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Tag: 2024

  • PRESS RELEASE : DHSC Second Permanent Secretary appointed [September 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : DHSC Second Permanent Secretary appointed [September 2024]

    The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 10 September 2024.

    The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced the appointment of Tom Riordan to the role of Second Permanent Secretary. The appointment has been made with the approval of the Prime Minister.

    Tom brings his 14-year experience as Chief Executive of Leeds City Council to the role, where he oversaw reforms to integrate health and social care. This included prioritising preventative health measures and tackling health disparities to improve public health and protect the health system.

    Having also focused on health improvement – a key driver of growth – at Leeds City Council, Tom’s recruitment signals the government’s focus on health reform and the integration of health, social care and prevention.

    Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said:

    I am delighted to be welcoming Tom to this role. He is a proven public service reformer with extensive experience in health and social care system transformation and preventative healthcare. His experience will be invaluable as we deliver the mission of this government to build an NHS and social care system fit for the future.

    DHSC Permanent Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, said:

    Tom has a fantastic record in health reform, public service and local government, and I am delighted he will be bringing his expertise and leadership to the department. I very much look forward to welcoming him at the end of the month and working together to deliver on the government’s health mission.

    Tom Riordan said:

    I’m really excited to be joining the team at the department and coming back to the Civil Service where I started my career. There are few bigger challenges than health and social care, and not many bigger opportunities to make a positive difference to people. I’ll miss my brilliant colleagues and partners in Leeds, and in the local government family, and it’ll be great to be working in the city now as a stakeholder. I can’t wait to get started.

    The role of Second Permanent Secretary was held by Shona Dunn until June 2024.

    Tom will begin the role on 23 September 2024. The appointment follows an open recruitment competition overseen by the Civil Service Commission.

    Background information

    Tom has been the Chief Executive of Leeds City Council since 2010 during which time he led the regeneration of Leeds city centre and modernised services to improve children’s services and pioneer the Home First adult social care programme.

    Tom undertook a secondment to NHS Test and Trace in 2020. His earlier career included his role as Chief Executive of Yorkshire Forward between 2005 and 2010, and earlier roles in the Department for Environment.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Government action to tackle the ‘greatest employment challenge for a generation’ [September 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Government action to tackle the ‘greatest employment challenge for a generation’ [September 2024]

    The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 10 September 2024.

    Spiralling economic inactivity to be addressed as new Labour Market Advisory Board launched to advise government on getting Britain working again.

    • Hundreds of thousands more people out of work due to long-term sickness since the pandemic.
    • Experts on new board will help to shape government work ahead of groundbreaking White Paper this autumn.

    Experts advising government on how to tackle the ‘greatest employment challenge for a generation’ met with the Work and Pensions Secretary for the first time on Monday [9 September].

    The new Labour Market Advisory Board – appointed by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall MP – is made up of labour market experts from across business, industrial relations and academia.

    At its first meeting, members offered new approaches to shape government work on economic inactivity, tackling the root causes for people remaining out of work such as poor physical and mental health, and how the group can help the government reach its ambition of an 80 per cent employment rate.

    The Board will develop new ideas and initiatives for the Work and Pensions Secretary to consider as she sets about bringing down the levels of economic inactivity, with the UK being the only G7 country whose employment and inactivity rates haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, part of the dire inheritance left by the previous government.

    Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall MP, said:

    Spiralling inactivity is the greatest employment challenge for a generation, with a near record 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness.

    Addressing these challenges will take time, but we’re going to fix the foundations of the economy and tackle economic inactivity.

    The board’s knowledge, expertise and insight will help us to rebuild Britain as we deliver our growth mission, drive up opportunity and make every part of the country better off.

    As the Health Secretary Wes Streeting has previously set out, cutting NHS waiting lists will get Britain back to health and back to work. and the Board’s first meeting will examine the impact of ill-health on inactivity and how the Government can support more people into good work.

    Paul Gregg, Chair of the Labour Market Advisory Board said:

    Having studied the UK’s labour market across several decades, it is clear that the current labour market faces a deep-seated set of challenges.

