The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 December 2023.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN General Assembly meeting on Reform of the Security Council.

Thank you for conveying this meeting of the IGN. The UK believes the Council must be reformed. We share your commitment to making progress, and hope that this new format of discussing all the clusters together, followed by in-depth discussions on the models, allows us to do so in this 78th session of the GA. Against the backdrop of increasing conflict around the world, the Council’s mandate to safeguard international peace and security is as relevant today as it was when the UN Charter was first signed in 1945.

Global multilateralism is the best tool we have to collectively tackle the challenges we face. We believe a reformed, more representative Council will be best placed to respond to the urgent peace and security issues of our time. Allow me to set out the UK’s longstanding position on the five clusters:

On categories of membership, the UK supports expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories. We support permanent African representation and the addition of new permanent seats for Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan. In addition, we support the expansion of the non-permanent category to take the overall size of the Security Council to the mid-20s.

This vision of Council reform is guided by the principles outlined in Article 23 of the Charter. A reformed Council must include states that are willing and able to contribute to the maintenance of peace and security; it should ensure the Council remains responsive and effective; and it should deliver a Council more representative of the world it seeks to protect,  so we can all benefit from the perspectives and expertise of a wider range of UN membership.

On regional representation, we are clear the Council acts on behalf of the whole membership. States are elected to the Council, by the General Assembly, in their own right.

The working methods of the Council are critical to its effectiveness, and are a matter for the Council to decide. We have supported efforts to bring in perspectives of civil society and remain strong advocates on the importance of high-quality Council briefers.

Throughout the UK’s work on the Council, including on files on which we penhold, we strive to take a consensus-based and transparent approach. We consult frequently with relevant actors, including regional organisations and bodies. For example, our close consultation with ASEAN on Myanmar. And we seek opportunities to partner with Council members from the relevant region on country files on which we penhold. For example, working closely with our colleagues from the A3 on Somalia and Sudan.

The role of the elected members is invaluable in providing insight and expertise, and initiating new Council discussions and products, as with Resolution 2686 on tolerance and the protection of religious minorities in conflict settings, which we were proud to co-pen with the United Arab Emirates.

Turning to the veto. It is a heavy responsibility, to be used in the interest of securing the peace and security that people around the world seek, and the UN was established to provide. The United Kingdom has not used our veto since 1989. As a proud signatory of the Accountability, Coherence, and Transparency Group’s Code of Conduct, we remain committed never to vote against a credible draft resolution on preventing or ending a mass atrocity. We encourage all Member States, including the other permanent members of the Council, to support this initiative.

Co-chairs, finally let me address the relationship between the Security Council and the General Assembly. These two organs have distinct mandates as set out in the UN Charter. But as we have seen this week, there is an appetite from the wider membership to make clear their views on matters of international peace and security; we welcome those contributions.

In closing, let me reassure you of our commitment to reforming the Security Council, and to making meaningful progress in this session of the General Assembly.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 December 2023.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council meeting on the Central African region.

Thank you President, and thank you SRSG Abarry for your briefing. I will make four points today.

First, as the Secretary-General notes in his report, the region faces continued risk of instability, highlighted by recent coups and violence. As the recent COP28 summit reminds us, this vulnerability is exacerbated by climate change. The United Kingdom encourages member states in the region to commit to inclusive, credible, and accountable political and transitional processes and to engage with UNOCA. The Council too must do its part to support UNOCA’s important stabilising efforts in the subregion, including on climate change.

Second, when SRSG Abarry briefed the Council in June, he spoke of the opportunities and challenges in the region through elections and transitions. In this regard, the UK welcomes progress made on the political transition in Chad. We urge the authorities to ensure the referendum process is peaceful, inclusive and respects fundamental rights and freedoms. We thank Chad and other states in the region for their continued support to refugees from Sudan. The UK has provided $18 million to support the humanitarian response in Eastern Chad.

Third, there is an opportunity for a turning point in Gabon. The UK encourages the transitional authorities to ensure a return to constitutional order through an inclusive and credible transition. We are reassured by the roadmap to elections in August 2025 and hope to see a genuinely inclusive National Dialogue in April 2024. We urge the transitional authorities to fulfil the democratic aspirations of all Gabonese, with UNOCA’s support and the engagement of regional partners.

Finally in Cameroon, challenges to progress remain. The UK remains deeply concerned at the ongoing violence and we continue to work with multilateral partners to mitigate the worst impacts of this on the population, including supporting human rights defenders and women peacebuilders. We encourage parties to ensure dialogue efforts are inclusive.

Thank you, President.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 13 December 2023.

• The Deputy Prime Minister chaired the first meeting of the Economic Security Public-Private Forum on Monday. The Deputy Prime Minister and Business Secretary are co-chairs of the Forum, which will meet quarterly.
• Attendees from 11 businesses across sectors like AI, communications, and defence received a declassified threat briefing from the National Protective Security Authority.
• The meeting builds on commitments made in the Integrated Review Refresh 2023 for closer cooperation with businesses on security.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Business and Trade joined leaders from some of the most critical sectors of the UK economy on Monday, for a declassified economic security briefing from the National Protective Security Authority.

