Tag: 2023

Thank you Mr President, and thank you, Foreign Minister Osmani, for your briefing.

For almost 50 years, the OSCE has played a vital role in promoting peace, stability and security in Europe, and it remains a critical institution for European and Euro-Atlantic security.

During a challenging period for multilateralism, we welcome the positive role played by the OSCE in supporting the Security Council on international peace and security.

I will highlight 3 areas in particular:

First, the vital contribution of OSCE through its autonomous institutions, including the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, and its field missions in Central Asia, the Western Balkans and Moldova. We also strongly support OSCE efforts to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflicts in Georgia, Moldova and Nagorno-Karabakh.

Second, the OSCE’s work across all dimensions underpins our common security and prosperity. This includes its actions on economic development, environmental protection and climate change, which have our full support.

And finally, we welcome the OSCE’s ongoing work through the Moscow Mechanism to expose violations and abuses of international humanitarian and human rights law. This includes reporting on the brutal crackdown on political and media freedoms in Belarus and holding Russia to account for its actions in Ukraine.

Mr President, when Russia launched its unprovoked, full-scale invasion against Ukraine in February 2022, it transgressed all of the OSCE’s core principles – sovereignty; respect for territorial integrity; inviolability of borders; and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

The publication today of the OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism report on the deportation of Ukrainian children once again highlights the immense suffering caused by Russia’s war.

It outlines the grave human rights violations and abuses Russia has committed and supports growing evidence that several thousand Ukrainian children have been removed from their families, friends and homes, and forcibly transferred out of the country.

In these times of crisis, we need functioning and effective regional organisations to address shared problems and uphold the principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. The OSCE has an important role to play. But, to fulfil this role, it relies on participating States fulfilling their commitments.

Instead, Russia is choosing to obstruct the Organisation. It does so by delaying key decisions on its budget, blocking leadership appointments and frustrating the work of its human rights institutions. We urge all 57 OSCE participating States, including Russia, to support the Organisation and ensure it is fully functional and adequately funded to deliver on its important work.

The United Kingdom remains steadfast in our appreciation for the work of the OSCE and our support for North Macedonia’s Chairmanship.

• Defence sector continues to show growth in employment across the UK, delivering on the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the UK economy.
• Defence activity showed resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, with defence turnover growing by 2.1% in the surveyed companies.
• Approximately 130,000 indirect jobs supported by the Defence Growth Partnership companies in the UK supply chain in 2021, with many in highly-skilled roles.
• High wages with 8.2% wage growth since 2020 in the surveyed companies.

Delivering on one of the Prime Minister’s key priorities, the Defence industry has been recognised as a key contributor to the UK economy, with jobs, businesses and exports being boosted, a new report has detailed today.

Building on the inaugural Joint Economic Data Hub (JEDHub) report published last year, this year’s report highlights several insights, including the important contribution international business makes supporting UK defence turnover, with around 40% of defence turnover in surveyed companies coming from international sources in 2021.

Continuing to show significant growth in employment, the report also highlights that, despite wider manufacturing contractions, there has been a 3.5% growth in surveyed defence full-time employees from 2020, also showing how the sector is driving demand for high productivity, highly skilled and high wage jobs across the UK.

The report found that 130,000 indirect jobs were supported in the UK supply chain by the 11 Defence Growth Partnership (DGP) companies in 2021, with a quarter of new recruits made up of apprentices and graduates in 2021.

Additionally, of the companies surveyed, 45% of the roles were in STEM-related employment and over 25% of activity was in Research and Development, contributing to future skills, technologies and defence capabilities.

Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge said:

This second JEDHub report provides new insights into how the defence sector continues to contribute to the economic wellbeing of communities right across the UK, including through high-paying jobs.

I am delighted that industry and government are continuing to work together in helping us grow our understanding of that vital contribution.

The report recognised high average wages in the sector, with an 8.2% growth on 2020; and provides greater insights on skills, apprenticeships and graduates, the defence supply-chain and defence capabilities.

