Category: Press Releases

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 20/11/2019.

Statement by Ambassador Jonathan Allen, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the Security Council briefing on the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel.

We share the concerns set out today by our briefers – and I’m grateful to the Foreign Minister of Burkina Faso for his briefing – and set out in the Secretary-General’s report about the continued deterioration of the security situation across the Sahel, and the fact that violence appears to be spreading southwards to coastal West African states.

We commend and support the continued efforts of the G5 and the broader region to combat instability. In particular, we welcome the force’s recent operations in the Gourma region and the important commitment made by the G5 and wider West African states at September’s ECOWAS Summit to fight this growing insecurity.

The United Kingdom is scaling up its own efforts in the region to address instability, including through our deployment to MINUSMA next year, but it is vital that countries in the region play the leading role. In this regard. I underline three points:

First, the need for continued close cooperation with other actors in the region. It is only through strong partnership with MINUSMA and Operation Barkhane that the force will be able to deliver effect.

Second, the G5 should respond to current dynamics by focusing efforts on the tri-border region of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

And thirdly, the importance of full compliance with human rights and International Humanitarian Law.

The United Kingdom reiterates the Secretary-General’s calls on the Burkina Faso authorities to investigate allegations of violations committed by Joint Forces personnel and urges the Malian authorities to conclude their investigations into allegations within their contingent. The steps already taken to operationalise the human rights compliance framework are welcome, and full implementation and adherence to the framework is vital to ensure the integrity and longevity of the G5 Sahel Joint Force. The United Kingdom calls on all to meet the commitments made to the G5 Sahel. The United Kingdom calls its contribution of over $20 million through European Union and bilateral funds to the G5 Sahel Force in this financial year, and that’s against the backdrop of United Kingdom contribution of $116 million in bilateral development funding in addition to what is provided through multilateral organisations.

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 21/11/2019.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

“Simon Cheng was a valued member of our team. We were shocked and appalled by the mistreatment he suffered while in Chinese detention, which amounts to torture.

I summoned the Chinese Ambassador to express our outrage at the brutal and disgraceful treatment of Simon in violation of China’s international obligations. I have made clear we expect the Chinese authorities to investigate and hold those responsible to account.

The FCO is working to support Simon and his fiancée, including to come to the UK.”

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 21/11/2019.

The Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, what an honour and privilege to have been invited to deliver the 9th Annual Michael Kirby Justice Oration. And especially so as Michael (if I may) is present himself.

I do not pretend to be studied in the law nor someone with a deep understanding of judicial systems and the execution of justice even if I have an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Reading University.

I am minded that this Oration is named and established in honour of an eminent Justice of the High Court of Australia so his scrutiny of my every word over the next 45 minutes is, well, daunting!

However, as a British Diplomat, my job entails upholding & promoting shared values & working with like-minded partners in that endeavour. This includes the shared democratic principles of:

The Rule of Law

Democracy itself underpinned by Good Governance & Accountability

Freedoms – of speech, assembly, thought, identity & self-expression – our human rights

This is part of my tradecraft and expertise – the purpose I serve in building understanding, partnership and collaboration. Indeed the values we share and lie at the heart of our bilateral relationships with our closest of partners such as Australia.

And for those who see the world through a different lens, they are the values we seek to persuade them of, even, if at first, we do not agree or see eye to eye.

It is to this that I will address my remarks. But I will also share my personal context and experience in how these values have shaped who I am and what I do.

As you heard in Michael’s kind introduction, I was born in Malaysia, my father was himself born in Malaysia – or Malaya as it then was. He was Eurasian of French and Dutch Burgher ancestry. My mother was born in Singapore and of Chinese ethnicity.

So my parents came into a world defined by British Values, administered in accordance with English common law and governance structures. An environment where they felt justice was, overall, well served and that citizens were treated fairly, protected by the law.

In life we all make choices and their choice, at the time of Malaya’s independence, was to remain British and to exercise their right of abode in the UK – you may recall the old blue British passports, before the 1981 revisions to the British Nationality Act, used to have the phrase “right of abode” as part of your rights then as a British Subject.

