Tag: 2023

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 January 2023.

The UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO in Geneva gave a statement during Dominican Republic’s fifth WTO Trade Policy Review (TPR).

Madame Chair,

Let me thank the Government of the Dominican Republic and the WTO Secretariat for their Reports and welcome the typically insightful comments of our most distinguished Chair and also our Discussant, Ambassador PAGÁN, Ambassador of the United States of America, fresh from her own nation’s TPR.

Let me start by saying, we commend the Dominican Republic on their GDP growth rates between 2014-2019, exceeding the historical average at 6.2% and that we appreciate the Dominican Republic’s responses to our 18 Advance Written Questions. We were interested to know more about customs procedures, import measures in particular tax stamps, technical requirements, and single investment windows. These highlight the granular interest which we and British companies place in effective trading relations with the Dominican Republic. As with other Members, we also raised questions regarding the agriculture sector, in particular exemptions for import licenses.

The Secretariat’s Report for this TPR indicates that over the review period, the Dominican Republic’s economy had a remarkable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a contraction in GDP of almost 7% in 2020 followed by growth of over 12% in 2021.

We were also pleased to note the shift towards sustainable agriculture practices during the review period and how these practices have contributed towards increased food security, rural jobs, and agricultural exports. The UK is keen to hear more about developments within Dominican Republic’s agriculture, health and safety system.

However, as the Secretariat Report also identifies, since their last review, where Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures were deemed unfit there has not been much marked progress, as there is still no centralized mechanism for the preparation of SPS measures. We therefore encourage the Dominican Republic to pay particular attention to these key areas.

We are grateful to the Government of the Dominican Republic for being one of the first countries to ratify the CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement in April 2019. The UK appreciates Dominican Republic’s continued collaboration in the implementation of the CARIFORUM-UK Agreement and we look forward to working together to fully implement all areas of the agreement.

The first meeting of the Partnership’s Trade and Development Committee was held in October 2021, which was an opportunity for parties to provide updates on relevant trade policy developments in the United Kingdom and in the Caribbean region, and to reaffirm their desire for a prompt ratification of the Agreement.

We also discussed matters of joint interest including tariff liberalisation, trade in Goods & Services, and Geographical Indications. The parties noted with satisfaction that the Agreement had secured continuity of a trading relationship worth almost £4 billion in 2021 and expressed their wish to further develop sustainable and inclusive trade.

Turning to exogenous challenges, Members representing Small Island Developing States and Small Vulnerable Economies rightly highlight the increasing threat presented by extreme climactic events.

According to an ongoing research programme by the EU’s Global Climate Change Alliance Plus Initiative, the Dominican Republic is the 11th most vulnerable country to climate change in the world. In a region of intense cyclonic activity, the Dominican Republic is one of the WTO Members most threatened by hydrometeorological events. The impact of these extreme events has provoked economic losses in the order of almost $10 billion, not to mention the impact on human and natural life.

Relatedly, Global Supply Chains, the bedrock of free and fair trade and the conduit to its benefits are also increasingly threatened by extreme weather, from damaged infrastructure to disrupted logistics and the rippling knock-on effects. It’s a reminder that, as a Membership, we must accelerate efforts to modernise the international trading environment, such as through harmonised standards and digitised customs procedures.

We recognise the challenge for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to diversify considering their vulnerability to external shocks and the impacts of climate change and natural disasters. Indeed, SIDS are important partners for the UK. In our International Development Strategy, we set out our vision that SIDS will be more climate and economically resilient by 2030. And we salute the constructive role played by the Dominican Republic in representing the interests of SIDS in a whole range of multilateral fora, in Geneva and beyond.

Just last month, alongside Canada and the Alliance of Small Island Sates, we launched the Principles for Improved Aid Impact in SIDS at the Effective Development Cooperation Summit here in Geneva. We hope that the Principles will be a useful tool in improving the quality of aid and ensuring that development partners align with SIDS’ own priorities.

We look forward to working with the international community to drive action on SIDS climate and economic resilience ahead of the pivotal UN SIDS Summit next year. The UK is committed to delivering the promises of the Glasgow Climate Pact, including action on the scale of finance, considering vulnerability in our finance decisions, and addressing loss and damage.

Chair, to conclude, we wish our colleagues from the Dominican Republic well and a successful 5th Trade Policy Review. Thank you, Ambassador.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 January 2023.

The UK’s International Ambassador for Human Rights gave a statement during Guatemala’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the Human Rights Council.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 January 2023.