    We have seen a sharp increase in economic inactivity and long-term sickness, most notably in our young people post-pandemic. Further, real wage growth has been heavily supressed for 15 years hitting living standards and government tax revenues. Reversing these trends will be key to ensuring the long-term prosperity of the UK’s labour market.

    I look forward to working with members of the board and the Secretary of State to support her vision for growth and examining positive solutions to address inactivity and harness the true potential of the UK’s labour market.

    The Secretary of State is also expected to outline her plans to devolve power to local areas so they can tackle inactivity with bespoke work, health, and skills plans, which are expected in a White Paper in the autumn.

    It will also include plans for a new youth guarantee for 18-21-year-olds, and the overhauling of jobcentres by merging them with the National Careers service.

    Board Members

    Member Organisation/ Institution
    Paul Gregg (Chair) Former Director of the Centre for Analysis of Social Policy at the University of Bath
    Steven Machin Professor of Economics and Director of the Centre for Economic Performance, LSE
    Lindsey Macmillian Professor of Economics, Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities
    Gavin Kelly Executive Chair, Resolution Foundation
    Anita Charlesworth Director of Research and Economics, Health Foundation
    Stuart McIntyre Professor of Economics, University of Strathclyde
    Ruby McGregor Smith House of Lords
    Nicola Smith Head of Rights, International, Social and Economics Department TUC

    Additional Information

    Inactivity levels and rates across the UK & regions as of 13/08/2024:

    Area Level (000s) Rate
    United Kingdom 9,410 22.0%
    Great Britain 9,090 22.0%
    England 7,756 21.6%
    North East 454 27.4%
    North West 1,112 23.6%
    Yorkshire and The Humber 862 25.0%
    East Midlands 616 20.1%
    West Midlands 875 23.5%
    East 851 21.7%
    London 1,263 20.7%
    South East 1,080 18.7%
    Wales 541 28.3%
    Scotland 793 23.1%
    Northern Ireland 319 27.1%
  • PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 57 – Core Group Statement on Sri Lanka [September 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 57 – Core Group Statement on Sri Lanka [September 2024]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 September 2024.

    Core Group statement on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. Delivered by the UK at the 57th Human Rights Council.

    Thank you Mr President,

    This statement is on behalf of  Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

    High Commissioner,

    We welcome your report on Sri Lanka.

    We share your concern about the impact on human rights and fundamental freedoms of several new or proposed laws. All legislation, including that relating to counter terrorism, online safety, and civil society must align with Sri Lanka’s human rights obligations.

    Civil society, journalists and  impacted  communities face sustained surveillance and harassment. We also are concerned about reports of arbitrary arrests and torture. We reiterate the need to promote and protect the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, including during memorialisation events.

    While we welcome the return of some military-held land to civilian control, we stress the importance of addressing land disputes in the north and east, which exacerbate inter-communal tensions and impact the ability of communities to freely practice their faith.

    As Sri Lanka approaches elections we urge the government to re-engage with the Human Rights Council process; to build a conducive environment for meaningful reconciliations and transitional justice; and to ensure mechanisms are independent, inclusive, transparent, and address the priorities of affected communities.

    We remain ready to support Sri Lanka in addressing these concerns.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 57 – UK Statement on Sri Lanka [September 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 57 – UK Statement on Sri Lanka [September 2024]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 September 2024.

    UK Statement for the Interactive dialogue on the report of OHCHR on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

    Thank you, Mr President.

    High Commissioner,

    The United Kingdom welcomes your report and shares your concern at the human rights trends that it highlights.

    Fifteen years since the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, there has been little to no accountability for conflict-era violations and abuses. The whereabouts of thousands of people who have disappeared in Sri Lanka remain unknown, causing ongoing anguish for their families. A comprehensive transitional justice process that carries the support of affected communities is more pressing than ever.

    We call for independent investigations into the violations highlighted in your report, including all reports of abductions, arbitrary detentions, torture, and enforced disappearances. The human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Sri Lankans must be respected.

