Tag: 2024

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 July 2024.

Remarks of HMA to the DRC, Alyson King, at the Residence of the British Consular Agent in Bukavu on 2 July 2024.

Dear Partners and friends from Great Britain,

Good evening.

I can’t begin my speech this evening without thanking our host, the Honorary Consul of Great Britain, Mr Ketan Kotecha, for welcoming us to his magnificent residence, giving us an opportunity to meet (some of us for the first time) while admiring the beauty of the city of Bukavu, a city I’m visiting for the first time and certainly not the last.

Bukavu is the capital of the province of South Kivu, a province that was once ravaged by repeated conflicts, but which has recently, thanks to the efforts of all concerned, but mainly thanks to its hard-working and resilient population, been able to get through the most difficult times and begin its march towards stability. Admittedly, there are still a few pockets of instability, which in the near future, with everyone’s help, will find peace.

South Kivu is going through a crucial period, notably with the disengagement of MONUSCO, which does not mean abandonment by the United Nations system, and even less so by the International Community, but also by a new political era following last year’s elections, which brought new life and new authorities at the head of the province. We wish them a fruitful mandate in the service of the population’s well-being.

I’m also here this week for a special purpose: to support the visit of surgeons and clinicians from Swansea University and University College London, who are collaborating with Panzi Hospital and the Scar Free Foundation on a potentially revolutionary initiative in the field of VVF. Their work alongside Dr Mukwege’s wonderful team at Panzi Hospital during my visit today has been inspiring, and I pay particular tribute to Professors Ian Whitaker and Sohier Elneil and their colleagues for their work. Sexual violence is one of the most horrific consequences of this conflict, but this initiative brings hope to the victims.

We are optimistic that these changes in the province will bring hope with the support of all parties, including the technical and financial partners of South Kivu Province and the DRC in general. Finally, this is an opportunity for me to reaffirm Great Britain’s friendship for the DRC and its people, and our commitment to working in support of the authorities and non-governmental organisations to meet the different challenges in the province and the country.

Many thanks to all of you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 July 2024.

His Majesty’s Ambassador to the DRC, Alyson King, gave a speech at the UK House Goma, on 3 July 2024.

Your Excellency the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations,

Bishop of Goma,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Karibu Sana,

Bienvenue,

Welcome.

This should have been a happier occasion. I couldn’t wait to be back in Eastern DRC, to welcome you all to the British Embassy office in Goma, along with our wonderful team, Jon, Magnus, Lucien, Diane and Christian, and to thank you for your friendship, partnership and support. That’s what I’m going to do. But first I must say a few words about the current situation and recent events.

With the latest M23 advances in Kanyabayonga, many of you here tonight have colleagues who have been trapped by the fighting, living under intense pressure and fear. On Monday, we heard the terrible news that a five-vehicle humanitarian convoy carrying Tearfund staff had been attacked, the vehicles burned and two colleagues killed. I know that many of you here tonight have been involved in the evacuation efforts of other colleagues, and that you are tired, grieving, worried for your colleagues and the communities left behind.

Humanitarian workers, like the civilian populations you serve, are not supposed to be a target in conflict. But the reality is that you are, and so are they. So, I want to pay tribute to your courage, and allow us to take a moment to honour those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in serving their fellow human beings, and to remember all the victims of conflict.  May I invite everyone to remain silent for a moment.

Thank you. I would like to assure everyone here that the UK will continue to be committed to the search for the lasting peace that the people of the eastern DRC deserve. The UK has had a permanent presence here for over twelve years, and the team here is working hard, day after day, to represent the UK in eastern DRC.

Ladies and gentlemen, despite the difficult times, it’s a pleasure to be back. Goma is a dynamic, creative and proud city, brimming with ideas and resources, full of music, art and enterprise, people doing impressive things in difficult circumstances. It’s also a place of incredible beauty, set between the great Nyiragongo volcano and Lake Kivu. I always look forward to spending time in Goma and always return to Kinshasa with a suitcase full of coffee, a little jealous of Goma’s spectacular scenery and indomitable spirit.

I also had the privilege of visiting Bukavu this week, seeing the “mother of the Kivus” and meeting many of South Kivu’s community and political leaders, business people and local and international partners. On my way back by boat at dawn this morning, as the sun rose over the island of Idjwi, I wondered if there was any place more beautiful than Lake Kivu.

