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The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 May 2024.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria.

We are in the 14th year of this conflict. So let me make three broad points about the changes we need to see.

First, one year on from Syria’s readmission to the League of Arab States, we have seen no real change in the regime’s behaviour. Not on human right violations. Not on the safety of civilians. And not on creating the conditions for the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of refugees. What’s more, Captagon flows have continued to increase, threatening the stability of the region. And Daesh attacks are increasing. We call on the Syrian regime to respond to the positive overtures of our Arab partners by changing its behaviour.

Second, we continue to respond to the devastating humanitarian crisis. This week, the UK and other donors met in Brussels to pledge our support to the Syrian people. The UK is proud to have committed up to $264 million in humanitarian assistance this year, bringing our total funding to over $5 billion since the crisis began. This aid will be delivered to communities across Syria, and includes $43.7 million for early recovery. We are stepping up our humanitarian funding and we call on others to do the same.

We also call on the regime to grant cross-border access for as long as is required, based on humanitarian needs. We note the renewal of permissions earlier this month for aid to cross through two border points. However, as others have said, these short-term and last-minute extensions by the regime mean access is still unpredictable. Since needs are higher than ever in Syria, humanitarians need to be able to reach people in a predictable, principled and cost-effective way. The three remaining UN border crossing points are a critical lifeline, and humanitarian agencies need safe access to reach populations in need.

Finally, President, the only long-term solution to ending this conflict is through the UN-led political process based on resolution 2254. We reiterate our support to your efforts, Special Envoy, and we call on the parties to cooperate fully towards delivering a lasting political settlement in Syria.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 May 2024.

UK Statement on PRSEAH (Prevent Sexual Abuse and Harassment) on behalf of 48 countries at the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva.

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of 48 countries:

• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• Chile
• EU27 MS
• Japan
• Mexico
• Moldova
• Monaco
• New Zealand
• Norway
• North Macedonia
• Panama
• Peru
• Philippines
• Republic of Korea
• South Africa
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom
• United States

We commend the advances WHO has made to strengthen its systems, policies, and culture to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment.  The challenges have been immense but the sustained efforts to date and level of senior engagement in this area have demonstrated that real change and real progress can be made. WHO has shown agility in its response, the ability to prioritise, the ability to self-reflect, and a commitment to zero tolerance.

We urge WHO to sustain this commitment and leadership. Whilst great progress has been made, we – the WHO community – cannot afford to take our foot off the gas now.

Efforts to deliver culture change, to focus on prevention, to prioritise PRSEAH in emergencies and support victim-survivors – all these areas are deserving of further focus and efforts. Establishing an ethical culture that advances gender equality needs to be a clear goal.

The job is not done. We recognise that embedding these changes takes time, especially behaviour and culture change, and particularly in a large and complex organisation such as WHO.

We encourage sustained funding and focus on PRSEAH work in regional and country offices and particularly in responses to health emergencies.

WHO must continue in this positive direction with high ambitions for success. We expect full continued commitment from senior management in promoting a trust-based organisational culture, and on ensuring a safe and respectful workplace, free of any form of misconduct and stigmatisation of victim-survivors. We will be closely following these efforts and are ready to continue to support WHO however we can.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 May 2024.

Ambassador Holland delivers a statement on behalf of UK and Canada calling on the government of Georgia to withdraw its legislation on the Transparency of Foreign Influence, so that it can pursue its Euro-Atlantic trajectory.

Thank you, Chair. I am delivering this statement on behalf of Canada and my own country, the United Kingdom.

We are close friends of Georgia. Our partnership is broad and deep. We remain staunchly committed to defending Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of the continuous hybrid threat it faces from Russia. We stand resolute in demanding that Russia remove its illegal presence from Georgian soil, and we reiterate our support for Georgia to tackle the range of hybrid threats it faces.

We are committed to supporting the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Georgian people, which are made clear in the Georgian Constitution.

We remain deeply concerned by the Georgian government continuing to pursue the Transparency of Foreign Influence Law, with the Parliament overturning the Presidential veto on 28 May.  We continue to believe, and have repeatedly made clear, that a vibrant civil society is a key part of a thriving democratic state. We thank ODIHR for their recent visit to Georgia and reiterate our support for ODIHR’s work and mandate. Civil society plays a major and important role in holding participating States to account for implementation of our shared OSCE principles and commitments.

As the Venice Commission concluded, this law risks stigmatising, silencing and eventually eliminating associations and media that receive even a low part of their funding from abroad.  It will significantly impact freedom of association and of expression, the right to privacy, the right to participate in public affairs and the prohibition of discrimination.

Such legislation is not in line with Georgia’s aspirations and will harm Georgia’s attempt to integrate with Euro-Atlantic institutions.

The protests we have seen in Tbilisi over recent weeks have shown that the Georgian people’s will to be part of Europe has never been stronger. Intimidation of opponents of the law must also cease and the rights of the Georgian people to freedom of expression and peaceful protest must be protected.

We want to support a prosperous, sovereign, democratic Georgia that is continuing to deliver the reforms needed to make progress on its Euro-Atlantic integration.  As we and partners have consistently stated, this law is completely contrary to that objective. So we call on the government of Georgia to withdraw the legislation, so that it can pursue its Euro-Atlantic trajectory.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 May 2024.

