on producing women for these peace support, peacekeeping operations. The United Kingdom joins you in that commitment. Sadly, we’re only at 17 percent so you have a march on us, Madam President, but I think nevertheless, there is all more that all of us can do in that regard.

As other speakers have said, this is a timely debate a year ahead of the 20th anniversary of Resolution 1325. It’s a good opportunity for us to reflect on the achievements and challenges in fully implementing that resolution. But as we’ve heard from all the fantastic briefers today and as the Executive Director of UN Women eloquently made clear, we must raise our ambition. We must commit to even more radical change and we need to ask ourselves, 20 years and 10 resolutions later, why is there still such a stark implementation gap when all the evidence suggests that incorporating gender perspective helps achieve sustainable peace and security?

So I think, again, as the Executive Director of UN Women said, that’s a question we need to ask ourselves all the time as we design any peace process or any international mechanism, project, programme; how can we make sure that we’re living up to the full implementation of 1325? And this obviously means putting a particular focus on designing inclusive processes from the outset. Arms and territory shouldn’t be the only reason that negotiators get a seat at the table. That’s not right morally, it’s not sensible economically, and it’s not sensible and feasible if you want a just and a lasting peace settlement.

Madam Chairman, this year the UK funded the Gender Action for Peace and Security to deliver consultations with civil society in our nine National Action Plan focus countries and we did this because we wanted to better understand how we can identify and therefore, overcome those gaps. So we are taking concrete steps to promote and protect women peace builders and human rights defenders. We are providing sustainable multi-year funding and we’re ensuring that we practice what we preach in terms of representation and policy.

As I look ahead to 2020, I hope we can have an effort right the way across the United Nations, not just in New York, but right across the whole UN system in the field and in the other headquarters buildings to focus efforts on full implementation of 1325. For our part, we will be particularly working on increasing women’s meaningful participation in peace processes, notably in Afghanistan, South Sudan and Yemen and the German Minister explained very eloquently what was happening in Afghanistan so I won’t repeat that. In Yemen, the United Kingdom is funding a Gender Advisor and other senior inclusion positions within the US Special Envoy’s Office so that we can build on his work to take forward women’s participation in the peace process. In South Sudan, ahead of November’s deadline for a transitional government, we are continuing to work with local women’s groups to advocate for an inclusive process. And of course, with my very good friend and colleague, the Afghanistan PR, we have set up a women’s group in New York, of which the US Ambassador is also part of, to take forward the participation of women in that very important peace process.

If I can turn to the UN, and again a number of our speakers mentioned the UN, the UN obviously has a huge role to play in implementing 1325. On the 19th anniversary, so with a year to go to do something about it, the United Kingdom would like to invite the UN to make progress in three particular areas. Firstly, to establish a strong formal working relationship with the Global Alliance of Women Mediators. This will ensure women mediators have access to key peace actors and are systematically considered for deployment as negotiators, mediators and advisors. Secondly, UN processes need to set the gold standard for inclusion and UN Special Envoy should be held to account on their commitments to implement 1325. And finally, ensuring UN-led peace processes are closely supported by gender experts to guarantee gender perspectives and this needs to be integrated throughout the mission. This is not a desirable, it’s not a nice to have, it’s an intrinsic part of any successful peace process.

In conclusion, Madam President, 2020 is not just about 1325. Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing platform, the 70th anniversary of the UN, the fifth anniversary of youth peace and security, and ten years until the deadline to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. We cannot let this moment slip through our fingers. Now is the time to make progress on WPS in gender equality and the UN and the member states have a responsibility to deliver all of this next year.

Thank you.

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 29/10/2019.

Statement delivered by Ambassador Karen Pierce, UK Permanent Representative to the UN at the Third Committee session on the Committee for the elimination of racial discrimination.

Mr. President,

I have the honour to read this statement on Xinjiang on behalf of a group 23 countries including:

Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, United States of America and of course the United Kingdom.

We share the concerns raised by the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in their August 2018 Concluding Observations on China regarding credible reports of mass detention; efforts to restrict cultural and religious practices; mass surveillance disproportionately targeting ethnic Uighurs; and other human rights violations and abuses in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

We call on the Chinese government to uphold its national laws and international obligations and commitments to respect human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, in Xinjiang and across China. The Chinese government should urgently implement CERD’s eight recommendations related to Xinjiang, including by refraining from the arbitrary detention of Uighurs and members of other Muslim communities. In view of these concerns, we call on all countries to respect the principle of non-refoulement.