So, even before I myself came into the world, my fate was cast by my parents’ decision. From my earliest memories, as little girl growing up in Ipoh in the state of Perak in Malaysia, we were going to live in Britain and the family plan was clear. I remember asking my father why we were doing this, maybe a month or two before we left Malaysia for the UK. His answer was simple,

“I believe in British Values and Britain is the place where I want you and your sister to grow up and to have the opportunities a free and open society offers”.

The year was 1968 and I was eight. I have always understood why I am British. A free and open society, with a set of values at its heart, where a girl from Ipoh can become a British High Commissioner.

Plato, over a millennia ago, said,

“Justice in life and conduct of the state is possible only as it first resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens”.

One could say that in my father and mother, this sense of justice and fairness resided. I have no doubt, they faced challenge as a mixed race couple, there was courage in their love of each other and they were minded that in bringing up my sister and myself, they wanted us to understand who we were and that we would be equipped to confront prejudice. They created an environment in which my sister and I could thrive.

It instilled in me a confidence about who I am. An understanding of history and where you come from, armed with a set of values you subscribe to, makes a huge difference.

On my first day at work in the Foreign Office, as an aspiring very junior 18 year old would be diplomat, at the very bottom of the ladder, my first boss, intrigued by my background, questioned how someone of mixed race, born in Malaysia, could be a British Diplomat. My answer was simple,

“I am a legacy of Empire and you are now reaping what you sowed”.

Empire and its consequences are not all bad!

I said it, not to be rude, but simply because it was the truth, it was a just and fair answer to his – one might argue – provocative question over my right to be a British Diplomat. The Foreign Office of 40 years ago was a very different place to the Foreign Office of today, I hasten to add. We are today a far more diverse, inclusive organisation and reflective of modern Britain where equality of opportunity matters.

In my adulthood I have learnt that life is more complex – the law cannot be monolithic but should rightly evolve, be repealed or new law legislated because of new challenges or societal or environmental changes too. Indeed, what the citizenry of a country demands of those who govern. In short democracy in action. Recognition of Human Rights in action. Otherwise we would not have seen positive change such as women gaining the right to vote, antiquated laws against homosexuality repealed to allow people the human right to love whom they choose.

Over human history, across societies, empires that have come and gone, we have seen and continue to see variations on guiding principles and practice, frameworks for society, including religious and cultural, as we continue to seek justice and fairness through the rule of law.

Taking his cue, I suspect, from Plato, Robert F Kennedy said,

“The glory of justice and the majesty of law are created not just by the constitution, nor by the courts, nor by the officers of the law, nor by lawyers, but by the men and women who constitute our society, who are the protectors of the law as they are themselves protected by the law”.

This is why in our human rights work, in our promotion of democracy and its principles, engagement with civil society is a priority. Our work on shared values sits at the very heart of what we do.

In the last century Britain played a leading role in shaping the international order, as we have known it, after the horrors of WW2. We did so with our closest security and defence partner, the United States.

For all the challenges of the last 75 years, this has largely stood us, and the world, in good stead.

The great international institutions that provided the pillars for that order were founded in London:

The first meeting of the UN General Assembly took place in the Methodist Central Hall, in Westminster, in 1946, with its first Acting Secretary General British Diplomat Gladwyn Jebb.

The World Bank and the IMF were conceived by the leader of the British Delegation to the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944

The four main purposes set out for the UN were:

Keeping the Peace

Developing friendly relations between nations

Improving lives – poverty alleviation – conquering hunger, disease & illiteracy – encouraging respect for each other’s rights & freedoms

Harmonizing the actions of nations to achieve these goals

We also founded the Commonwealth of Nations – a legacy of empire too. Now 53 member states strong and with its Secretariat headquartered in London. Its purpose echoes those of the United Nations and were set out in the Singapore Declaration of 1971:

A commitment to World Peace

Promotion of Representative Democracy & Individual Liberty

Pursuit of Equality & Opposition to Racism

Fight against Poverty, Ignorance & Disease

Free Trade

But, as I mentioned earlier, just as with laws, principles and frameworks must equality adapt as we become more enlightened or as we meet new challenges or, indeed, as we fail to deliver on what we set out to do.