The briefing took place during the first meeting of the Economic Security Public-Private Sector Forum, which has been convened by the Deputy Prime Minister to share intelligence-led advice and promote greater cooperation with businesses on national security.

During the briefing, business leaders were told the threats posed by terrorists and states are diversifying. State actors are increasingly seeking to steal intellectual property from both established businesses and emerging technologies developed in the UK. Attendees were then briefed on the steps their organisations can take to defend themselves.

Businesses represented at the Forum included: Babcock; Blueskeye AI; UK Finance; British Ports Association; Amadeus Capital Partners; Vodafone; Rio Tinto; BT; ARM; Tesco; and EY. These businesses were invited because they are from the most strategically important sectors of the UK economy, such as artificial intelligence, communications, and defence.

Future meetings of the Forum will take place quarterly, with each receiving a declassified economic security briefing from relevant experts. The record of discussions will remain confidential to encourage open communication between attendees.

During the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister also chaired a discussion about the risks arising from artificial intelligence and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade facilitated a discussion about the government’s security regimes and businesses’ experience of current threats.

Deputy Prime Minister, Oliver Dowden, said:

Economic security is a critical part of the UK’s overall national security – aligned to our ability to compete globally.

We need to work with the private sector, sharing our understanding of potential risks to our economy and agreeing on what we need to do in partnership to secure our national advantage, ensuring the UK remains a safe and dynamic place to invest.

Today’s meeting, the first of its kind, brings together businesses from some of the most critical sectors of our economy for an intelligence briefing from one of the country’s most senior security officials.

The Forum is one of the ways we’re co-designing solutions to shared challenges with business, providing intelligence that will allow them to make informed decisions and encourage further cooperation on national security matters.

Business and Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, said:

The UK is one of the best places in the world to do business, which is why we’ve attracted £29.5 billion of investment at last month’s Global Investment Summit and are the number one destination in Europe for new investment projects.

This Forum is important for sharing intelligence-led advice with businesses, and we’ll continue to engage with industry to gather feedback as we work to protect UK firms from economic security threats.

Both the Forum and the National Protective Security Authority were originally announced in the Integrated Review Refresh 2023, which committed the government to work more closely with businesses to ensure the UK remains one of the most secure places in the world to invest. NPSA’s briefing to the Forum forms part of their ambition to reach many more organisations with user-friendly protective security information.

The Forum is just one of the ways the government has stepped up business engagement on economic security in recent months. In November, the Deputy Prime Minister met with business leaders at the AI Summit to build support for the Bletchley Declaration. Later in the month, the Deputy Prime Minister launched a Call for Evidence to consider ways to make the government’s investment screening powers more transparent and proportionate for businesses. This is due to close on 15th January 2024.

Earlier this year the Prime Minister and US president signed the Atlantic Declaration for a Twenty-First Century U.S.-UK Economic Partnership which will see our countries work together more closely than ever before across the full spectrum of our economic, technological, commercial and trade relations.

Alongside the Integrated Review Refresh, the government published the Critical Minerals Refresh to recognise the changing global landscape and set out a refreshed approach to delivering the Critical Minerals Strategy. Government is engaging with UK industry to mitigate vulnerabilities in their critical mineral supply chains.

The Department for Business and Trade published the UK’s first battery strategy, alongside the Advanced Manufacturing Plan. In it the government committed over £2 billion in new capital and R&D funding for the automotive sector and pledged to support the manufacturing and development of zero emission vehicles, their batteries and supply chain between 2025 and 2030.

The UK and its international partners have implemented the most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy, prohibiting Russia’s access to the technology, expertise and revenues that it needs for its illegal invasion of Ukraine. The Department for Business and Trade has also announced the creation of the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of UK’s trade sanctions.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

About the NPSA:

NPSA was launched as part of the Integrated Review Refresh, to replace the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure but with a broader remit, reflecting the fact that the threats the UK faces today extend far beyond critical national infrastructure.

NPSA works with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to offer expert advice and guidance to help businesses build their resilience against national security threats.

NPSA and NCSC have issued joint guidance on Secure Innovation, launched earlier this year. Secure Innovation was developed in collaboration with industry and is focused on UK emerging technology start-ups and the venture capitalists who invest in them. It aims to give emerging technology companies the motivation and tools to deliver effective protective security, increasing their resilience to state threats and their competitive advantage when attracting funding or customers. Guidance is also available on areas like insider risk and safe procurement. The NPSA website has more information.

Businesses should make use of the Think Before You Link app to guard against suspicious approaches on professional networking sites, a technique used by foreign intelligence services to cultivate relationships and collect information.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 December 2023.

Lord Ahmad’s pre-recorded statement was delivered at the 10th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

Joint Statement on Transparency and the Inclusion of Civil Society in the Implementation Review Mechanism

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), as the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument, is a cornerstone of our international anti-corruption framework. We are calling on all States Parties, to build on the foundation of the Convention and energise our collective voice on the implementation of anti-corruption standards to enable citizens across the world to see the impact the UNCAC can have in their societies. We acknowledge that an effective Implementation Review Mechanism (IRM) is crucial to fulfilling our obligations under the Convention and we are committed to the proper functioning of the mechanism.