As you all know, the last few months have been marked by an escalation of the conflict that has inflicted terrible suffering on civilians. Tomorrow, I’m going to meet some of the people most affected by the war and learn more about their experiences and needs. While I am always humbled by the resilience of displaced populations, I expect to hear hard messages about how hard life is, and why all of us with influence must step up our efforts for peace with greater urgency.

I am proud that the UK is standing alongside other donors in responding to this humanitarian crisis. We have committed one hundred and twenty million dollars in humanitarian aid over three years as part of its humanitarian and recovery programs. With this aid, we are providing short-term emergency relief by funding the SAFER consortium, the Red Cross, UNICEF and the World Food Programme, and we are also working to reduce future crises through the EAST consortium (Enabling Affected Communities to Survive and Thrive).

To be entrusted with positions of responsibility at a time when so much is at stake is an enormous responsibility in any part of the world. We are all called upon to do everything in our power to bring the conflict to an end as quickly as possible, and to work with compassion and determination. When I see you, I see a dedicated and passionate community, whether frontline humanitarians, government leaders, conflict analysts, civil society leaders, UN agencies, diplomats, security professionals or human rights defenders.

I would particularly like to congratulate:

MONUSCO’s DSRSG, Vivian van de Perre, for her obvious passion and influence from the outset of her mandate, and Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator, Suzanna Tkalec, for her leadership of the humanitarian community in the East.

In addition to our team in Goma, I would also like to thank our wonderful catering team, musicians, decorators and house staff for tonight’s event. I’d also like to thank the sponsors who made this evening possible:

• Socimex
• Rawbank
• Vodacom
• Médecins de Nuit
• UTEX
• Maison Castel
• Brasimba

Everyone here has a difficult, if not impossible, job, but we all have a reason to exist. Take advantage of this evening to talk to other people who have a reason to be here in North Kivu. We’re not alone, and together we can do more and better with and for the people of eastern DRC.

Given that his photo is in the garden this evening, and that it was the DRC’s national holiday this week, perhaps I can share with you the words of His Majesty the King’s message to President Tshisekedi to mark the occasion. He said:

As you and the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo celebrate the special occasion of your Independence Day, it gives my wife and I great pleasure to convey our sincere congratulations to Your Excellency and to the Congolese people.

I value the ties that bind our two nations, and hope that our countries can continue to work closely together on important global issues, from peace and prosperity to the environment and climate change, which will benefit our future generations for many years to come.

My wife and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and all the Congolese people the very best for the coming year.

I invite you to join me in a toast to His Majesty the King.

All that remains is for me to say:

Karibu pia mangaribi njema kwa wote (Welcome and have a nice evening).

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 July 2024.

Ambassador Holland thanks the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities for his work and urges continued prioritisation of support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Thank you, Madam Chair. High Commissioner, dear Kairat, welcome back to the Permanent Council. And thank you for your report today – your final one in this capacity.

The UK is a strong supporter of your mandate, and of your team’s work in promoting human rights for all, specifically those belonging to national minorities across the OSCE region. This is a crucial aspect at all stages of the conflict cycle, from conflict prevention to peaceful resolution.

It is difficult to start my statement anywhere other than Ukraine. We welcome your ongoing prioritisation of this work. Civilians in Ukraine must be protected from Russia’s ongoing aggression, including national minorities. As we know, minority rights formed a part of Russia’s fabricated pretext for its illegal invasion; the fact that those same national minorities suffer so gravely at Russia’s hands is an awful irony.

We reiterate the importance of your office’s continued focus on the situation in the areas of Ukraine’s sovereign territory temporarily under Russian control. In our statement to the Permanent Council last week we reported on Russia’s systematic attempt to erase Ukrainian identity in these areas, including forced passportisation and the deportation of children. The deeply concerning situation in Crimea has been well documented by numerous independent organisations. Last month the European Court of Human Rights found Russia guilty of systemic violations of human rights in the territory, including widescale repression against Crimean Tatars.

We wholeheartedly agree with your assessment that respect for the fundamental norms and principles that our predecessors agreed half a century ago is critical to the future of the OSCE. It was in this spirit that leaders gathered in Switzerland last month to agree the path to a sustainable peace in Ukraine, based on the UN Charter. The quickest path to peace would be for President Putin to withdraw all Russian troops illegally present in Ukraine and end its aggression against its neighbour.

High Commissioner, we commend your work across the OSCE region – including in Georgia, Moldova, and Central Asia – where participating States have made use of legislation, education, language, and dialogue to improve cohesion and representation for different national minorities.

