Tag: Dominic Raab

The speech made by Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, at the UN General Assembly Special Session against Corruption on 2 June 2021.

Mr President, your Excellencies,

Corruption is a scourge.

It is the acid burning away the rule of law, democracy and public trust in their institutions.

It stunts development, it drains poorer nations of their wealth, and keeps their people trapped in poverty.

Over 2% of global GDP is lost to corruption every single year.

And it adds 10% to the costs of doing business right around the world.

So, we really need to take action.

I’m proud that the UK is a global leader in the fight against corruption.

Since 2006 the National Crime Agency’s International Corruption Unit has frozen, confiscated or returned over £1.1 billion of assets that were stolen from developing countries.

Most recently, we signed an agreement to return £4.2 million to Nigeria.

That was money that was recovered from associates of the former Governor of Nigeria’s Delta State, James Ibori.

The UK was the first in the G20 to establish a public register of the beneficial owners of companies.

It was an important step in tackling the use of anonymous shell companies to move corrupt money around the world.

Over 4.6 million companies are now listed on that register.

Over 100 countries are now committed to some form of beneficial ownership transparency.

Four years ago, we established the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre in London…

Which has helped freeze over £300 million of suspected corrupt assets worldwide, and it has also led to dozens of arrests.

We know that the UK’s status as a global financial centre makes us an attractive location for investment. That’s hugely welcome.

But it also means that we must redouble our efforts to stop corrupt actors and their cronies from laundering their dirty money through British banks or British businesses.

So, with our Anti-Corruption Strategy we are pioneering innovative methods of asset recovery such as Unexplained Wealth Orders and Account Freezing Orders.

We imposed sanctions on individuals who have been involved in serious corruption from 6 different countries.

And that included sanctions slapped on 14 individuals involved in the $230 million tax fraud in Russia, perpetrated by an organised criminal group, and disclosed by Sergei Magnitsky.

It includes sanctions on a Sudanese businessman for the misappropriation of state assets in one of the poorest countries in the world, fuelling instability and conflict.

Through asset freezes and travel bans, we can help prevent corrupt actors from using the UK as a haven for their dirty money, while also at the same time deterring corruption around the world.

But if we are going to stop corruption, it must first be exposed..

By the spotlight of the media and investigative journalists,

By strong civil society bodies,

And by the authorities who are prepared and able to act.

And we have got to stand up for these institutions.

So, the UK is the co-chair of the global Media Freedom Coalition which now has 47 countries signed up. We are dedicated to supporting journalists doing their vital work without fear or favour.

And through our G7 Presidency this year, we are taking action to strengthen open societies, shared values and the rules-based international order.

We have agreed a G7 statement for this Special Session that demonstrates our united resolve.

And G7 Interior Ministers will take further action on corruption in their meeting in September.

So, we urge all countries to follow through on the declaration that we have signed up to today, to deliver transparency of company ownership through establishing beneficial ownership registers, more open procurement, greater transparency in the management of public finances, and a safer environment for journalists to shine a light on corruption.

In addition to all of that, we call for the participation of NGOs and others in the UN Convention Against Corruption reviews, to make sure that that process is as robust and as rigorous as it possibly can be.

Because corruption is not a victimless crime.

By lining their own pockets, corrupt actors cause untold damage and hardship on the countries and communities which they exploit for their own predatory greed.

We must work together to bring these corrosive practices to an end.

By doing so we will promote trust and certainty,

Boost investment to help re-build economies that work for everyone,

And take a vital step towards delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals.

And as a force for good in the world, global Britain will play our full role in that effort.

The comments made by Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, on 27 May 2021.

The UK welcomes the ICAO investigation into the Lukashenko regime’s forced landing of Ryanair flight FR4978. We join our international partners in wanting to know the full circumstances that led up to this grave violation of international law and the attack on the principles that underpin civil aviation.

The statement made by Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, in the House of Commons on 13 May 2021.

Promoting and enforcing international justice is central to global Britain’s role as a force for good in the western Balkans and in the world. The conviction of Radovan Karadžić for genocide and grave crimes at Srebrenica, the siege of Sarajevo and other parts of the conflict was an essential part of addressing the horrors of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. Ensuring accountability for such crimes is also pivotal for promoting reconciliation in the region.

On 24 March 2016, the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), in The Hague found Radovan Karadžić guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war committed during the conflict in and around Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) during the mid-1990s. The Court sentenced him to 40 years of imprisonment, which was increased on appeal to a life sentence.

Following a request to the United Kingdom from the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), the successor body to the ICTY, Radovan Karadžić will now be transferred to a prison in the UK to serve his sentence. Radovan Karadžić will be the fifth prisoner transferred to the UK by the ICTY/IRMCT.

The crimes for which Radovan Karadžić was convicted relate to actions taken in municipalities throughout BiH with a view to permanently removing Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats from Bosnian Serb-claimed territory; spreading terror among the civilian population of Sarajevo through a campaign of sniping and shelling; taking UN personnel hostage; and the genocide at Srebrenica.

The United Kingdom signed a sentence enforcement agreement with the ICTY on 11 March 2004, allowing for sentences to be enforced in the UK, and for Her Majesty’s Government to meet the associated costs. The IRMCT remains responsible for further decision making regarding his imprisonment, over and above the prisoner’s daily care.

