Tag: 2026

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 May 2026.

Statement by Jess Jambert-Gray, Deputy Political Coordinator, at the UN Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan.

First, the United Kingdom underscores UNISFA’s critical role in protecting civilians and maintaining stability in a fragile environment. 

It is essential that UNISFA is able to deliver its mandate in full. 

We are concerned by continued restrictions on UNISFA’s freedom of movement, the limited progress by the Sudanese and South Sudanese authorities against key mandate benchmarks agreed last November and the presence of unauthorised forces in violation of Abyei’s demilitarised status. 

We also again strongly condemn the drone attacks on the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism logistics base in December, which killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers and injured nine others, and we extend our deepest sympathies to their families. 

We urge accountability and call on all parties to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and premises in accordance with international law. 

Beyond this tragic human cost, the attack has also led to the first complete suspension of the Mechanism’s physical presence since its creation, which has significantly impacted border monitoring and demilitarisation. 

Second, we remain concerned at the acute humanitarian and protection situation in Abyei. 

More than 20,000 people are currently displaced in the region, and access constraints are limiting the delivery of vital assistance. 

We are also deeply concerned by reports of a pattern of conflict-related sexual violence, including against children. 

We call on all actors to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access and to protect civilians, in line with international law.

Third, it is critical that progress is made against the benchmarks agreed in resolution 2802. 

The continued failure to convene joint mechanisms and delays to police deployment are deeply concerning. 

We urge Sudan and South Sudan to re-engage in dialogue and take concrete steps towards demilitarisation and agreed governance arrangements.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 May 2026.

The UK warns that Holocaust denial and distortion are fuelling antisemitism and insecurity across the OSCE region. It urges participating States to move from discussion to action and safeguard historical truth from political manipulation and emerging digital threats.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

Allow me also to thank the United States for raising this important issue.

Holocaust denial and distortion are not merely disputes about the past. They are present-day threats that corrode truth, undermine social cohesion, and fuel antisemitism.

Denial seeks to erase the reality of the Holocaust. Distortion can be more insidious: it minimises, trivialises, or manipulates the facts – often masquerading as “debate” or “enquiry”. Both deny dignity to victims and survivors; both create space for hatred to spread.

Across the OSCE region, we are witnessing a deeply troubling resurgence of antisemitism. Jewish communities fear for their safety. Hate is traveling faster than ever – online, on our streets, and through narratives that distort or deny the Holocaust.

The OSCE has a vital role to play. Our shared commitments on tolerance and non‑discrimination remain a foundation for action. ODIHR’s work – supporting participating States, engaging civil society, and strengthening practical responses – continues to be essential to turning commitments into impact.

We thank the Swiss Chairpersonship for convening participating States in St Gallen in February to highlight these challenges and discuss trends and solutions. The conference underlined a simple truth: while physical security measures remain necessary, they alone cannot provide lasting safety. Lasting resilience requires addressing the roots of antisemitism and strengthening the social fabric in which Jewish life is valued and protected.

We must also be clear-eyed about the dangers of manipulating the past for political ends. When historically loaded language is deployed loosely, when the horrors of Nazism are trivialised through indiscriminate labelling, or when the language of genocide is repurposed in ways that dilute the Holocaust’s historical meaning, the result is the same: truth is weakened, and respect for victims is diminished.

During the UK’s Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance we prioritised safeguarding remembrance and tackling Holocaust distortion, including risks from artificial intelligence and digital manipulation. We worked with partners, including at the OSCE, to deepen cooperation and build expertise, notably at the Bucharest Conference on Holocaust Distortion and Education.

Mr Chair, I want to conclude by returning to why this discussion matters. Last week in London, an antisemitic attack targeted members of the Jewish community simply for being Jewish. It was appalling. Attacks on Jewish people for being Jewish are attacks on us all – on our values, our security on our shared decency. They leave Jews fearful of being themselves and questioning whether they belong.

This is the human cost of hatred left unchallenged. Holocaust denial and distortion are not abstract distortions of history; they are part of the same ecosystem of antisemitism that leads to fear, violence and insecurity today.

The United Kingdom will not tolerate antisemitism, no matter how it manifests. We recognise the scale of the challenge – and we will meet it.