    We remain concerned by the harassment of civil society, victim communities, and journalists, which undermines their vital role in national reconciliation and building a peaceful society in the future.

    We hope that following presidential and parliamentary elections, the government prioritises improving human rights including through building confidence and transitional justice processes. These should be impartial, independent, inclusive, transparent, and offer meaningful accountability.

    The United Kingdom stands ready to support Sri Lanka in addressing these challenges.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Yemi Hughes’s story – Knife Crime Summit [September 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Yemi Hughes’s story – Knife Crime Summit [September 2024]

    The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 9 September 2024.

    Yemi’s son Andre was fatally stabbed in 2016. Today she attended the first annual Knife Crime Summit at Downing Street.

    When your child falls down and grazes their knee, and they’re crying for you, you pick them up. You wash it off, you bandage it, and you kiss it better for them.

    But when Andre was stabbed, it was the first time that I couldn’t do anything.

    They wouldn’t let me near him, or see him, but everyone told me that he was calling for his mum.

    It was 2016 when I got a phone call from one of Andre’s friend’s mums, telling me someone had been stabbed. I had only just dropped him off at their house, but I could tell straight away that something was wrong by the tone of her voice. I kept asking her who it was as I got my shoes on.

    “They don’t know, but they’re saying it’s Andre.”

    I begged her to go and look. She didn’t want to, but I needed to know. Then she let out a scream that I’ll never forget. It went right through my body.

    I didn’t say anymore, I jumped in the car and drove to the house. It was a hot summer’s day and there were people everywhere, sitting on the grass. I saw the air ambulance and the cordoned off roads and ran down the length of the street to see the paramedics and police gathered. I didn’t know what to do, so we just waited.

    He didn’t die there, he died at the hospital.

    We’d been waiting so long for news when staff finally came and asked us what injuries he’d sustained that evening. All I could say was: “Is he dead? Is he gone?”

    When they said yes, the bottom dropped off my entire world.

    I knew I couldn’t crumble; I had to stay strong because I had to support my family – my mum and other children, but it was a real battle every day to hold everything together and keep going.

    Before his death, I didn’t fully realise the impact Andre had on his community. I always knew he was a protector – he loved his friends and family. But there was an outpouring of grief from those around him; people saying he stood up for them at school or protected them from being bullied. That was his nature.

    Andre was funny. Everybody loved him; he was the first boy in a family of girls, and he stole my mum’s heart. He didn’t take things too seriously. He was academic and learned quickly. He loved sport, music, and football. I feel very proud of him.

    I think that when you lose a child, everybody contacts you. There’s this period where everyone wants to know what’s going on, and particularly because Andre’s trial was very publicised, lots of people wanted to talk to me.

    I fell into various projects, including planning a nationwide march against youth violence with a friend of mine, who had also lost a loved one. That was how I got started. I began going to different meetings and working with the police, but it got to a stage where it started to take over my life.

    I had lost Andre, and it was like I had no life anymore, because I used to feel guilty. I felt guilty for smiling, for going out, for enjoying something – just living. I decided to write a book. I’m not much of a writer; it was just an outpouring of a mother’s grief.

    It helped me jump from the place I was into the next place and think: do you know what? Andre would want me to start living again. He would want me to focus on his brothers and carry on doing the work I was doing, but in my way.

    I’m a secondary school teacher, so after I wrote my book, I left mainstream school to work in a Pupil Referral Unit. I wanted to support those children who were at risk of exclusion; the ones who need that help to have that second chance. So even though I’m no longer out campaigning and banging on doors, I am doing the work on the ground trying to make a difference everyday.

    When I heard about Idris Elba’s ‘Don’t Stop Your Future’ campaign, I had made a point of passing on the baton and not doing it anymore, but I thought: This is Idris Elba – he has a huge profile, which will keep everybody focused – young people are my passion, I’ll do one more.

    I think it’s good to talk, and I believe that we need to take some of the individual things raised in today’s round table and consider how they might look, especially from an educational perspective.