So, for example, The Lusaka Declaration of 1979 added opposition to discrimination based on gender and the Langkawi Declaration of 1989 added the need to ensure environmental sustainability to the Commonwealth’s purpose. Meanwhile, the UN has had the Millennium Development Goals followed by the Sustainable Development Goals.

All this, and more, to help secure a more just and fair world for all.

And we put our money where our mouth is. Britain is an international development leader, superpower even. Our commitment to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income on ODA – a budget of about £14 billion this year – is a statement of our intent to play a leading role to tackle the global challenges of our time from climate change to ongoing efforts to alleviate poverty and eradicate disease. Indeed, work to build a safer, healthier, more prosperous world for people in developing countries. We see access to education, especially for the girl child, through funding of initiatives like “Leave No Girl Behind”, as a key means to deliver transformational change.

Britain’s role in the world therefore continues to be a force for good.

But in a modern age, I do not talk of British Values as my parents did, though, of course, they are inherently what has helped shape the very frameworks and principles I have described. Rather that these are Universal Values, relevant to every citizen of this planet that is our home.

Indeed, our collective responsibility for all life on this planet is clearly set out in the UN SDGs, specifically – “sustainable cities & communities, responsible consumption, climate action, life below water, life on land, peace & justice & partnership to achieve all of this”.

But to ensure peace and justice you need defence and security. Britain may not be a superpower in hard power terms though we remain the 6th strongest military power globally, a leading contributor to NATO guaranteeing Europe’s defence, a member of the 5 Eyes Community and committed to 2% of GDP Defence spend.

Our armed services do not just provide for the defence of our country, they contribute too to the global agenda whether in UN Peacekeeping, delivery of humanitarian aid – for example the fight against Ebola in West Africa, and in ensuring maritime security and freedom of navigation through vital trading routes as we are seeing in the Straits of Hormuz right now.

And, in line with our values, we have spearheaded global initiatives like Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict to put a spotlight on the use of rape as a weapon of war, to bring together the international community to call it out for what it is, a war crime, and to work to ensure that those responsible are brought to account.

We have supported training, including of Peacekeepers, to deliver on this agenda. In my time as High Commissioner in Malaysia, we funded two training courses in partnership with the Malaysian Peacekeeping Centre in Port Dickson.

But values are also about hearts and minds, hard power is a secondary tool. It is my view – and my assertion here tonight – that the real advantage is Soft Power including that delivered through our aid programmes. Here Britain is a global superpower.

In the annual Soft Power 30 global index, Britain has consistently been ranked in the top 3 for years and, despite Brexit headwinds, was once again ranked at No.1 in 2018.

Institutions like the BBC and the British Council and internationally recognised brands, like the English Premier League, the TV formats of popular shows that we sell to the world or our world class education offer and top universities, touch the lives of people worldwide. This gives us unique global reach and influence.

Cultural diplomacy and innovative campaigns delivered through our GREAT national branding speak to who we are, what we stand for and our offer to the world.

So finding the right balance between hard and soft power as part of our effort to deliver peace, justice and fairness in the world is what we strive to do.

US President Dwight D Eisenhower once said,

“Though force can protect in an emergency, only justice, fairness and co-operation can finally lead men to peace.”

Diplomacy is a vital part of this equation. Creating groups of likeminded partners on issues that matter. Working in partnership to influence and secure change. These efforts are all the more important in this new century, with the shifts in economic power, a new multi-polar reality, in a less certain world. Diplomacy as an instrument of justice and fairness has never been more important.