The States Parties represented in this statement commit to the following actions to make the IRM more effective and ask that other State Parties join these commitments.

We commit to:

• Publishing timelines for our country review and keeping country focal point details updated;
• Publishing the full peer-reviewed IRM country report;
• Publishing how civil society and non-state actors can engage in the review and follow up process.

States Parties may wish to deliver these actions through a number of different ways, such as sharing these documents on their United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) country profile and through domestic platforms, and for countries who are also members of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), including commitments to deliver these actions within their OGP Action Plans.

We also call upon States Parties to recognise that wider participation from national civil society in the UNCAC review process and promoting transparency in the UNCAC IRM are fundamental to fighting corruption. A report by the UNCAC Coalition in 2021/22 showed that despite the Convention’s emphasis on civil society participation through Article 13, the principle of inclusiveness has not been consistently applied in the review mechanism process.

We are collectively calling on States Parties to expand the role of civil society in the fight against corruption, including in line with the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) Political Declaration that contains a commitment to promote the active participation of individuals and groups outside the public sector, such as civil society, non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations and the private sector, in the prevention of and the fight against corruption and to raise public awareness. Enhancing transparency benefits citizens and societies and is the foundation on which effective anti-corruption efforts are built. We believe it is a vital aspect of ensuring effective accountability regarding implementation of the Convention.

The IRM is an essential, truly invaluable tool in the fight against corruption and we see these commitments as crucial steps for enhancing transparency and ensuring that the review process can better identify how States Parties can improve their efforts to fight corruption.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 December 2023.

The UK and US have announced new sanctions on the leaders and financiers of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

• UK and US target leaders and financiers of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) with new sanctions in fresh clampdown on terror groups
• Coordinated sanctions aim to isolate Hamas through freezing assets and imposing travel bans
• Foreign Secretary has committed to disrupting acts of terror and ensuring “Hamas has no future in Gaza”.

The UK has sanctioned seven further individuals linked to Hamas, to counter the ongoing threat posed by the terror organisation, cut off its access to finances and impose fresh travel restrictions on individuals linked to the group to disrupt its operations.

Today’s move, coordinated with the United States, is the UK’s second round of targeted sanctions imposed on figures associated with Hamas since the October 7 attacks on Israel.

Mahmoud Zahar, Hamas’ co-founder, is among those targeted in today’s sanctions. Also targeted is Ali Baraka, Hamas’s Head of External Relations, who has publicly defended the October 7 attacks and sought to justify the taking of hostages.

Those being sanctioned today include a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a terror organisation which was also involved in the October 7 attacks.

The sanctions target key figures in the network that has financed Hamas, including individuals in Lebanon and Algeria. These stringent measures show that individuals linked to Hamas will not be able to escape accountability, even if they are operating from outside of Gaza.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron said:

Hamas can have no future in Gaza. Today’s sanctions on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad will continue to cut off their access to funding and isolate them further.

We will continue to work with partners to reach a long-term political solution so that Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace.

Those now subject to UK travel bans and asset freezes include:

• Mahmoud Zahar – a Gaza-based Hamas leader and co-founder
• Ali Baraka – the Lebanon-based Head of External Relations for Hamas
• Maher Obeid – a political leader who has held senior positions in Hamas
• Akram al-Ajouri – the Syria-based Deputy Secretary General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Leader of the Al-Quds Brigades, PIJ’s military wing
• Khaled Chouman and Rida Ali Khamis – who have channelled funds to Hamas through their Lebanon-based currency exchanges
• Aiman Ahmad Al Duwaik – an Algeria-based financier for Hamas who has helped run the organisation’s overseas investment portfolio

The UK and the US stand united in their solidarity with Israel and its fight against Hamas, while being clear their actions must be in line with International Humanitarian Law. We continue to support efforts to prevent a regional escalation of the conflict and allow crucial humanitarian aid access to Gaza.

The Foreign Secretary recently visited the region, where he announced the UK would give a further £30m in humanitarian aid to the United Nations and other agencies on the ground. This will provide shelters, blankets, food and medicine to civilians in Gaza.

The UK has already sent 51 tonnes of lifesaving aid to the region and doubled its funding commitment to the Occupied Palestinian Territories this year.

Membership and expressing support for Hamas is an illegal act in the UK, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Dozens of countries, including the United Kingdom and United States, as well as the European Union, have designated it a terrorist group.

Today’s announcement follows sanctions put in place by the UK last month, which targeted Hamas’ political leader in Gaza, along with other top-ranking officials and financiers. Sanctions form part of a wider tranche of measures aimed at disrupting the group’s acts of terror, including the recently announced international taskforce set up to enable the UK and partners to share financial intelligence.

Further information:

• Hamas and PIJ themselves are already sanctioned by the UK, and are subject to an asset freeze and arms embargo.
• For further information on previous Hamas member sanctioned, please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-and-us-hit-hamas-leadership-with-targeted-sanctions