Ambassador Holland condemns Russia’s disregard for Kharkiv’s civilian population as it bombards residential areas and other non-military targets in the region.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Russia’s renewed offensive in Ukraine’s Kharkiv oblast has had a devastating impact on civilians. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the escalation in hostilities in the north-eastern part of the country has resulted in terrifying conditions. In complete disregard for the civilian population, Russian forces have bombarded frontline positions, pulverised residential areas, and littered whole communities with unexploded ordnance and mines. The World Health Organisation estimates that 14,000 people in Kharkiv Oblast have been displaced, with the remaining 189,000 at significant risk.

According to the Kharkiv regional police, Russian forces have prevented some civilians from evacuating the besieged town of Vovchansk. They report that at least one civilian was killed in an extrajudicial execution for trying to escape. Additionally, on 21 May, drone images have surfaced showing what appears to be several extrajudicial executions of civilians in Vovchansk. Madam Chair, these reports are an incredibly concerning snapshot of the situation civilians in this region face every day. As we know, wilful killing is a war crime, and those responsible must be held to account.

Last weekend, Russia struck a home improvement store in Kharkiv, killing 18 people, including two children, and injuring several others. Search operations continue as the police attempt to identify remains amongst the ashes. An image of an eight-year-old boy taking a DNA test to identify his deceased father highlights the devastation Russia has inflicted upon innocent civilians. This store was not a military target. It was a civilian shop attacked during its busiest period of the week.

It is clear that Russian strikes extend beyond military targets. Last week, on the day that our Permanent Council last met, Russia struck a printing house in Kharkiv, killing civilians who were working in the building. The printing house, which has been turned to rubble, produced a third of Ukraine’s books and 10% of its newspapers. It was not making tanks or ammunition. It represented something that Russia fears far more: a free media; facts and ideas that do not conform with the Kremlin’s warped view of reality; Ukrainian identity, culture and language.

But the people of Ukraine refuse to submit to Russian aggression. Ukrainian forces are stabilising the situation and disrupting the tempo of Russia’s operations in the region. Despite Russia’s aggressive tactics, 60% of Vovchansk remains under Ukrainian control, and Russian forces are facing significant casualties. Like many in this room, the UK will continue to stand resolutely by Ukraine’s side, unwavering in our commitment to counter Russian aggression and to stand up for freedom.

Madam Chair, the UK welcome Switzerland’s “Summit on Peace for Ukraine” scheduled for 15-16 June. The summit will build international consensus around the principles that must underpin a just and lasting peace. The UK will attend at a high-level and we encourage others to do the same. Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 May 2024.

Politico-Military Counsellor, Ankur Narayan, adds that despite the staggering costs to Russia, Putin is no closer to subjugating Ukraine. Russia can minimise its losses by withdrawing all of its forces from all of Ukraine.

Thank you Mr Chair. Two weeks ago, President Putin appointed a new Defence Minister – Andrei Belousov. Upon taking up the job, Minister Belousov placed special emphasis on prosecuting the war with “minimal human losses”.

Given Minister Belousov’s background as an economist, let me speak about numbers:

a. 825. Today is 825 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

b. 465,000. Over 465,000 Russian personnel have been killed or wounded in that time.

c. 980. From January 2024 to April 2024, Russia’s daily casualty rate in Ukraine – the numbers of killed and wounded – was 980. Estimates in May, put that number over 1000 per day. That is around 30,000 per month. The highest rate it has been since the start of this war.

d. 40%. Defence now takes up 40% of Russia’s government spending – which amounts to 6% of its GDP.

e. 70,000. Ukraine has liberated 70,000 square miles of land that Russia seized in 2022. And Ukraine has destroyed or damaged a quarter of the Black Sea Fleet’s vessels, denying Russia control of the western Black Sea and pushing back much of the Russian navy from Crimea. As a result, Ukraine has successfully resumed maritime exports from its Black Sea ports. Monthly export volumes through its maritime corridor are consistently at the highest levels – four and a half million tonnes – since the war began. It is on course to export all its harvest this year despite repeated Russian attempts to prevent it.

To summarise. President Putin is now over two years into a war he thought would take 3 days. He is no closer to his goal of subjugating Ukraine. Instead, Russia has suffered nearly half a million casualties, and lost a great proportion of its land and sea forces. Economists do not need to be reminded about sunk cost fallacy. Seen objectively, the numbers point to a terrible loss for a country like Russia – in Russian lives, materiel and credibility.

There is a simple way to minimise human losses. Russia chose to start this war. Russia can choose to end it. Ukraine has the right to defend itself. We will continue to stand resolutely with Ukraine. Russia should respect the UN Charter, end its war, and withdraw all of its forces from all of Ukraine.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 May 2024.

Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan issued a statement on the guilty verdict of some of the ‘NSL 47’ activists and former politicians in Hong Kong.

Today, the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region delivered its verdict for 16 of the 47 activists and former politicians known as the ‘NSL 47’. The 47 were charged under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL) for their alleged participation in a conspiracy to subvert state power. Fourteen were today found guilty and 2 found not guilty. The 14 found guilty will be sentenced at a later date. The remaining 31 pleaded guilty to the charge and await sentencing.

Commenting on the outcome, Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Rt Hon Anne Marie Trevelyan said:

This case is a clear demonstration of the way that the Hong Kong authorities have used the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL) to stifle opposition and criminalise political dissent. The NSL 47 are guilty of nothing more than seeking to exercise their right to freedom of speech, of assembly and of political participation, as guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and promised in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Today’s verdict will only further tarnish Hong Kong’s international reputation. It sends a message that Hong Kongers can no longer safely and meaningfully participate in peaceful political debate.

We call on the Hong Kong authorities to end NSL prosecutions and release all individuals charged under it.