Tag: 2025

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 April 2025.

UK to highlight ironclad support for Alliance and push Allies to increase defence spending.

• UK says NATO must stay strong and united to boost our collective defence in face of generational threat from Russia

• Foreign Ministers’ summit follows biggest sustained increase in UK defence spending since the Cold War, delivering security for hardworking British people

• Allies set out their ironclad support for Ukraine in NATO-Ukraine Council

The UK will encourage NATO Allies to step up defence spending to support Euro-Atlantic security as the Foreign Secretary arrives in Brussels for the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting today (Thursday 3 April).

He will say that making NATO stronger, fairer, and more lethal is key to protecting the conditions for growth at home.

As the Alliance steps up to face long-term and interconnected threats from Russia and its enablers , the UK will tell Allies that it’s our collective duty to boost defence spending and deter our adversaries. Increases in defence spending mean more and better capabilities, keeping us safe.

While Russia and other actors work to destabilise Euro-Atlantic societies, the UK is playing its part, with the largest sustained increase to defence spending since the Cold War, hitting 2.5% from April 2027 and rising to 3% in the next parliament.

Increasing defence spending by £11.8bn between now and 2027/28 will protect the conditions for growth and security at home, putting money back into the pockets of hard-working British people. Between 2023-24 the defence sector supported more than 430,000 jobs across the UK.

In the NATO-Ukraine Council, the Foreign Secretary will discuss the practical planning undertaken by the UK, France, and other Allies to prepare and deploy as a Coalition of the Willing in the event of a peace deal.

While Putin continues to delay and obstruct on a move to a ceasefire, the UK and Allies have doubled down to support Ukraine in the face of Russia’s barbaric invasion. Ukraine has shown its strong commitment to peace, yet Russia’s on-going bombardment of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure has not ceased.

The Foreign Secretary will tell Allies that now is the time to maximise pressure on Putin, through every economic lever possible, to force him to the negotiating table.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

Keeping our country safe is the Government’s first duty, and NATO is the cornerstone of our security, both at home and abroad.

That’s why we have announced the biggest investment to defence spending since the Cold War.

Allies must spend more, produce more and deliver more on defence so NATO can become stronger, fairer and more lethal – boosting our collective defence ensures that NATO is ready for the threats and challenges we face.

At the meeting David Lammy will discuss shared security threats and challenges with counterparts from NATO, as well as the EU and NATO’s Indo-Pacific partners – Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. This includes the challenges China poses to both Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security, especially its enablement of Russia’s illegal war.

The NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting follows a week of meetings on regional security with Allies and partners across Europe.

On Sunday the Foreign Secretary visited STRIKFORNATO, the naval command centre for the Allied Command Operations outside of Lisbon, before heading to the Weimar Plus Foreign Ministers Meeting in Madrid on Monday, where he urged partners to take a united approach to the global challenges posed by Russia’s war machine. He also visited British and other NATO troops stationed in Kosovo to maintain stability in the Western Balkans.

On Tuesday, the UK added Russia to the UK’s Foreign Influence Registration Scheme to expose interference attempts on British soil.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 2 April 2025.

The FCDO has issued a statement in response to the latest Chinese military exercises around Taiwan.

An FCDO spokesperson said:

We are concerned by China’s military exercises around Taiwan, part of a pattern of activity which is increasing tensions and risking dangerous escalation in the Taiwan Strait.

The UK reaffirms our clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which is of critical importance to global prosperity, and our support for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. Military drills or threats to Taiwan are not conducive to such dialogue. We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo.

We call for restraint and the avoidance of any further actions that may undermine peace and stability.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 2 April 2025.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

We welcome this session on implementing UNSCR2730.

I think it is critical that the Council maintains momentum on the safety, security and well-being of aid workers.

And I pay tribute to those on the frontline and extend, again, my condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives.

In the first 3 months of 2025, the Aid Worker Security Database has already recorded 64 deaths, 36 injuries and 8 kidnappings.