Take the Novichok incident in Salisbury last year. An attack counter to all international norms. A dreadful criminal act without regard. Through British Diplomacy we saw 28 other countries support the UK position with an unprecedented 153 Russian diplomats expelled from these countries. Working with likeminded partners we secured and strengthened the role of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. This was British diplomacy at its best.

But in other areas, off the radar, quiet diplomacy in pursuit of justice and fairness takes place every day.

You may have read of two Malay Muslim women arrested in the state of Terengganu in Malaysia last year for purported lesbian acts. As Muslims they had gone through the Sharia court system where acts of homosexuality are deemed haram – forbidden under Islamic law – and their sentence included the humiliation of public caning. By the way Homosexuality remains illegal in Malaysia because the colonial era law we left has not been repealed since independence. This posed a challenge for me. When it comes to tackling issues of justice and fairness when a different set of rules steeped in religious beliefs apply. Nonetheless, I felt that as part of our work to promote the human rights of the LGBTQ community I should seek a meeting with the Mufti of Terrenganu and appeal for clemency.

In preparing for this meeting, as a non-Muslim, I sought advice from an amazing NGO called Sisters In Islam who fight every day for women’s rights within their community and use scholarly understanding of koranic verses and associated hadiths to make their case in defence of women’s right. These are women of courage who are themselves facing a fatwa.

My meeting with the Mufti was intense. I started by trying to establish common ground citing the shared roots of the three great Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam which speak of one god and of justice and fairness. I cited hadith that promote compassion and understanding – forgiveness.

In the end I failed to persuade him. But, sometimes the act of trying is in itself a just cause. There is no doubt the Mufti was a man of deep faith. He believed his position was right. We agreed to disagree. Our meeting ended cordially, as it had begun. I believe there was mutual respect even if we had not found common ground. One day perhaps, such divergence will be a thing of the past but that will only happen through dialogue.

The pursuit of justice and fairness requires discourse – freedom of religion must be a right but where human rights and associated freedoms of self-expression clash with religious doctrine as practiced, the topography we have to navigate is difficult and fraught with sensitivities. This is not to say, we take the easy path, or we abandon the journey. We must travel the road, find ways through the road blocks, as we aim for that horizon ahead, one of greater understanding and shared universal values.

The Dalia Lama said,

“All religions try to benefit people, with the same basic message of the need for love and compassion, for justice and honesty, for contentment”.

Of course the freedoms we celebrate also come with responsibility. Freedom of speech is not licence to insight hatred or violence or spread untruths.

And today’s challenges include how we navigate the digital world. What should be a powerful tool to spread knowledge and understanding can be equally used, and is being used, to present truth as lies, and lies as truth. Our new frontline is online.

From criminals to malign state actors we must find a way to uphold freedoms with responsibility and accountability. And in this arena, Britain in this century has a leading role to play. Our Online Harms White paper is one we are sharing with partners, our support of Prime Minister Morrison’ Preventing Terrorist Use of the Internet Initiative and, of course, our work across law enforcement, security and intelligence collaboration at the forefront of this agenda.

An international rules based system is vital for global stability and social cohesion within our nations and across nations. Whatever you read in your newspapers or see on your TV or mobile screens about Britain today and our Brexit challenge, know this:

Britain will play its part to uphold Values and to secure Justice and Fairness in a fast changing world. And British Diplomats will be at the forefront of that endeavour.

Over a century ago, Benjamin Disraeli said,

“…justice is truth in action.”

I hold to this truth and the values that took my family to Britain. I have the great privilege to represent a country that seeks to be a force for good. And, just as we did, last century, we will help shape the international order of this century.

We will use our seat on the UN Security Council, our role in The Commonwealth, our membership of NATO, the G7 and G20, we build our individual bilateral relationships to be load bearing, and, as a global Soft Power and Development Superpower make a difference.

Whatever Brexit holds, we will stand for the Values that matter, for Justice and Fairness.

Thank you.

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 21/11/2019.

A Foreign & Commonwealth Office spokesperson said:

“The position of the UK on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the viability of a two-state solution. We urge Israel to halt its counterproductive settlement expansion.”