The UK greatly values your Office’s work looking at the intersectionality of gender and national minorities. It is in all of our interests that we fully support women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in all aspects of public life, including in peace and security. It is reassuring to know that your Office also recognises the value and importance of this. We would be in favour of further initiatives which promote gender mainstreaming, and look forward to reports of future progress in this important area.

High Commissioner, the UK is a strong supporter of your institution. We thank you – and your dedicated team – for all of your work during your tenure, and in particular your agreement at the end of last year to continue in the role at such short notice. We wish you well in whatever comes next. Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 July 2024.

Ms Josephine Gauld LVO has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Sierra Leone.

Ms Josephine Gauld LVO has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Sierra Leone in succession to Ms Lisa Chesney MBE, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Ms Gauld will take up her appointment during September 2024.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Josephine Lucy Louisa Gauld

Year	Role
2021 to present	Nairobi, Deputy High Commissioner and Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN Habitat
2016 to 2020	Abidjan, Her Majesty’s Ambassador
2014 to 2016	Strasbourg, Ecole Nationale d’Administration
2012 to 2014	Abuja, Deputy Head of Chancery
2009 to 2012	FCO, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate
2007 to 2009	Abidjan, First Secretary
2004 to 2007	Kinshasa, Second Secretary Political and Economic
2002 to 2003	FCO, EU External Department
2002	Joined FCO
1997 to 2002	British Council

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 July 2024.

The UK and G7 partners gave a joint statement condemning recent Israeli expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the EU, join the UN and the European Union in condemning the announcement by Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich that 5 outposts are to be legalised in the West Bank.

We also reject the decision by the Government of Israel to declare over 1,270 hectares of land in the West Bank as ‘state lands’ – the largest such declaration of state land since the Oslo Accords – and the decision to expand existing settlements in the occupied West Bank by 5,295 new housing units and to establish 3 new settlements. The Government of Israel’s settlement program is inconsistent with international law, and counterproductive to the cause of peace.

We reaffirm our commitment to a lasting and sustainable peace in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, on the basis of the two-state solution. We have therefore consistently expressed our opposition to the expansion of settlements and, as in previous cases, we urge the Government of Israel to reverse this decision.

Further, maintaining economic stability in the West Bank is critical for regional security.  In this context, we take note of the latest transfers of parts of the clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority, but we urge Israel to release all withheld clearance revenues in accordance with the Paris Protocols, remove or relax measures that exacerbate the economic situation in the West Bank, and to take the necessary measures to ensure that correspondent banking services between Israeli and Palestinian banks remain in place with proper controls.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 July 2024.

Statement by UK Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Colombia.

President Petro, first let me thank you and all our interlocutors in Colombia for hosting the Security Council’s very valuable visit in February. We welcome your continued commitment to full implementation of the 2016 Agreement and to build sustainable peace in Colombia. The next two years of your Government will be critical. So we thank you for you report and your update on your fast track proposals.

The 2016 Agreement is a blueprint to transform Colombia and its territories which requires a whole of society effort. Now is the time to build consensus and accelerate efforts across all three pillars. We welcome the reinvigoration of high-level coordination mechanisms of the Agreement and we urge collective action between the Government and the State entities to demonstrate that commitment to peace delivers for all Colombians.

We welcome Colombia’s continued focus on addressing the root causes of conflict. We remain concerned about persistent levels of violence and threats, particularly in Cauca, Valle del Cauca, and Caquetá, and reports that areas for training and reintegration are closing due to insecurity. We strongly condemn the targeting of peace signatories, of human rights defenders, women and social leaders and indigenous communities. We call on Colombia to ensure their safety and security, as well as bringing the perpetrators to justice. We encourage Colombia to use the security guarantee mechanisms established in the Agreement and we look forward to the implementation of the public policy to dismantle illegal armed groups.

As you take forward building peace through dialogue, civil society participation is essential. We welcome the agreement with the ELN on the 25 May for their inclusion in the process. We also call upon the ELN to re-commit to ending the use of kidnapping and take concrete steps to protect communities. We note the recent divisions within the so-called EMC. And we welcome and recognise that some entities remain committed to the ceasefire. We call upon the EMC to refrain from violence and demonstrate their commitment to peace through dialogue.

President Petro, SRSG Ruiz Massieu, members of the Council, the United Kingdom will continue to partner and support Colombia along its path to sustainable peace. Now is the time to drive forward implementation to achieve lasting change.