Furthermore, we call on the Chinese government to allow the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN Special Procedures immediate unfettered, meaningful access to Xinjiang.

Mr. Chair, I’ll close with a question: What measures should the Chinese government undertake to address the concerns raised in CERD’s Concluding Observations regarding restrictions on the right to freedom of religion or belief and the right to freely participate in cultural life?

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 31/10/2019.

Mr Richard Morris has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Fiji in succession to Ms Melanie Hopkins. Mr Morris will take up his appointment in July 2020.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Full name: Richard Charles Morris

Married to: Alison Jane Morris

Children: Three

2015 to present Kathmandu, Her Majesty’s Ambassador
2013 to 2015 FCO, Head, Pacific Department
2008 to 2013 Sydney, HM Consul General and Director General UKTI Australasia
2005 to 2008 Mexico City, Deputy Head of Mission and HM Consul General
2001 to 2004 FCO, Head, Assistance Group, Consular Directorate
2000 to 2001 FCO, Head, Resource Accounting and Budgeting Team
1996 to 2000 Bridgetown, Second Secretary, Political
1993 to 1996 Ottawa, Third Secretary, Political
1991 to 1992 FCO, Assistant Desk Officer, Cultural Relations Department
1990 to 1991 FCO, Assistant Desk Officer, Non-Proliferation and Defence Department
1990 Joined FCO

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 31/10/2019.

Mr Aidan Liddle, UK Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament delivers statement during thematic debate on international conventional arms control.

The United Kingdom aligns with the statement made by the European Union. I will now add some remarks in a national capacity.

Madam Chair

The UK welcomes the positive progress we have made in international conventional arms control, which is crucial in tackling threats to life and security as part of the rules based international system.

It is in our collective interest that all relevant instruments function. This can only happen when they are fully funded, implemented effectively and include all relevant stakeholders.

The UK remains strongly committed to the Arms Trade Treaty, and its aim of effectively regulating the international trade in conventional arms and preventing their illicit trade and diversion. It is essential to consolidate the provisions of the Treaty and implement them fully to achieve these objectives. It is also crucial that major exporting and importing states accede to the Treaty. In this regard, we welcome China’s announcement of its intention to begin the accession process. We welcome the outcome of the Fifth Conference of States Parties, and congratulate the outgoing Chair on his work.

Madam Chair

The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary, has delivered significant humanitarian impact. But we need to do more. November’s Review Conference in Oslo gives us the opportunity to review progress, reaffirm our commitment to our core obligations, and renew our determination to achieve a mine-free world by 2025. The UK continues to make steady progress in meeting our obligation to clear the Falkland Islands.

The UK also remains deeply concerned by reports of the indiscriminate use of cluster munitions. We encourage all States to accede to the Cluster Munitions Convention, and to support draft Resolution L.46 on the CCM.

Madam Chair

The UK considers the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons to be a vital arms control instrument. We welcome the progress made this year by the CCW GGE on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems. We look forward to the formal endorsement of the Guiding Principles affirmed by the GGE at this year’s Meeting of High Contracting Parties, and welcome the continuation of the GGE’s mandate to the 2021 Review Conference.

Madam Chair

The UK has consistently been at the forefront of global efforts to counter the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons and their ammunition. This is a transnational problem and we continue to work with individual states, regional organisations, industry and civil society to strengthen cooperation and reduce the supply of illicit weapons.

The UK looks forward to the GGE meetings on the ‘Problems arising from the accumulation of conventional ammunition stockpiles in surplus’ and to supporting the recommendations of the Group.

Thank you Madam Chair.

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 31/10/2019.

The agreement, formally known as the United Kingdom-Uzbekistan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), ensures the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan continue to grant each other most-favoured nation (MFN) treatment for trade.

As Uzbekistan is not a member of the World Trade Organization, the legal status secured under the agreement will ensure businesses can continue to trade with confidence.

the signing of this agreement ensures there is no disruption in the relationship between the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan, and provides the foundation for future cooperation in foreign, political and security matters

the agreement maintains existing human rights, democracy and rule of law commitments and delivers certainty for business by securing continued most-favoured nation status for trade

the agreement recognises Uzbekistan’s commitment to an ambitious reform agenda and the accomplishments it has secured in political, economic and legal areas

Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan Tim Torlot signed the agreement with Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov in Tashkent.

