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The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 July 2025.

Deputy Head of Mission (DHM) Paul Huggins participated in the launch of Guatemala’s National Plastics Action Partnership (NPAP).

During the event, he offered closing remarks highlighting the United Kingdom’s commitment to the Global Plastics Action Partnership (GPAP), of which Guatemala has been a member since January 2025, and underscored the importance of international collaborations in addressing global environmental challenges.

DHM Huggins praised Guatemala’s leadership in creating inclusive, evidence-based policies and welcomed its recent membership in the UK-founded High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution (HAC). He also reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to concluding negotiations for a legally binding global treaty on plastics by August of this year.

The event was attended by the Minister of Environment, Patricia Orantes; the Vice Minister for Climate Change, Edwin Castellanos, and representatives of partner organizations and implementers of the NPAP in Guatemala.

The UK, through the Blue Planet Fund and in collaboration with other partners has contributed £24 million to the GPAP program since 2018, supporting initiatives that promote the circular economy and improve the conditions of informal waste workers.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 July 2025.

Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary in Australia alongside UK’s Carrier Strike Group – demonstrating government’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

• Signing of new UK-Australia AUKUS treaty protects our seas, supports over 21,000 UK jobs and underpins up to £20 billion exports potential.
• Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary in Australia alongside UK’s Carrier Strike Group – demonstrating government’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
• New treaty unlocks greater economic cooperation and delivers on the Government’s Plan for Change.

A new 50 year AUKUS treaty will underpin the UK and Australian submarine programmes, support tens of thousands of jobs in the UK and Australia, enhance both nations’ industrial capacity, and deliver the submarines that keep the UK and our allies safe.

The deal demonstrates the Government’s commitment to deliver both security and prosperity, safeguarding jobs across the UK and boosting our defence industry, with new submarine exports amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds a year.

Expected to be worth up to £20 billion to the UK in exports over the next 25 years, this decades-long programme will create over 7,000 new jobs in UK shipyards and across the supply chain, building on the billions of pounds already invested in Barrow, Derby and beyond.

There will be over 21,000 people working on the conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered AUKUS submarine programme (known as SSN-AUKUS) in the UK at its peak, contributing to opportunities and economic growth in local communities across the UK.

Defence Secretary, John Healey, said:

AUKUS is one of Britain’s most important defence partnerships, strengthening global security while driving growth at home.

This historic Treaty confirms our AUKUS commitment for the next half century. Through the Treaty, we are supporting high-skilled, well-paid jobs for tens of thousands of people in both the UK and Australia, delivering on our Plan for Change today and for the generations to come. There are people not yet born who will benefit from the jobs secured through this defence deal.

Our deep defence relationship with Australia – from our work together to support Ukraine, share vital intelligence, and develop innovative technology – makes us secure at home and strong abroad.

Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said:

The UK-Australia relationship is like no other, and in our increasingly volatile and dangerous world, our anchoring friendship has real impact in the protection of global peace and prosperity.

Our new bilateral AUKUS treaty is an embodiment of that – safeguarding a free and open Indo Pacific whilst catalysing growth for both our countries.

This is how our government delivers the Plan for Change – protecting our national security and stability whilst generating jobs for Brits.

This is the latest milestone reached under the AUKUS partnership – our most strategically significant new defence partnership in a generation.

The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will travel to Australia as the Carrier Strike Group and more than 3,000 British military personnel take part in the largest military exercise Australia has ever hosted. Their visit follows the exercise’s success where the AUKUS nations worked with Japan on advancing how we use robotics and autonomous systems in our defence systems.

Both ministers will meet their counterparts at the annual “Australia-UK Ministerial”, known as AUKMIN, to drive forward collaboration across the board – generating further trade and investment to our £23 billion per year annual trade relationship with Australia.

Travelling onto Melbourne, the Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will meet with businesses at the forefront of AUKUS – delivering the defence industrial strength needed to protect British, Australian and American interests.

The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will visit Darwin to see our commitment to the Indo-Pacific first hand as the Carrier Strike Group docks in the Northern Territory.

This deployment – one of the UK’s largest this century – sends a clear message that the UK alongside our partners stands ready to protect the Indo-Pacific’s vital trade routes and will deter those who undermine global security.

On HMS Prince of Wales, the flagship of the group, the Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will meet the service personnel who have participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre, one of the largest military exercises in the world this year. Bringing together over 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, this exercise strengthens and tests how key partners can work together to safeguard global trade routes and maintain regional stability.

The Carrier Strike Group deployment this year reinforces the Government’s Plan for Change by strengthening the international partnerships that underpin economic growth and national security, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad. It takes place against the backdrop of the Government’s landmark commitment to increase defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027.

This historic investment underpins the Government’s mission-led approach to securing Britain’s future, providing the economic stability necessary for growth whilst ensuring the UK maintains cutting-edge capabilities such as to meet emerging global threats.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 July 2025.

