Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 21 December 2023.

Statement by Deputy Political Coordinator Tom Phipps at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria.

Thank you President. And thank you to Special Envoy Pedersen and Director Doughten for their briefings.

President, today in our final session of the year on this item, we should reflect on the situation in Syria over the last 12 months.

12 months in which there has been no progress on the political process. No improvement in civil or political rights for Syrians, or on arbitrary detentions. No improvement in the conditions to enable the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees.

The humanitarian crisis has deepened. And the captagon trade has only grown. As we enter the new year, we believe there are three areas where the Council can meaningfully focus.

First, the threat posed to the region from actors within Syria remains of grave concern. We are particularly concerned by the continuing attacks against the Global Coalition Against Daesh in northeast Syria; the increasing tensions along the Jordanian-Syria border; and the reported strikes into Israeli territory by the Assad regime and Iranian-affiliated forces. Regional escalation serves nobody’s interest.

Second, UN humanitarian access at Bab al Hawa remains vital. Over three-quarters of all UN aid transits via this crossing and it remains a critical lifeline for 4.1 million Syrians. The Syrian regime’s current permissions expire on 13 January – we fully expect them to be renewed. Crossline operations can complement, but not replace, the essential support which cross-border mechanisms provide.

Finally, we need to continue to support the UN Special Envoy in his efforts to convene a meeting of the Constitutional Committee as soon as possible in the new year.

Mr President, 18th December marked eight years since this Council unanimously adopted resolution 2254. As we’ve said many times, implementation of this resolution remains the only way to end this conflict and provide sustainable peace and stability to the Syrian people.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 December 2023.

David Cameron will visit French and Italian capitals today to address the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and maintain support for Ukraine over the winter period.

• David Cameron will travel to Paris and Rome for talks with French President Macron, Italian Prime Minister Meloni, and foreign minister counterparts
• he will call for increased coordination between allies to address the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza as well as maintaining support for Ukraine
• discussions will also focus on working together to tackle illegal migration

At a time of volatile international crises, Foreign Secretary David Cameron will visit the French and Italian capitals today (19 December) to address the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza as well as maintaining support for Ukraine over the winter period.

During the visit, the Foreign Secretary will reiterate his call for a sustainable ceasefire, leading to a sustainable peace, and for increased coordination across European allies to ensure life-saving aid can get into Gaza to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. The Foreign Secretary will also urge continued support for Ukraine to defend itself through military, humanitarian and economic means.

Tackling illegal migration is also high on the agenda, with the UK working alongside France and Italy to stop the criminal gangs. This follows the UK signing landmark deals with the 2 countries that have seen small boat channel crossings drop by a third.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron said:

As we face some of the greatest challenges to international security in a lifetime, our response must be one of strength and resilience with our European allies.

From the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza, to Putin’s brutality in Ukraine, it is more important than ever to strengthen our alliances and make sure our voice is heard.

In Paris, the Foreign Secretary will meet French President Emmanuel Macron, and Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to discuss maintaining support for Ukraine and finding a long-term political solution that supports Israel’s security and the rights of Palestinians to live in peace. They will also discuss how the UK and France can continue to coordinate their humanitarian responses in Gaza.

The visit will also look ahead to a milestone year for UK-France relations in 2024, which will mark 120 years since the signing of the Entente Cordiale and 80 years since the D-Day landings, 2 watershed moments for the 2 countries.

Following the Prime Minister’s visit over the weekend, the Foreign Secretary will then travel to Rome for talks with the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and to address Italian ambassadors gathered at the Italian foreign ministry for their annual Heads of Mission conference.

The Foreign Secretary will also meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s meeting with PM Meloni this weekend. Top of the agenda for the Rome programme will be boosting the 2 countries’ close cooperation on illegal migration.

They will welcome a new agreement between the 2 countries to contribute £4 million to the International Organization for Migration’s assisted voluntary returns project in Tunisia. The joint funding will go towards providing humanitarian assistance and support for vulnerable and stranded migrants to return home safely.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 December 2023.

The UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN in Geneva, Simon Manley, spoke on a number of issues at the WTO General Council (17-19 December 2023).