    We need to focus on what previsions we are putting in place for youths and have a joined-up approach, to make sure we’re intervening early on. We need to make sure we’re not  criminalising, but having clear guidelines for first offenders.

    I read serious case reviews every time I see that a young person has lost their life to knife crime and it’s the same story repeatedly, so we know what the issues are.

    I think it’s good for the people who are living through this, day in and day out, to come together and give their ideas and their thoughts; because it cannot be led by one person. We need the strength of the Government, but without the voice of the people, we can’t expect them to get this right.

    We need the voices of those who have experienced this, those who have been involved as victims or perpetrators, and come out the other side, to tell the stories of what has gone wrong for them, so we can work out how to make this better.

  • PRESS RELEASE : We must improve UN peacekeeping to meet today’s challenges – UK statement at the UN Security Council [September 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : We must improve UN peacekeeping to meet today’s challenges – UK statement at the UN Security Council [September 2024]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 September 2024.

    Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council open debate on strengthening UN Peacekeeping.

    Thank you President. I thank our briefers, USG Lacroix, Dr Ero and Mr Al Hussein, for their insight and continued support to UN peacekeeping. Let me also thank the brave peacekeepers who put their lives at risk across the world every day, and pay tribute to those peacekeepers who lost their lives in the pursuit of peace this year.

    President, UN peacekeeping is an indispensable element of the UN Security Council’s toolbox for global peace and security, and an important symbol of global cooperation. As peacekeeping faces new and systemic challenges, as we’ve heard, we must protect, and improve, this tool for the future. I would like to make three broad points this morning.

    First, peacekeeping faces evolving challenges. These include the challenges of maintaining the relationship with host states and the importance of setting clear expectations on host state responsibilities.

    This should reduce the risk of accelerated withdrawals of missions as we’ve seen recently. In addition, rising misinformation and disinformation against missions puts the safety and security of our peacekeepers at risk.

    Peacekeeping needs stronger partnership and collaboration, as well as political support and consent, from host nations to ensure the effective delivery of mandates and well-planned transitions.

    Second, we should continue to adapt our approach to meet unique needs of each context. Peacekeeping works best when there is a political process to support or a peace to keep. New missions should be better tailored, more nimble and flexible, with focused, realistic mandates.

    We must continue to strengthen missions by boosting peacekeeping intelligence, situational awareness, embracing new technologies such as AI, and tackling sexual exploitation and abuse. We must all reaffirm our commitment to the Action for Peacekeeping Strategy and support its implementation.

    Sustainable transitions, guided by best practice and lessons learned and which safeguard the protection of civilians, will also help ensure that the gains from missions are preserved.

    Third, we should recognise the progress made on the Women, Peace and Security agenda and commit to all peace operations being fully representative and safe for women. Women’s contributions are integral in all stages of peacekeeping missions, including drawdowns, transitions and withdrawals.

    The United Kingdom will continue to help create an enabling environment for women peacekeepers through our support to the Elsie Initiative Fund, the Senior Women Talent Pipeline, and through our bilateral training by the British Peace Support Team.

    President, the UK remains a committed supporter of UN peacekeeping, including through deployment of peacekeepers and military advisers and of peacekeeping reform.

    We look forward to more discussions, including at the Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference in Berlin and its Preparatory Conferences, on the ways we can help peacekeeping evolve to ensure it can effectively respond to the challenges of the future.

  • PRESS RELEASE : New independent appeals system for postmasters impacted by Horizon scandal [September 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : New independent appeals system for postmasters impacted by Horizon scandal [September 2024]

    The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 9 September 2024.

    The government has today announced a new independent appeals process for postmasters in the Horizon Shortfall Scheme.

    The Government has today [Monday 9 September] announced a new independent appeals process for postmasters in the Horizon Shortfall Scheme.

    This will mean postmasters who feel their financial settlement did not reflect the true extent of their losses and trauma will be able to apply for the new independent process, which will be overseen by the Department for Business and Trade.

    The Horizon Shortfall Scheme is run by Post Office Limited and funded by the Government who have ultimate oversight of the scheme.

    Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas said:

    Delivering justice and financial redress to postmasters is my number one priority.