The report also shows a significant level of activity across each of the lifecycle activities, contributing to a diverse skill-set, with the growth in R&D activity contributing to future skills, technologies and defence capabilities. 7.9% of surveyed defence employment is made up of trainees on apprenticeship and graduate trainee programmes, with growing investment in trainee programmes in the defence sector ensuring future skills availability.

This report draws on the results of a JEDHub industry survey as well as data from other sources, including the Office for National Statistics. Based at the UK Defence Solutions Centre (UKDSC), the JEDHub is a collaborative initiative, supported by government, industry and academia to improve understanding of the defence sector’s contribution to the UK economy, and was an important deliverable of the 2021 Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS).

Chief Executive of ADS, Kevin Craven, said:

The second JEDHub report highlights how the strong and agile UK defence sector continues to grow as global threats and volatility increase in a challenging geopolitical environment.

The ability to use impartial and objective statistics and data to identify the strengths of the UK defence sector are essential for its future success.

The JEDHub project is another example of successful Government and industry collaboration which is essential to strengthen UK capability. We look forward to timely projects including on international alliances and programmes such as AUKUS and GCAP which exemplify the UK’s enduring commitment to supporting global defence and security.

The latest JEDHub Annual Economic Report builds on the success of last year’s report and an all-new industry survey, providing a detailed picture of the UK defence sector in 2021.

This year’s report captures economic data in 2020 and 2021, which includes the period during the COVID-19 pandemic which will have uniquely impacted key metrics such as recruitment and turnover.

Mr Chairperson, I am delivering this statement on behalf of 45 participating States: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union member states.

Being gravely concerned by the continuing impacts of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, in particular on the civilian population, including children, our delegations invoked the Moscow Mechanism on 30 March 2023. We requested ODIHR to inquire of Ukraine whether it would invite a mission of experts to ‘establish the facts and circumstances surrounding:

• possible contraventions of relevant OSCE commitments
• violations and abuses of human rights, and violations of International Humanitarian Law and international human rights law
• as well as possible cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity

associated with or resulting from the forcible transfer of children within parts of Ukraine’s territory temporarily controlled or occupied by Russia and/or their deportation to the Russian Federation.’

We are very grateful to the Moscow Mechanism rapporteurs, Professor Bilkova, Dr Hellestveit and Dr Šteinerte, for producing such a thorough and professional report. While we are still reviewing the report in detail, it is clear that the mission’s findings confirmed our serious cause for concern.

The report states that while the Mission has not been able to establish the exact number of deported or transferred children, ‘it is clear that these numbers are measured in several thousands’. The total number may be much higher still, as ‘both the Russian Federation and Ukraine indicate figures amounting to hundreds of thousands of children’.

Further, the report states ‘non-consensual evacuations, transfers and prolonged displacement of Ukrainian children constitute violations of International Humanitarian Law, and in certain cases amount to grave breaches of the Geneva Convention IV and war crimes’. The rapporteurs are of the understanding that ‘it is common procedure to separate parents and children at filtration points’ that have been ‘established by the Russian occupational authorities’, a practice that we are particularly appalled by.

The Mission states that it ‘has been able to establish with certainty that by and large the deportation of children cannot be qualified as voluntary’. Worryingly, the rapporteurs concluded that ‘the practice of the forcible transfer and/or deportation of Ukrainian children to the temporarily occupied territories and to the territory of the Russian Federation may amount to a crime against humanity’.

What is more, the Mission found that ‘numerous and overlapping violations of the rights of the children deported to the Russian Federation have taken place’, including denying ‘their right to identity, their right to family, their right to unite with their family’. The rapporteurs conclude that Russia has ‘manifestly violated the best interests of these children repeatedly’.

Finally, the Mission states that far from adhering to its obligation under International Humanitarian Law to facilitate the return of children, Russia ‘creates various obstacles for families seeking to get their children back’. This constitutes ‘a violation of the Geneva Conventions that exacerbates the gravity of other violations’.