The statement made by Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, on 12 May 2021.

When I visited Sudan in January I announced the UK’s intent to support Sudan’s path to debt relief as Prime Minister Hamdok delivers much needed reforms in support of the country’s economic revival and transition to democracy.

Today the UK has delivered on that commitment by providing a £148m bridging loan that has enabled Sudan to clear its arrears at the African Development Bank. I would like to thank His Excellency Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim, and African Development Bank Director General Nnenna Nwabufo and their teams for their hard work to make this happen.

The UK is proud to have facilitated Sudan’s arrears clearance with the AfDB, which enables access to much needed additional financing and we look forward to continuing our work with Sudan and international partners on debt relief so they can rejoin financial markets and deliver the aspiration expressed so clearly by the Sudanese people for a better future.

The comments made by Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, on 30 April 2021.

It is disappointing that elections in the Occupied Palestinian Territories have been postponed.

The Palestinian people should be allowed to enjoy their democratic rights – and Israel must allow voting for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, in line with the Oslo Accords. Elections are long overdue and I urge the swift setting of a new date.

The statement made by Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, on 3 May 2021.

Good afternoon everyone – thank you for joining us. It is a huge pleasure to welcome Secretary of State Blinken to the UK. Tony it’s great to have you here with us, a warm welcome.

It’s fair to say the Biden administration is barely 100 days old, but has already taken a huge number of bold and very welcome steps on issues like climate change, global health and human rights, and that’s really created momentum in efforts to tackle these pressing global issues.

Since Tony’s confirmation, we have been working very closely together and today’s meeting has been another reminder of the depth and breadth of the work that we do together, the convergence of our interests and the many shared values.

Today, Tony and I discussed a full range of issues –I’ll give you a highlight of some of the key points.

We talked about our shared commitment to stand up for open societies, democracy and human rights – protecting fundamental freedoms, tackling disinformation, holding human rights abusers to account.

A key element of this is defending the rule of law, so we are determined to reform but reinforce the multilateral system.

We want to keep working together very closely on all of these points through the G7 and President Biden’s Democracy Summit.

We also discussed China. It’s fair to say that we see eye-to-eye on the need to stand up for our values, holding Beijing to the commitments that they have made, whether it’s in relation to Hong Kong under the Joint Declaration or wider commitments, whilst also at the same time finding constructive ways to work with China in a sensible and positive manner where that’s possible.

On global issues like climate change we want to see China stepping up to the plate and playing its full role.

Tony and I also discussed a whole range of security issues – Iran, Afghanistan, continuing concerns about Russia, in particular on the border with Ukraine.

We stand shoulder to shoulder on these issues – and I welcome the US’ firm recommitment to the NATO alliance.

It is only by working together overseas that we can keep our citizens safe at home. That’s true in NATO, and I think it’s true on COVID and the various measures we are taking to extend and expand and promote COVAX.

Secretary Blinken and I will see the Prime Minister tomorrow to continue the discussions that we’ve had.

One of the major areas of common interest is building a broader and stronger set of partnerships among countries that share our values, on the most important issues of the day.

So the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers’ meeting which begins today is a great opportunity to really drive that agenda forward.

This is the first opportunity for all G7 Foreign Ministers to meet together in person since 2019. We’re glad to be able to socialise a bit together and conduct those meetings face-to-face rather than doing it all just on Zoom and Teams.

It’s also fair to say that the world has changed quite a bit in those 2 short years.

Our societies and our economies have been shocked and shaken by coronavirus.

At the same time we are responding to a situation where our values are being challenged and the international architecture is at least in some respects being weakened.

There’s also rapid technological change which brings new opportunities, we’ve seen that with collaboration on things like the vaccine, but also acute challenges, and there are global threats from COVID to climate change that frankly demand global solutions and we’re committed to trying to find and forge those solutions.

In that context, we recognise the importance of building dynamic, agile new partnerships with like-minded countries which share our values.

That’s why we invited the foreign ministers from India, South Korea, Australia and Brunei, Brunei also representing ASEAN as the chair, and they’ll be taking part later on in the week. They are all key partners for us, I think they are also a sign of the growing focus on the Indo-Pacific region as the economic and strategic crucible for this century.

As for the G7, at its core it is a partnership based on values and so it is fitting that today we meet on World Press Freedom Day. We’ve seen a whole range of attacks on journalists, from Belarus to Myanmar. Violations of media freedoms are growing around the world at what I feel is an alarming rate.

I welcome the unequivocal stance of the US and the whole G7 on safeguarding those vital democratic bulwarks in our media freedoms.

As co-chair of the global Media Freedom Coalition, the UK is working with our partners so that we shine a light on the violations and we hold those to account. We support journalists who are trying to shine a light on those abuses around the world, and we try and reverse what is otherwise a dangerous trend.

This cuts to the core of the values and the interests that the G7 represents right around the world – and it shows once again why it’s so important for us to meet together this week.

Now, let me hand over to Tony. Tony thanks for being here, thanks for our valuable discussions today and we look forward to welcoming President Biden to the UK in June. And I am looking forward to a productive G7 meeting this week.