    We’ve listened to the independent advisory board and are working at speed to make sure postmasters receive financial redress as fairly and as quickly as possible.

    This new appeals process will give postmasters the opportunity to have their settlements independently reviewed by my department.

    To date, 2,280 individuals have reached an agreement with the Post Office to settle their claim under the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, with £144m in compensation paid out.

    The independent Advisory Board raised concerns that, when the Horizon Shortfall Scheme opened in 2020, some claimants were unable to set out their claim in full. This new appeals process will provide postmasters with the opportunity to have their claim re-assessed with the benefit of new or additional information they can provide.

    The Department for Business and Trade will establish this process as quickly as possible and will provide further updates on eligibility and how to apply when the scheme is launched.  We are committed to seeking input from the Advisory Board, postmasters and their representatives in designing the process.

    The Horizon Shortfall Scheme is available for postmasters who were not convicted, or part of legal action against the Post Office, but who still suffered considerably due to Horizon failures.

    These postmasters have the option to receive a fixed sum payment of £75,000 or choose a full claim assessment route if they believe their losses exceed that amount.

    Notes to editors

    • As of 30 August 2024, approximately £289 million has been paid to over 2,800 claimants across 4 schemes:
    • Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS): £144 million
    • Group Litigation Order (GLO) Scheme: £87 million total value of all payments including interim payments
    • Overturned Convictions (OC): £56 million total value of all payments including further interim payments
    • Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS): £1 million total value of all payments including interim payments
  • PRESS RELEASE : Government to launch new coalition to tackle knife crime [September 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Government to launch new coalition to tackle knife crime [September 2024]

    The press release issued by the Home Office on 9 September 2024.

    The Prime Minister is launching a new coalition today (9 September 2024), to tackle knife crime and stop young people being dragged into violent gangs.

    Joined by anti-knife crime campaigner, and co-founder of the Elba Hope Foundation, Idris Elba, the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime will bring together campaign groups, families of people who have tragically lost their lives to knife crime, young people who have been impacted and community leaders, united in their mission to save lives and make Britain a safer place for the next generation.

    The coalition will also include technology companies, sport organisations as well as partners in the health service, education and the police.

    It will work with experts to develop an extensive understanding of what causes young people to be dragged into violence, providing vital evidence that will drive government policy and holding the government to account on its knife crime commitments.

    Ahead of its launch, later today the Prime Minister will meet with the Home Secretary, Idris Elba and campaign groups at the first annual Knife Crime Summit at Downing Street.

    At the meeting, the Prime Minister will set out how this mission is personal for him. After years spent working as the Director of Public Prosecutions, he has seen first-hand how violence on our streets can destroy families and leave communities devastated.

    He will reassure the families that they can have confidence in his determination, and that he has a plan for action, not just talk. He pledged that he will pull the levers needed to halve knife crime, including bringing in new legislation.

    This work has already begun with legislation underway to ban ninja swords.

    The government will also strengthen the laws around the online sales of knives, making sure the rules in place to stop dangerous weapons ending up in the hands of young people are enforced.

    Commander Stephen Clayman, the National Policing lead for knife crime, has been tasked with leading a rapid review to understand how these weapons are sold online and delivered to under 18s, identifying gaps in legislation and the most effective ways to stop this. He will report back to the Home Secretary by the end of the year.

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

    As Director of Public Prosecutions, I saw first-hand the devastating impact that knife crime has on young people and their families. This is a national crisis that we will tackle head on.

    We will take this moment to come together as a country – politicians, families of victims, young people themselves, community leaders and tech companies – to halve knife crime and take back our streets.

    Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

    We will not sit back while precious lives are being lost and young people’s futures destroyed. That is why we are making it a mission for the country to halve knife crime in a decade.

    Getting weapons off our streets and making sure there are tough and clear consequences for violence are vital. And we also need to prevent young people heading down this path – that means offering young people more hope, more opportunities.

    This coalition is crucial – bringing together those who have fought so passionately for change and who know how devastating knife crime can be and why we need action now.