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 21/11/2019.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

“These innocent, orphaned, children should never have been subjected to the horrors of war. We have facilitated their return home, because it was the right thing to do.

Now they must be allowed the privacy and given the support to return to a normal life.”

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 22/11/2019.

Mr Christopher Campbell has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Ecuador in succession to Ms Katherine Ward LVO. Mr Campbell will take up his appointment during November 2020.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Full name: Christopher John Campbell

Married to: Sharon Campbell

2015 to present Santo Domingo, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to The Dominican Republic and Haiti (job-share with his wife)
2011 to 2015 San Jose, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Costa Rica and Nicaragua (job-share with his wife)
2009 to 2011 FCO, Head of Peacekeeping, Conflict Group
2008 to 2009 FCO, Strategy Manager, International Military Capacity Building, Conflict Group
2003 to 2007 Brussels, Second Secretary, External Relations Policy, UK Delegation to NATO
1999 to 2003 Caracas, Second Secretary, Commercial
1995 to 1998 FCO, Desk Officer, Polar Regions Section, Overseas Territories Department
1992 to 1995 Jakarta, Third Secretary, Management
1988 to 1992 Dhaka, Third Secretary, Immigration
1985 to 1988 Khartoum, Accountant
1984 to 1985 FCO, Assistant Desk Officer, Secretary of State’s Private Office
1982 to 1984 FCO, Assistant Desk Officer, North America Department
1982 Joined FCO

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 22/11/2019.

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

The British government, too, wants to thank the Assistant Secretary-General and the Special Envoy for the hard work that they are doing and their teams. We join others in welcoming the Riyadh agreement and the vital role the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia played in brokering that, and we share South Africa’s point, an emphasis on inclusivity. I think on momentum and on making best use of next year, our Indonesian, German and Côte D’Ivorian colleagues put it very well, and we, too, share that sense of hope that something really meaningful can be done.

I wanted to say that, Martin, we welcome your continued consultations between the parties. It’s important that the Riyadh agreement and de-escalation efforts are integrated into a wider, inclusive political process. And we would urge you and Saudi Arabia to work closely to ensure that the respective initiatives are integrated and enabling a holistic approach. The Council, the wider community needs to be ready to support a renewed peace process and you can count on the United Kingdom to do its utmost in that regard. And we hope for broader implementation of the Stockholm agreement to continue in parallel with these efforts.

Turning to humanitarian, as the Assistant Secretary-General said, this is a very sobering picture; I share German concerns on this. The United Kingdom has committed nearly $1 billion of assistance since the conflict began and over a quarter of this this financial year. We are contributing to the immediate food needs of more than one million Yemenis each month, treating 70,000 children for malnutrition and providing over one million people with improved water supply and basic sanitation. So we don’t underestimate at all the scale and the enormity of the task and we applaud all those who work on the ground to deliver aid to vulnerable people in such difficult and dangerous circumstances.

The Council needs to be confident that the assistance provided by the international community is indeed reaching those in need and that means that it is vital, in turn, that humanitarian access improves right across the country, including in Houthi-controlled areas in the north. And the United Kingdom takes this opportunity to call on the Houthis to engage urgently and constructively with the UN humanitarian coordinator on the ground, Lisa Grande, to ensure that vulnerable people can be accessed and to comply immediately with SCR 2451 by facilitating swift, unhindered and safe humanitarian access.

We know that the operating environment for humanitarian organisations is almost impossible; in the north, 60 percent of humanitarian sub-agreements this year have not been signed by the Houthis and that affects four million people. This is obviously something that cannot continue. Humanitarian organisations are ready to save lives. They must be allowed to do their jobs.

Turning to the safer oil tanker, a number of representatives mentioned that today, we share concerns. We think an action by the Houthis on this issue is reckless. We call on them to allow the UN team access to the tanker before it’s too late.