The UK’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva gave a statement during Peru’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the Human Rights Council.

Thank you, Mr President,

The United Kingdom welcomes the commitment of the new President of Peru to unity, inclusion and dialogue, and the bid made last year to join this Council in 2024-26.

However, we are concerned about reports of abuses by the police and armed forces during the recent protests in Peru. We call on the Government of Peru to intensify its efforts to ensure a proportional and legal response to protests, and the protection of human rights, even in the face of violence, vandalism and attacks, which are unacceptable and have no place in peaceful protest.

We continue to urge immediate and impartial investigations into allegations of abuses and disproportionate action. We ask that the Government of Peru takes swift action to build confidence by demonstrating that anyone responsible will be held accountable. We welcome the visit of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and work of the OHCHR. The United Kingdom stands with the people of Peru in support of their democracy.

We recommend that Peru:

1. Adopt regulatory measures to grant women and girls access to safe and legal abortion, especially on health grounds and for victims of rape.
2. Strengthen multiagency actions aimed at preventing and eradicating gender-based violence, including through capacity building for public servants providing services and justice for survivors of gender-based violence.
3. Strengthen institutional capacity to ensure the protection of Human Rights Defenders living in indigenous communities, especially through the Ministry of Interior.

Thank you, Mr President.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 January 2023.

The UK’s International Ambassador for Human Rights gave a statement during Argentina’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the Human Rights Council.

Thank you, Mr President,

I wish to thank Argentina for its invaluable contribution to the work of this Council through the recent stewardship of H.E. Ambassador Federico Villegas.

The United Kingdom welcomes the adoption of Law 27.610 on the voluntary termination of pregnancy and encourages the Government to pursue its full implementation.

We also commend the current Bill on a comprehensive approach to institutional violence in law enforcement. Accountability mechanisms are essential as we remain concerned by excessive use of force and arbitrary detentions.

We recommend that Argentina:

1. Work across the political spectrum to appoint an ombudsperson and fill other vacant important posts in the justice system without delay;
2. Systematically collect disaggregated data on any cases of human rights violations by law enforcement officials;
3. Strengthen healthcare services at all levels to meet the demand for sexual and reproductive healthcare, including access to abortions, in line with Law 27.610.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 January 2023.

The UK’s International Ambassador for Human Rights gave a statement during the Czech Republic’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the Human Rights Council.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 January 2023.

New report from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirms Assad’s regime responsible for 2018 Douma attack.

The Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia, UN and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has condemned the Assad regime for its use of chemical weapons following the publication of a report by the OPCW which determined that the Syrian Arab Armed Forces used chlorine as a chemical weapon in an attack on Douma in April 2018.

Minister for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, responded to the report:

Today’s report from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons provides compelling evidence that this heinous chemical weapons attack in Syria was carried out by the Assad regime against its own people.

We share the OPCW’s assessment on Bashar al-Assad and his regime’s culpability and commend their resilience, professionalism and expert independent analysis in the face of desperate attempts by Syria and Russia to block this investigation.

We remember the victims of the Douma attack and remain committed to pursuing the justice they deserve. We are steadfast in our commitment to holding all those who use chemical weapons to account.

This is the third report by the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) into chemical weapons attacks in Syria. Following a lengthy and meticulous investigation and despite Syria’s attempts to block investigation, the OPCW report has concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Syrian Arab Air Forces were the perpetrators of the chemical weapons attack on 7 April 2018 in Douma, Syrian Arab Republic.

Previous reports from the IIT had found the Assad regime responsible for carrying out three separate attacks with sarin and chlorine in Ltamenah in March 2017 and using chlorine in Saraqib in February 2018. Both are prohibited under international law.

The United Kingdom is determined to identify those responsible for chemical weapons attacks and hold them to account. Following the attack in 2018, the UK and allies identified that a significant body of information indicated the Syrian regime’s responsibility for the attack.

The UK, France and the US also carried out a limited and targeted strike to degrade and deter the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime. We are clear that we will not allow the use of chemical weapons to be normalised and remain firm in our resolve to respond appropriately.

The OPCW’s meticulous investigations have now confirmed the UK’s assessment that the Assad regime was responsible. The UK fully supports the OPCW’s investigations.

The OPCW membership has suspended Syria’s voting rights and privileges in the OPCW until it complies with its chemical weapons obligations. Syria must fully declare and destroy all aspects of its chemical weapons programme.