Tag: 2023

President, let me begin by thanking Directors Menikdiwela and Liljert for their briefings today.

The UK would also like to thank France and Malta for their efforts in drafting the renewal of UN Security Council Resolution 2652, which we fully support. As we are all aware, Libya is a complex operating environment for tackling migration and human smuggling. All refugees and migrants, regardless of their migration status, should be treated with the humanity and dignity that they deserve.

The UK continues to be deeply concerned by abuses of migrants and refugees in Libya. We continue to call on the Libyan authorities to take steps to end the exploitation and abuse of migrants and refugees, working towards the closure of all detention centres. A more holistic approach is needed to tackle the drivers of migration across Africa and the Western Mediterranean route and we are committed to working closely with member states and the UN to achieve this, and we take note of the recommendations by the UNCHR and the IOM today.

President, the UK also continues to urge the Libyan authorities to comply with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, and implement a functioning migration system that respects migrants’ and refugees’ human rights.

Unfortunately, these challenges will sadly endure in Libya in the absence of a political solution, which is why driving forward that process is front and centre of our work. We continue to support SRSG Bathily and the work he is doing to reach an inclusive political agreement, as well as UNSMIL’s wider efforts to support peace and stability in Libya.

President, before concluding, let me also note that we hope the Russia delegation will give equal focus to language on human rights and international law when the Council discusses UNSMIL’s mandate next month.

Let me begin by thanking SRSG Keita, the Permanent Representative of Gabon as the Chair of the 1533 Committee and Ms Modi for their briefings today. I welcome the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Lutundula and the Permanent Representative of Rwanda in our meeting.

President, the UK fully supports the work carried out by MONUSCO, especially in protecting civilians. We commend the mission and SRSG Keita for their continued efforts in increasingly challenging circumstances.

We remain extremely concerned by the fragile situation in eastern DRC. Regional peace processes should be respected and all support to armed groups must stop.

We acknowledge the DRC’s request to bring forward MONUSCO’s withdrawal and welcome the government’s commitment to ensuring this process is progressive and responsible.

We want to see a handover from MONUSCO to DRC authorities. There has already been significant progress in this regard in recent years, with MONUSCO withdrawing from the Kasais and Tanganyika. Lessons learnt from these processes should inform MONUSCO’s withdrawal from other provinces.

In preparation for the further withdrawal of MONUSCO, we encourage the Mission to continue transitioning tasks to the Congolese state, and, where appropriate, the UN Country Team and other international partners.

The UK is ready to consider further consolidation of MONUSCO’s footprint and a reduction of the troop ceiling during MONUSCO’s mandate renewal in December, in line with the Government’s request to accelerate withdrawal.

However, we must also carefully consider the implications of MONUSCO’s drawdown on the civilian population. The consequences of a rushed departure would be severe. In addition to extensive support to the Congolese security forces in operations against armed groups, MONUSCO currently protects thousands of civilians in eastern DRC. While the UN and international partners can play a supporting role, the Government must be willing and able to assume its responsibilities on civilian protection.

We encourage the Government of DRC to agree responsibilities for a responsible, conditions-based drawdown with MONUSCO. This should include a sustainable plan for providing security in those areas from which MONUSCO withdraws.
President, the UK fully supports the Nairobi and Luanda peace processes, which are key to tackling the underlying drivers of conflict.

In conclusion, we look forward to engaging with all stakeholders on MONUSCO’s future during the mandate renewal, and ensuring that we uphold our responsibility as a Council to support peace and stability in the DRC.

Thank you, Chair. Good morning, colleagues. One year ago, Russia attempted to illegally annex the Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The illegitimate regional authorities, set up and supported by Russia, held sham referendums, fabricated the results and then announced their supposed control over sovereign Ukrainian territory. Despite international condemnation, Russia continues to claim it has control over these Ukrainian oblasts and continues to attempt to subjugate Ukrainians to its illegally claimed authority.

Mr Chair, we have seen countless occasions, such as these, where Russia has ignored the facts and repeated its patently false narratives. At the start of this month, Russia once again violated the UN Charter, staging illegitimate elections in Crimea and the Ukrainian oblasts it claimed to have annexed. As with last year’s sham referendums, Russia pre-determined the results. Russian authorities used intimidation to force residents to the polls at gunpoint. Russia has continued with the ludicrous claim that it is liberating Ukrainian civilians. But if that were true, then why did Russia need to use such tactics? Why over the past 12 months have we seen report after report of Russia inflicting appalling atrocities on these innocent civilians?

Reporting from the UN reveals that the continued use by Russian forces of torture on Ukrainian residents in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia is widespread and systematic. The UN has compiled accounts of beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence including rape, suffocation, waterboarding, strangling and deprivation of food and water. In some cases, such actions were inflicted with such brutality that it caused the victims’ deaths. Mr Chair, Russia’s true intentions are clear. Russia is attempting to instil fear and subjugate the Ukrainian people. Russia cannot hide its harrowing atrocities behind its blatant lies.

The UK will continue to highlight Russia’s repressive campaign against the Ukrainian people, including the deportation of citizens to Russia and temporarily Russian-controlled territory. As outlined in the third Moscow Mechanism report, deporting Ukrainian children forms a deliberate part of Russia’s strategy to wipe Ukraine off the map. The Russian authorities have forcibly deported over 19,500 Ukrainian children. That’s over 19,500 children who have been separated from their families and legal guardians. For each child, for each family, it is a tragedy. In February, the Conflict Observatory estimated that 6,000 Ukrainian children have been transferred to re-education camps in illegally annexed Crimea and mainland Russia. We also have information that this year, Russia aims to host around 100,000 Ukrainian children from Russian-controlled territories to participate in a summer camp programme, with the aim to politically indoctrinate children to align with Russia. These so-called summer camps seek to “Russify” Ukrainian children. Exposing them to a combination of Russia-centric academic, cultural, patriotic and military education.

Such appalling attempts to indoctrinate the most innocent expose the inhumanity of Putin and his proxies. The UK will not turn away. Last year, the UK sanctioned Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for her alleged involvement in the forced transfer and adoption of Ukrainian children. And this year the UK sanctioned an additional 11 parties for their role in Russia’s chilling programme of forced child deportation. We will not hesitate to impose further economic measures on those determined to contravene international law.

Mr Chair, the United Kingdom stands united with our international partners in condemnation of Russian atrocities. We will never recognise Russia’s attempts to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory. And we will never allow Russia to normalise its brutality with disinformation, distraction and lies. Thank you, Mr Chair.