Item 16: The contribution of the Multilateral Trading System to Sustainable and Resilient Agriculture and Food Systems – Statement by the Cairns Group (GC/261)

Thank you to the Cairns Group for their statement. As the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said, agricultural markets are facing a triple challenge providing adequate, affordable, safe, nutritious food for a growing global population.

Providing livelihoods all along the food value chain, and at the same time, increasing the sustainability of the agricultural sector.

We all need to be thinking about how we align our work across different WTO fora, and wider international fora, and have a serious conversation about sustainability and resilient food systems.

We also really welcome the statement out of COP28: the declaration on sustainable agriculture, food system, and climate action.

This calls for exactly the strengthening of the rules-based multilateral trading system, with this organisation, with its fantastic leadership, at its very core.

A multifaceted problem requires a multifaceted solution. And that includes elements highlighted in this Cairns Group declaration, including progressing agricultural reform, to promote fair, rules-based, market-orientated, agricultural trade.

Key to that effort is repurposing the way in which public support is directed towards agriculture to improve the activity, the resilience and sustainability of agricultural practices and systems.

So it is absolutely right that we have a serious conversation about sustainability, about resilience of our food systems, here in this organisation, as part of a wider conversation we need to have, urgently, about how we use this organisation, and the trading system, to support the transition to net zero and save our planet.

Item 18: Information on Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) – Request from Chile and Korea

Thank you Chair.

We rightly talk a lot about the importance of this organisation in development. It is great to hear the reaction to the fabulous work being led by the brilliant co-facilitators.

This is a significant new agreement that we genuinely hope is going to turbo-charge sustainable development, so as to equip developing and Least Developed Countries (LDC) Members to address the global poli-crisis.

As we all know, this IFD is the largest with 116 participants (over two thirds of the Membership of this organisation.)

The agreement shows for us that this organisation can deliver for global trade, and for development, and we can address these current economic challenges.

Facilitating investment flows, is, as we all know, a key driver of economic growth, productivity and development.

We think it is going to provide significant economic benefits for Members, in particular for developing countries, by removing barriers to investment and reducing transaction costs.

It is predicted to increase global welfare by almost 2 per cent, boost cross-border investment – absolutely key to closing the US$4 trillion funding gap in the SDGs so we look forward to the successful incorporation in the WTO in due course and to celebrating this achievement at MC13, where Members from over two thirds of the organisation will join together to mark our shared ambition of driving sustainable global development.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 December 2023.

The UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN in Geneva, Simon Manley, delivered a statement on Ministerial Conferences at the WTO General Council (17-19 December 2023).

Item 3: Follow-up to outcomes of Ministerial Conferences

Thank you first for your thanks for our contribution to the Fish fund, and ratification of the agreement.

On reform, let me welcome the efforts of the Secretariat and all the efforts that we, the Members have put into institutional reform.

As you know, the UK (and 55 Members) presented a paper to this Committee on this very important issue. We talk about showing progress. Since MC12, we can be proud of the work we have done as an organisation, and it shows how much we can achieve if we just get on with it.

Look at the work of the Council for Trade in Goods (CTG); just one example, 120 reforms across that Committee. At the heart of that, ensuring that we build trust, and that we ensure even the very smallest delegation here can engage in our work in a way that is constructive.

On the pandemic response and TRIPs we have done some really important work on the pandemic response, following on the statement from MC12, which obviously needs to continue.

On TRIPS it is clear that the reality, despite all the discussions we have had, there is no consensus amongst Members on whether or not the extension on therapeutics and diagnostics is genuinely required. It is also true that the MC12 decision, which we spent so much time elaborating, has not been used.

So we need to think carefully about extending the value of something that does not appear to help all that much as we had hoped on the ground. So, without understanding the consequences of extending that decision we risk compromising the very international IP system that we have worked so effectively to develop, and has been, in our view, so useful to us in that pandemic response.

In our view, we need to build on the TRIPS Agreement. To build on the way it works, not undermine it, and we need to broaden the conversation on the longer-term initiative to increase access to medicines as we are hoping to achieve, with our paper on voluntary licensing and technology transfers. We recognise that voluntary licences are not a silver bullet, as is clear in the Annexes to our papers, but there are clear examples of their successful use. We are really pleased with the response to the paper, and we want to thank each and every Member who has engaged with us on it. And we want to encourage all of us to share our experiences and we look forward to further engagement in this area in the New Year.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 December 2023.

The UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN in Geneva, Simon Manley, delivered the United Kingdom’s statement on 14 December 2023 at the Global Refugee Forum.

High Commissioner. Excellencies. Ladies and gentlemen.

We are living in a time of unprecedented international challenges, with global displacement at extraordinary levels and rising.

In recent years, we have seen countries rally around to support the growing number of refugees around the world. Conflict, pandemics, and climate change have had an enduring impact on us.

But as the challenges increase, so must our efforts.

I want to acknowledge the continued generosity and leadership of host nations and communities. You all play a vital role in providing sanctuary to forcibly displaced people.

Without your leadership, they would be forced to go on dangerous journeys, risking their lives and exploitation from the most vicious people traffickers.

We emphatically believe the Global Compact on Refugees is the best strategy to support refugees and their host communities.

It plays a fundamental part in ensuring the international protection regime is fit for the 21st century. And that it protects the most vulnerable in our communities, including women and girls, the LGBT+ community and those with disabilities.

Since 2015, the UK has provided international protection to over half a million people.

Globally, we are among the top five donors to refugee responses. But we know that is not enough. We need to do more, much more.

The UK has fulfilled each of the pledges that we made back here in 2019. Today, we are going further and making 15 pledges to tackle a whole range of issues such as:

• Improving access to education;
• Tackling gender-based violence;
• Supporting the Rohingya and their host communities;
• Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to predict and prevent conflicts and crises;
• Building resilience of refugee and host communities to climate impacts;
• and providing sustained support to refugees who settle in the UK.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 December 2023.

The UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office Chief Economist, Professor Adnan Khan, visited Timor-Leste on 14 and 15 December 2023 to enhance bilateral collaboration on economic development.

The visit comes just two months after FCDO Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, visited Timor-Leste and became the first UK minister to visit since the country gained independence in 2002.

During his visit, Professor Khan met with the Central Bank Governor Helder Lopes to discuss how the UK can support the development of Timor-Leste’s financial services sector through the ASEAN Economic Integration Programme (AEIP), which launched earlier this year. He also met with Minister for Trade and Industry Filipus Nino Pereira and launched a flagship UK-funded project supporting Timor-Leste’s accession into the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

The project will help Timor-Leste develop a nationwide certificate of origin scheme, which will benefit local exporters as the country looks to deepen integration into regional and global value chains. The launch reaffirms the UK’s sustained support for Timor-Leste’s smooth accession into ASEAN. Professor Khan also delivered a lecture at the National University of East Timor to share the UK’s revamped approach on International Development, as reflected in the recently launched white paper titled “International Development in a Contested World: ending extreme poverty and tackling climate change”.

FCDO Chief of Economist Professor Adnan Khan, said:

I was delighted to be in Dili for the first time to launch this important project. Timor-Leste has made huge strides in its WTO accession, and now the UK looks forward to supporting Timor-Leste as it seeks ASEAN accession.

UK Ambassador to Timor-Leste Dominic Jermey said:

The UK is committed to deepening our partnership with Timor-Leste, and I’m delighted that the FCDO’s chief economic Professor Adnan Khan visited Dili recently to discuss ways we can enhance our cooperation. The launch of the ASEAN Economic Community Accession project demonstrates our commitment to supporting Timor-Leste’s smooth accession into ASEAN. We look forward to seeing the benefits this project will bring to the Timorese economy.

UK Ambassador to ASEAN Sarah Tiffin said:

As a committed ASEAN Dialogue partner, the UK is committed to assisting Timor-Leste through the process of its accession to ASEAN. The visit by FCDO Chief Economist Professor Adnan Khan to Timor-Leste and the initiation of a UK-funded project dedicated to facilitating Timor-Leste’s accession to the ASEAN Economic Community project are concrete demonstrations of this strong commitment.

Minister for Trade and Industry, H.E. Filipus Nino Pereira, said:

I would like to thank the UK government for its support. This project will help us meet the ASEAN and WTO accession requirements. This initiative also reflects our ongoing commitment to diversifying our economy and deepening our regional economic integration.