The majority were local or national aid workers.

The most dangerous place to deliver humanitarian assistance is Gaza, with over 400 aid workers reportedly killed since the beginning of the conflict.

That is followed by Sudan and South Sudan.

We are also concerned about the aid workers detained by the Houthis in Yemen and call for their release.

And we stress the need for the safety of aid workers in Myanmar, who are bringing essential responses for the victims of the devastating earthquake.

At the one-year anniversary of the attack on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza, which killed seven aid workers, including three British citizens, we continue to call for the conclusion of the Military Advocate General’s consideration of the incident, including determining whether criminal proceedings should be initiated.

Tragically, just last week, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that eight of its medics were killed in Gaza, alongside first responders and a UN aid worker.

We call for a thorough and swift investigation with meaningful accountability for those responsible.

PRCS medic Asaad Al-Nasasra is still missing and we call on Israel to support the search for him.

Three actions are essential.

First, all parties to a conflict must comply with International Humanitarian Law.

This includes compliance with obligations relating to the passage of humanitarian supplies, equipment and personnel, and respecting and protecting aid workers.

States must investigate attacks on aid workers and hold perpetrators to account.

Effective, trusted deconfliction mechanisms must be set up and used.

Second, we must strengthen international commitments to protect aid workers.

The UK is proud to be part of the Australian–led Ministers Group to develop a political declaration to galvanise collective action to protect aid workers.

And we encourage others to join and demonstrate unity to drive action beyond the Council that enhances protection for aid workers.

Third, we must do all we can to support humanitarian organisations, including local organisations, to work safely.

Actors who play a fundamental role in aid worker safety face operational risks due to inadequate funding.

The UK supports organisations, such as the Aid Worker Security Database and INSO, who play a central role in aid worker security.

We urge others to consider supporting fundamental ‘enabler’ organisations.

In conclusion, President, the UK remains steadfast in our commitment to allowing aid workers to do their job in safety and preventing violence against aid workers from becoming the new normal.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 2 April 2025.

UK Core Group Statement to Introduce Item 2 Resolution on South Sudan. Delivered by the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, Simon Manley.

Thank you, Mr President.

I am honoured to present, on behalf of a core group of Albania, Ireland, Norway and the UK, this draft resolution on Advancing Human Rights in South Sudan, which proposes to extend the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan for a further year.

We do so against a deeply alarming backdrop in South Sudan, with increased fighting in many parts of the country, and the recent arrest of First Vice President, Riek Machar.

We call on President Kiir to reverse that action. And we urge South Sudan’s collective leadership to engage with regional efforts to de-escalate the situation, and work together to deliver the peaceful, just and prosperous future that South Sudan’s people deserve. A future that was set out in the 2018 Peace Agreement.

Mr President, it is clear that the Commission for Human Rights continues to play a critical role in delivering that future. The current events are a sobering reminder that the Commission’s monitoring and reporting on the human rights situation, and its support to accountability, remain as vital today as when it was first established by consensus in 2016.

Let me also use this opportunity to praise the efforts of others also working tirelessly to improve the human rights situation in South Sudan, including the Office of the High Commissioner, and the UN Mission in South Sudan, headed by Special Representative Nicholas Haysom.

Mr President,

We regret that we have been again unable to reach consensus with South Sudan, and reach a single, consolidated text.

However, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my colleague and friend, Ambassador Deng of South Sudan, for the ongoing, and constructive discussions that we have had, which have helped enrich this text. I would also like to welcome the continued cooperation by the government of South Sudan with the Commission in Juba.

Mr President,

We note, as in previous years, South Sudan’s call for enhanced technical assistance.  We accordingly support draft resolution L.23 from the African Group.

Taken together, the two resolutions ensure a comprehensive and holistic approach to improving human rights, with technical assistance and capacity building continuing in addition to independent scrutiny of the human rights situation.

We therefore urge the Council to adopt this draft resolution and extend the mandate of the Commission, and to vote in favour of the text, should a vote be called.