Mr Chairperson, OSCE participating States have committed ‘to actively promote children’s rights and interests, especially in conflict and post-conflict situations’ (Istanbul 1999). Children are among the most vulnerable in times of war and require special attention and safeguarding. It is clear from the report that Ukrainian children have been left without this safeguarding. To the Russian Federation, we would like to highlight the following recommendations from the report:

• to immediately cease the practices of forcible transfer of Ukraine’s children within temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and/or their forcible deportation to the Russian Federation
• without delay provide comprehensive lists of the names and whereabouts of all children who have been forcibly transferred or deported
• establish appropriate procedures for and actively assist family reunifications of all children who have been forcibly transferred or deported from Ukraine
• immediately cease the current practice of expedited admission into the Russian citizenship of Ukrainians, especially children

We, the invoking states, take note of the Mission’s recommendation to other states and the international community and encourage all other participating States to do the same. Recommendations include supporting Ukraine to locate children who have been forcibly transferred or deported, with a view to enable their return.

Mr Chairperson, this report is clear. Russia must return the children of Ukraine, to Ukraine, now.

Thank you, Mr Chair. Last week, in this room, the Russian Federation argued that it wants to see peace in Ukraine. We heard the Russian representative talk of “missed diplomatic opportunities” being measured in human lives and suffering. But let us be clear, Russia showed us clearly in the run up to the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that it was not serious about engaging in diplomacy – it was focused only on deceit and furthering its territorial ambitions. And since then, Russia has shown us – week in and week out – that it is not serious about peace.

No-one wants peace more than Ukraine. Innocent Ukrainian people, who last Friday woke to the sound of missiles striking Uman and Dnipro. In Uman, six children were reported to be amongst those killed when Russian missiles hit a high-rise residential building. This was the first major wave of cruise missile strikes against Ukraine since early March, and followed drone strikes across several cities, including Kyiv and Odesa, in April, and further missile strikes affecting civilian infrastructure and residential areas in Kharkiv. This – the true face of Russia’s war effort – shows us that the Russian leadership is simply not serious about peace.

If Russia wanted peace, it would not be bombing Ukraine’s civilian population. Russia would not be targeting Ukraine’s critical civilian infrastructure, including power generation and hospitals. Russia would not have illegally seized control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, subjecting its staff to horrific treatment, and increasing the risk of a nuclear incident which could threaten citizens of Ukraine and neighbouring countries. And certainly, as satellite imagery has revealed, Russia would not have constructed fighting positions on the Plant’s nuclear reactors. If Russia was serious about peace, it would withdraw all military personnel and equipment from the Plant, ensure its safe operation and return full control to its rightful owner – Ukraine.

If Russia was serious about peace, it would demonstrate its commitment to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has helped stabilise global food prices and alleviated a global food crisis severely exacerbated by Russia’s illegal war. Russia would stop using food as a weapon, by stopping threats to unilaterally leave the initiative and agree to a more sustainable, stable deal and unhindered inspections of those vessels waiting to join.

If Russia wanted a peaceful end to this war, it would cease the campaign of disinformation that it has peddled since the run-up to the full-scale invasion. It is clear that Russia aims to sow discord, obfuscate its responsibility for actions in Ukraine, and pin blame on the West and Ukraine’s partners. In this forum, and others, the UK will continue to call out Russia’s lies to ensure the world knows the true motives behind this illegal invasion.

In closing, Mr Chair, when Russia is serious about an end to its war, it must immediately cease attacks against Ukraine – including harming both critical national infrastructure and innocent civilians – and withdraw its forces from the entire territory of Ukraine. As long as Russia’s aggression persists, the United Kingdom will seize every opportunity to put pressure on Russia to stop its barbaric war, to expose Russia’s lies and to support Ukraine to protect and defend Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Thank you.