Ambassador Holland updates the Permanent Council on the UK’s newly introduced Global Irregular Migration Sanctions Regime.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

Fifty years ago, the Helsinki Final Act recognised the movement of migrants as a key issue for both States and individuals. Twenty years ago in Ljubljana, our Ministers acknowledged in Ministerial Council Decision 2/05 that migration was becoming increasingly diverse and complex, requiring both national and transnational responses. They identified ways the OSCE could contribute and tasked the Secretary General and OSCE structures to address migration across all three dimensions.

That same year, Ministers adopted the Border Security and Management Concept. While reaffirming that border security is a matter of national sovereignty, we committed to enhancing mutually beneficial inter-State cooperation to address terrorism, organised crime, illegal migration, and the trafficking of weapons, drugs, and people. These threats remain persistent. We must respond nationally and through cooperation. Protecting our borders is protecting our national security.

In the UK, our Border Security Command is building a more coherent and controlled system to tackle threats, including Organised Immigration Crime (OIC). Our newly established OIC Domestic Taskforce will strengthen how these crimes are investigated and prosecuted by police, law enforcement, and the justice system.

We are also focused on the enablers of OIC. The online environment must not be a safe haven for criminal networks. The UK is committed to working with online platforms to prevent their use in facilitating irregular migration.

To support this, we are strengthening our legislative framework. Our Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill introduces new counter-terror-inspired powers to target those who supply, or handle items used in immigration crime. It also enhances data-sharing powers to support law enforcement and immigration operations, both domestically and with international partners.

On 22 July, we introduced the world’s first standalone Global Irregular Migration Sanctions Regime. This innovative tool enables us to impose sanctions related to people smuggling, human trafficking, and organised immigration crime.

As Chair of the Security Committee, I look forward to September’s events marking the 20th anniversary of the Border Security and Management Concept. It will be a timely opportunity to reflect on how our practices must evolve to meet emerging challenges while upholding fundamental rights and OSCE principles, and I invite interested participating States to join us in considering how we can build on the OSCE’s mandates in this area.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 July 2025.

Ambassador Holland welcomes Moldova’s continued efforts to safeguard electoral integrity and counter foreign malign interference.

The United Kingdom reaffirms its strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova, and for its European trajectory. As Moldova prepares for its parliamentary elections on 28 September, we commend the Moldovan people’s commitment to democratic reform and resilience. Moldova continues to play a constructive role in promoting stability and security across the European continent.

Today, we are honoured to welcome President Maia Sandu to the United Kingdom for meetings with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and His Majesty King Charles III. Her visit underscores the deepening partnership between our countries and our shared commitment to democratic values, security, and prosperity.

We remain deeply concerned by the Russian Federation’s ongoing hybrid aggression against Moldova, including information manipulation, cyberattacks, and malign political interference. These actions aim to destabilise Moldova’s democratic institutions and obstruct its sovereign choices – behaviour that is incompatible with OSCE principles.

We welcome Moldova’s efforts to safeguard electoral integrity and counter foreign malign interference, and we encourage continued cooperation with OSCE institutions.

The UK continues to support Moldova’s institutional reforms, including strengthening the judiciary and anti-corruption efforts, to help build a resilient, democratic society anchored in European values. Moldova’s future must be decided by its citizens, free from coercion or intimidation.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 July 2025.

Ambassador Holland welcomes the OSCE Programme Office’s engagement with the Government of Tajikistan during the reporting period, and its continued focus on promoting gender equality, fostering cross-border cooperation and supporting penal reforms.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I warmly welcome Ms. Turcan to the Permanent Council and thank you for stepping into the leadership role during this transitional period. Strong leadership and reliable resourcing are essential for OSCE field missions to function effectively. We again urge participating States to resolve the budget impasse and ensure all OSCE institutions – including the Border Management Staff College – are adequately funded.

I would like to highlight several areas of the Programme Office’s work that are of particular importance to the UK.

First, the Mission’s efforts to promote gender equality and support survivors of domestic violence through Women’s Resource Centres and police capacity building. These centres provide vital shelter and services, helping women escape cycles of abuse and rebuild their lives. The UK remains deeply committed to addressing gender-based violence.

Second, the Programme Office’s role in fostering cross-border cooperation and regional security. We commend Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic for their leadership in peacefully resolving border disputes. These diplomatic achievements underscore the value of dialogue. The UK remains committed to working with Tajikistan, its neighbours, and the OSCE to address regional challenges, including those stemming from Afghanistan.

Third, we commend the Mission’s work in the human dimension, particularly on penal reform and embedding human rights in government training. We also welcome efforts to strengthen media standards. We note with regret that ODIHR’s observation mission were unable to implement their mandate for the elections in March and encourage all relevant parties to facilitate the required access in the future.

I would also like to commend the Government of Tajikistan for their continued leadership on climate and water security, not least demonstrated by their co-hosting of the International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation earlier this year resulting in the adoption of the Dushanbe Declaration. As climate change makes water access more competitive and harder to manage, cooperation and solutions become more vital.

Finally, we support Tajikistan’s ambitions for sustainable economic growth. Achieving this requires a stable, transparent investment climate grounded in the rule of law. This will attract quality foreign investment and create clean, inclusive growth for Tajik citizens.

Madam Chair, in closing, I thank Ms. Turcan again for her report and wish her continued success.

Thank you.