    Anti-knife crime campaigner Idris Elba OBE said:

    We need to tackle the root causes of knife crime, not just the symptoms. The coalition is a positive step toward rehabilitating our communities from the inside out.

    Commander Stephen Clayman, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for knife crime, said:

    We welcome the government’s further commitment to tackling knife crime through today’s announcements.

    Knife crime continues to blight the lives of individuals, families and whole communities and despite so much brilliant work ongoing around the country, policing cannot solve this problem alone. Knives are far too easily accessible, with online sellers being a key focus of our work over the last year. I look forward to leading the review into online supply and continuing to work in close partnership with government, retailers and the third sector to find ways we can bring meaningful, long-term change that will make our streets safer for everyone.

    Today’s announcement is the first step in the government’s 10-year plan to tackle knife crime, which will be central to its mission to keep our streets safe.

    It will build on the new Young Futures programme, already set out by the Home Office, to offer young people a pathway out of crime.

    This will create prevention partnerships for young people most at risk of being dragged into violence, and bring together the right services to help them lead safe and healthy lives. Young Futures hubs will be set up offering young people a safe place to go where they can be diverted into positive activities and access the services they need.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Media Freedom in Hong Kong – Media Freedom Coalition Statement on Stand News Verdict [September 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Media Freedom in Hong Kong – Media Freedom Coalition Statement on Stand News Verdict [September 2024]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 September 2024.

    The Media Freedom Coalition gave a statement on media freedom in Hong Kong following the guilty verdict against two former editors of Stand News.

    Following the guilty verdict against two former editors of Stand News on 29 August 2024, the members of the Media Freedom Coalition issued the following statement on media freedom in Hong Kong.

    The undersigned members of the Media Freedom Coalition are gravely concerned about the guilty verdict against the former editors of Stand News and the wider suppression of media freedom in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

    Journalism is not a crime. Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam have been prosecuted for over two and a half years. Their guilty verdict falls against a wider backdrop of increased media self-censorship and the hostility by Hong Kong authorities against local and foreign journalists and their representative bodies, especially since the imposition of the National Security Law in June 2020. The introduction of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance in March 2024 is further hampering the free exchange of opinions and information which is vital to Hong Kongers, Hong Kong’s institutions, and its international reputation as an open place to do business.

    Media freedom has been a central factor for Hong Kong’s success in the past and is an essential foundation of a free and inclusive society. To enable media workers to safely fulfil their legitimate role in scrutinising government policy and actions, journalism should not be prosecuted under the guise of national security.

    We urge the Hong Kong and China authorities to abide by their international human rights commitments and legal obligations, and to respect freedom of the press and freedom of speech in Hong Kong, in line with the Basic Law and the recommendations of China’s 2024 Universal Periodic Review and Hong Kong’s 2022 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights review.

    Signed by:

    Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 57 – UK Statement on Myanmar [September 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 57 – UK Statement on Myanmar [September 2024]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 September 2024.

    The UK’s statement for the Interactive Dialogue on the Report of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar.

    Thank you, Mr President.

    The Mechanism’s latest report provides further shocking evidence of gross human rights violations perpetrated by the Myanmar military. Civilians are being subjected to brutal extrajudicial killings, arson attacks on their homes, gender-based and sexual violence, and sharp increases in forced recruitment, including of children.

    We believe that the international community must act to break the cycle of impunity and demonstrate to the Myanmar military that they will be held accountable for violations of international law.

    The IIMM’s meticulous evidence-gathering and recent reports on hate speech and sexual and gender-based crimes are crucial to that effort. The UK is proud to have provided £800,000 to support the Mechanism’s work.

    We also welcome the ICJ’s consideration of The Gambia’s case against Myanmar, and have submitted a joint intervention in that case. We urge Myanmar to comply with the Court’s provisional measures.

    While we promote accountability, we must also seek to de-escalate tensions and protect innocent lives. We call on all actors, especially the Myanmar military, to prioritise the protection of civilians.

    Mr Koumjian, how can the international community do more to support the IIMM’s vital work?