I want to say a quick word about the economy. The progress made recently between the parties in facilitating fuel imports through the Red Sea ports is very welcome. It is now vital that the government of Yemen and the Houthis engage constructively with the UN to agree an effective mechanism for port revenue sharing. A long-term solution needs to be secured so that sufficient levels of fuel can enter the Red Sea ports each month.

Finally, I wish to conclude by echoing what Germany and Belgium said about the importance of implementing International Humanitarian Law unconditionally.

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 25/11/2019.

Thank you, first of all may I also acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet today: the Gadigal people, their elders past, present and future.

In launching “Crossing Points” today, following recent events in Gisborne in New Zealand with the 250th Anniversary of Captain Cook’s first arrival in Aotearoa, it seems appropriate that this acknowledgement of country is how we start events here in Australia today. An acknowledgement of the first people of these lands who existed long before the foreigners came.

As I said to my own team at the British High Commission in Canberra, the countdown towards Cook 250 events here in Australia next year began the moment events unfolded in New Zealand. But, in focusing on what this means we have an opportunity to address not just the past but to secure the modern relationship between the UK and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We are therefore developing an Indigenous Engagement Strategy.

Undoubtedly there is a part of our history that we have to confront. And it’s something that people find difficult to talk about. But we must recognise that the arrival of Cook, and what it led to – the arrival of the first fleet, fundamentally changed the landscape and the future of the first people here, and likewise the Maori in New Zealand.

So, as we look to the future and the relationship we wish to build with all Australians, work like that of the British Council, with amazing initiatives like their Accelerate Programme, the appreciation of art and culture as it translates into our people-to-people connections, has to be a key part of what we do and what we celebrate. I was going to say this must be our new endeavour when I realised that “endeavour” might be the wrong choice of word in this context! Or maybe not, maybe it is right to cast it as a shared inclusive endeavour for the future.

This compendium of essays, with perspectives from New Zealand, Cook Islands, Australia and Britain, gives us a moment to pause and reflect on our past, how this has shaped us – our present – and consider how we can draw on the truth of our histories, respective and shared journeys, to better shape our futures. To take the lessons of history and to ensure our future is better informed.

Friends, in Stan Grant’s essay, he referred to Australia’s history living in him because of his ancestry, both Aboriginal and Irish. His Irish ancestor was amongst the first convicts to be sent out here. This European ancestry sat alongside a much older one, for whom this was country, dating back millennia.

When I read Michelle Simmons’ essay about what brought her to this country from Britain and why she chose to stay, it highlighted, for me how we embrace change, new realities and opportunities.

And from New Zealand, Anthony Hoete’s comment on two historically tied nations. He proposed part of our future, informed by our past, must be about the exchange of knowledge, about encouraging creative thinking.

My predecessor, Menna Rawlings, in her essay said “I found it personally hard at times to come to terms with the impacts of exploration and colonialism on the Indigenous people.” But it is time, with Cook 250, to seize the opportunity to come to terms with this reality. I think whatever future we build with Australia, with New Zealand and with the Pacific Island countries, where the consequence of British colonialism changed the trajectory of those nations is that we have to find the positive learning from the very history we address. And we should not forget there is good stuff too in that history to celebrate.

For me that means finding and building new partnerships. In doing so we have to also recognise who we are today.

What does being British mean?

What does being Australian mean?

What does our future and, indeed, our current relationship mean?

Of course we say it is a relationship bound by shared values. But in a way, and something I think Helen touched on, in a world that seems less stable where the norms are under stress and challenged, actually securing partnership and people-to-people engagement around a set of shared values must be the goal. Values we should hold dear – equality and mutual respect. A partnership that we build together for the 21st century that is yet stronger because it is more inclusive.

In the 250 years since Cook’s arrival, this region has become part of Asia’s century. The geopolitics that we see playing out around us also sees a more contested and uncertain world. So this must be a moment in our shared history where we consciously take stock and hold our values closer still.

In doing so, there are voices to be heard, listened to and understood. Because it is that mutual recognition and understanding that I think lies at the heart of shared values and freedoms. Indeed the partnerships and collaboration we seek.