Welcoming the signing of the agreement, Foreign Office Minister for Europe Christopher Pincher said:

I’m pleased that the United Kingdom has today signed its first partnership agreement with a Central Asian country, underlining our close ties with Uzbekistan and securing long-term certainty for British businesses and consumers.

This deal highlights our shared ambitions for a broader and deeper political and security relationship and sets out future opportunities for cooperation in diverse areas such as trade, environmental protection and the protection of human rights.

Background

– the United Kingdom-Uzbekistan PCA replicates the effects of the existing EU PCA provisions as far as possible.

– the agreement provides for widespread cooperation in trade and investment, sustainable development, environmental protection and energy as well as human rights and governance

– this agreement is designed to take effect when the EU-Uzbekistan agreement ceases to apply to the United Kingdom, either following an implementation period or a no-deal Brexit. The agreement will be subject to the domestic parliamentary procedures in both the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan before it is brought into force

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 31/10/2019.

Statement by David Clay, UK Political Coordinator at the UN, at the Security Council briefing on the situation in Burundi.

Thank you, Madam President.

I would like to begin by thanking Special Envoy Kafando for his two and a half years’ service in Burundi. Like others, the UK would like to pay tribute to the Special Envoy and his office. The office of the Special Envoy plays an integral role in helping to develop confidence-building measures and supporting efforts to create conditions conducive to political dialogue.

I would also like to thank Ambassador Lauber for his detailed briefing.

I would like to welcome the latest report of the Secretary-General, which provides a valuable record of the current situation in Burundi. The United Kingdom would like to underline once again, as we, and others in this Council have before, the importance of regular written reports on the situation in Burundi that can inform our discussions. As we look ahead to elections in May next year in Burundi, the UK calls upon all interested parties in Burundi and in the wider region, to help ensure that those elections are safe, credible and fully reflect the aspirations of the people. Citizens must have faith in their political process in order to accept the results of the election. Well organised and credible elections are therefore vital for that stability of Burundi.

We encourage the EAC to redouble their efforts to push for an effective, inclusive dialogue. A harmonised roadmap that all parties can support, and which preserves the gains of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement is crucial. We call on the Government and its constituent parties to continue to engage in dialogue with the region and in doing so to send a clear signal of its continued commitment to resolve the ongoing political crisis. We also urge the Government to finalise the Status-of-Mission Agreement with the Office of the Special Envoy.

We note the overall improvement in the security situation but continuing incidents of violence and violations of human rights, some of which target political opponents, are deeply concerning. The latest report by the UN Commission of Enquiry on Burundi records continuing serious human rights violations committed in a general climate of impunity and an intensifying suppression of civil liberties. This must stop. We are also concerned about the operating climate for the media, particularly regarding the BBC and Voice of America. A free press is essential to Burundi’s stability, during the electoral process and beyond.

Turning to the refugee situation, we believe that Burundian refugees should be able to return home but this must be done on a voluntary basis where their ability to live in safety and dignity on their return is assured. UNHCR and other actors in Burundi must be allowed to monitor the situation of returnees in Burundi, including their access to necessary services and their continued protection.

Madam President, with elections next year taking place amidst this fragile political and humanitarian environment and its implications for the broader security of the Great Lakes region, the UK believes that the situation in Burundi continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security. The United Kingdom firmly believes that this must remain on this Council’s agenda.

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 31/10/2019.

The Foreign Ministers of Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and the US welcome the launch of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva on October 30.

Welcoming the news, they said:

“We greatly appreciate the work of the UN Secretary General and UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen in launching this effort. This is a long-awaited positive step that requires serious engagement and commitment in order to succeed. It can complement implementation of other dimensions of Security Council Resolution 2254, including the meaningful involvement of all Syrians, especially women, in the political process. We support efforts to create a safe and neutral environment that enables Syria to hold free and fair elections, under UN supervision.

We recall our statement in New York on September 26 and continue to call for an immediate and genuine nationwide ceasefire in Idlib. There can be no military solution to the Syria crisis, only a political settlement on the basis on UN Security Council resolution 2254.”