That means implementing the commitments we have made, supporting ODIHR’s practical work, confronting denial and distortion wherever they arise, and protecting Jewish communities across the OSCE region. The United Kingdom stands ready to work with all participating States to deliver that.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 May 2026.

UK Statement at Denmark’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The United Kingdom commends Denmark’s long‑standing commitment to the protection of human rights, including its strong record on media freedom and civic participation.

We recognise the implementation of consent‑based rape legislation and the adoption of national action plans to combat trafficking in human beings, and racism.

We recommend:

1. Ensuring effective implementation of the National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, strengthening victim identification, the non‑punishment of victims, and prosecution of traffickers.
2. Strengthening implementation of the National Action Plan to Combat Racism, including improved recording and prosecution of hate crimes and protection of all ethnic and religious minorities.
3. Safeguarding freedom of expression and privacy in the use of digital technologies.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 May 2026.

Statement by the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders, at Belgium’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Thank you Mr Vice President,

The UK welcomes Belgium’s efforts to strengthen its national human rights architecture, including the establishment of the Federal Institute for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights.

We recommend: 

1.      Strengthening the independence and mandate of the Federal Institute for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights and setting out clear timelines to ensure compliance with the Paris Principles across all levels of government. 
 

2.      Establishing an effective National Prevention Mechanism, in line with the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture, with unrestricted access to all places of deprivation of liberty. 
 

3.      Continuing to ensure that conditions in prisons and in detention comply with international human rights standards, including through access to appropriate healthcare and mental health support, and effective safeguards against inhuman or degrading treatment. 

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 May 2026.

The UK condemns Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which is a direct attack on the security architecture built after the Second World War. Russia has eroded trust, violated OSCE commitments, and undermined the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful dispute resolution.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

Tomorrow, as we mark VE Day, we remember the end of a war that devastated a continent and claimed millions of lives. But remembrance is not an exercise in nostalgia. It is a test of whether we have learned the lessons of that catastrophe.

Eighty‑one years ago, Europe resolved that security could not rest on force alone. From the ruins of war emerged a framework grounded on clear commitments: sovereignty, territorial integrity, the peaceful settlement of disputes and respect for human rights. These commitments were designed to prevent conflict and reduce the risk of miscalculation. When respected, they have served Europe for generations.

The OSCE stands squarely within this post‑war inheritance. It exists to uphold fundamental commitments that we made.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is the deadliest conflict on our continent in generations, bringing death and destruction on a scale not witnessed since the Second World War. It represents a direct assault on the principles-based order.

It was Russia that chose force over dialogue; Russia that attempted to redraw borders by violence; and Russia that hollowed out trust within this Organisation. A trust that was built over decades.

It is therefore disingenuous to argue that the breakdown in dialogue is caused by excessive criticism, institutional bias, or other member States’ unwillingness to listen. Nor is frankness the same as “non‑dialogue.” The real issue is not pointing out aggression, but the aggression itself. To use this platform for dialogue, it requires engagement in good faith and respect for the commitments that we have all signed up to.

Mr Chair, Ukraine has repeatedly shown itself as the party of peace. It has consistently expressed readiness for a full and unconditional ceasefire that leads to a just and lasting peace, grounded in international law. The UK fully supports President Zelenskyy’s latest call for a ceasefire starting at midnight on 5 May and we urge Russia to end its barbaric attacks and agree to this as the start of a full and lasting ceasefire. In contrast to Ukraine’s serious efforts towards peace, Russia launched another massive air attack and killed at least 17 civilians on Tuesday night.

We unequivocally condemn Russia’s irresponsible threats to strike at the heart of Kyiv and its warnings for diplomatic missions to leave the city. Such threats further demonstrate Russia’s disregard for civilian life and for basic norms that underpin international security. Russia must demonstrate its commitment to peace by agreeing to a ceasefire as a first step towards a full and lasting cessation of hostilities.

Mr Chair, on this year’s VE Day, we should be clear‑eyed. The path back to meaningful dialogue remains open. But to be effective, it requires honesty about the cause and effect, and a willingness to reverse actions that shattered peace in the first place.

The ball remains in Russia’s court. Until it chooses a different path, this Organisation and its participating States must continue to speak plainly in defence of the principles that we forged from the ashes of war – and which remain essential to our collective security today.