It is timely to reflect on why the British Council was conceived as a force for good. It was created in the post Second World War years, as Helen has said, to counter fascism and I fear that is on the rise in the world that we live in today.

So culture, arts, people-to-people connections, understanding the things that we individually as citizens, but as a global community too, need to rediscover and embrace. I don’t want to distort history but perhaps we need a new doctrine of re-discovery of what lies at the heart of the values we share, of renewal, to propel us forward.

And we must work together in partnership as like-minded people, with both a bitter and a positive history from which to draw. And on which to build for the better.

New Zealand, Australia and Britain can be at the heart of a new like-minded group where we celebrate our diversity, where we reach out to be more inclusive, where we address our past but we build our future and we do so together.

The Pacific Island countries are at the heart of the climate change agenda. They are not some distant land. They face an existential threat. The UK is at the forefront of leading the climate agenda. This is the kind of work where our collective partnership and endeavour matters.

Preserving culture and heritage is also important. Within this it is also about giving people voice – a means to connect and express themselves. Without voice who are we?

When I read Gina Williams’ essay she spoke about voice, and the loss of language. In regaining her voice – her mother tongue – she comments that a community can learn together and heal together. And one of the devastating effects of colonisation in this country was that so many of the indigenous languages have been lost. Our task through art, through culture, through music, through voice, must be to make sure the ones that are left are preserved but more importantly heard as well.

And, finally, as the British High Commissioner at this point in our history with Australia, addressing what we do alongside the government, and working with them, towards Cook 250 here, will be an important part of my effort.

After all, how do we build relationships with all Australians?

I speak as a British High Commissioner without any Scottish, English, Welsh or Northern Irish blood coursing through my veins. I speak as someone who migrated to Britain aged eight having been born in Malaysia. I think about my British identity alongside all those other identities I have. My Chinese ancestry, my Dutch Burgher ancestry. I think about the country I was born in and the country I migrated to that is now home and that I proudly represent. I think about my Britishness through my citizenship and the values that stands for and that I now in my work promote and uphold.

But there are connections you never lose. I was reminded in Stan Grant’s Essay that when he feels most connected to this land is often when he is flying and he is looking down at the land below. I think I know what he means. When I was flying into Malaysia to take up my last job there as British High Commissioner, I too felt a connection with the land below, the spirit of the place from which I came, and the lands beyond from which my ancestors came, both European and Asian.

I recognise the connection to country for the Indigenous people of this land is deep and a vital part of their identity.

So many people, many of you in this room, trace your ancestry back to Britain. I hope you feel that connection. But we must work to keep it vibrant and relevant.

But an increasing number of Australians and New Zealanders trace their ancestry to other places. For them we need new connections with Britain on issues that matter such as our work on Climate Change and through our work on Art and Cultural connections too.

In building our partnership for the future, we must celebrate our diversity, we must be inclusive, we must build new connections with the first people of this country as well as the more recent arrivals. Our future partnership must embrace all Australians. A partnership built on understanding and respect. And essays like those in “Crossing Points” help us to do just that.

I am therefore delighted to be here to support you in launching “Crossing Points”.

Thank you.

Below is a press release issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 25/11/2019.

On Friday 4 October, Alan and Wilma Hyrons, 2 British nationals, were abducted in the Southern Philippines.

On the morning of Monday 25 November, the Philippines’ Armed Forces carried out a military operation on the island of Sulu that resulted in their successful rescue.

The British Ambassador to the Philippines has spoken by telephone to Alan and Wilma.

The Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

“I am pleased to confirm that both Alan and Wilma Hyrons are safe and well, and being looked after by the Philippine authorities.

We worked closely with the Government of the Philippines on Alan and Wilma’s case over the last 2 months. I am very grateful for their tremendous efforts. We are in particular grateful to their Armed Forces for their courage throughout a difficult operation which resulted in Alan and Wilma’s release.

Foreign Office officials have been in close contact with Alan and Wilma’s family throughout this ordeal. We request their privacy during this emotional time.”