Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 December 2025.

The UK and others recall that human rights and fundamental freedoms are essential for lasting peace and security.

Thank you, Mr. Chair,

I am delivering this statement on behalf of Canada, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, and my own country the United Kingdom.

Against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing, war of aggression against Ukraine, and Russia’s repeated efforts to destabilize our region through disinformation and hybrid threats sustaining the OSCE’s focus on security cooperation has never been more vital. 

From the Helsinki Final Act to the Charter of Paris to the Astana Declaration participating States have affirmed repeatedly that security is comprehensive in nature; that human rights are not peripheral; that they are at the core of this Organization’s work and our commitments.

Moreover, since the Moscow Meeting of 1991, participating States have expressly confirmed that human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy and rule of law are “matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating States and do not belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the State concerned.” 

As we mark Human Rights Day in 2025, we must all reaffirm our commitment to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and recall that they are the underpinning of lasting peace and security. 

Discussing human rights is essential to our work; it is part of the dialogue needed to restore security in our region.

It is in this context that we express our deep concern about the following situations.

Seven interim reports of ODIHR’s Ukraine Monitoring Initiative and multiple Moscow Mechanism expert missions have concluded that, in relation to its war of aggression against Ukraine, the Russian Federation has repeatedly violated international humanitarian law and international human rights law notably in its treatment of Ukrainian children, civilian detainees and prisoners of war.

Domestically, internal repression in Russia – which targets opposition, civil society and independent journalists, among others – is clearly linked to external aggression.

In Belarus, the authorities have pursued a relentless campaign to shut down civil society, silence independent media and eliminate any form of political opposition. Thousands have been unjustly detained, subjected to torture and ill-treatment, or forced into exile.   

In Georgia, restrictions on civil society and media independence threaten to suffocate public dissent, and the lack of investigation of reports of excessive use of force against peaceful protesters creates a dangerous atmosphere of impunity.

In Serbia, police raids on civil society organizations and repeated incidents of violence surrounding the ongoing protests contribute to a shrinking democratic space.

In Azerbaijan, although there have been positive steps towards peace with Armenia, severe local restrictions on civil society and independent media continue to cause deep concern.

 And in Turkmenistan, the lack of information about historic cases of enforced disappearances and intimidation continue to raise deep concern.

No participating State has a perfect human rights record, but it is our shared responsibility to ensure that human rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled across our region.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 December 2025.

The governments of Canada, Japan, Norway, Türkiye and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on the anniversary of the Algiers Agreement.

Today marks 25 years since the signing of the Algiers Agreement, which brought an end to the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

We reaffirm our longstanding support for the Agreement and the principles it upholds, including the borders as established by its subsequent Boundary Commission. We call for the respect of the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of both Ethiopia and Eritrea.

In the spirit of the historic 2018 peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea, we call for any tensions or disputes to be resolved peacefully and diplomatically.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 December 2025.

The UK has sanctioned individuals suspected of atrocities including mass killings, sexual violence, and deliberate attacks on civilians in El Fasher, Sudan.

• UK sanctions senior Rapid Support Forces commanders suspected of atrocities including mass killings, sexual violence, and deliberate attacks on civilians in El Fasher, Sudan.
• The UK calls for an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access by all parties to the conflict.
• The UK is stepping up its response to the crisis in Sudan with an additional £21 million to provide food, shelter, health services, and protection for women and children in some of the hardest-to-reach areas.

The UK has today (12 December) sanctioned senior commanders of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) suspected of heinous violence in El Fasher, Sudan, including mass killings, systematic sexual violence and deliberate attacks on civilians.

Those targeted include Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF Deputy Leader and brother of RSF leader General Hemedti, as well as three other commanders that are suspected of involvement in these crimes – who all now face asset freezes and travel bans.

The RSF’s actions in El Fasher are not random: they are part of a deliberate strategy to terrorise populations and seize control through fear and violence. The impact of their actions is visible from space. Satellite images of El Fasher show blood-stained sand, clusters of bodies, and evidence of mass graves where victims have been burned and buried. There needs to be accountability for these actions, and urgent steps taken to avoid this happening again.

UK sanctioning of senior RSF commanders suspected of mass killings and sexual violence in El Fasher sends a clear message that those who commit atrocities will be held to account. This reflects the UK’s determination to prevent further atrocities.

The UK is also committing a further £21 million package of urgent support to communities on the brink, providing food, clean water, health care, and protection for women and children in areas hardest hit by violence.

This lifeline will empower aid organisations to reach 150,000 people with essentials like food, medical care, and emergency shelter, as well as to keep hospitals running and reconnect families torn apart by conflict. UK aid commitments to Sudan this year rises to £146 million, underscoring the unwavering commitment to stand with the Sudanese people and meet humanitarian needs.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

“The atrocities taking place in Sudan are so horrific they scar the conscience of the world. The overwhelming evidence of heinous crimes – mass executions, starvation, and the systematic and calculated use of rape as a weapon of war – cannot and will not go unpunished.

“Today’s sanctions against RSF commanders strike directly at those with blood on their hands, while our strengthened aid package will deliver lifesaving support to those suffering.

“The UK will not look away, and we will always stand with the people of Sudan.”

The UK is pressing all parties to end the war and protect civilians and has repeatedly condemned the violence perpetrated by the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Last month, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a UK-led resolution condemning the atrocities and securing international consensus to mandate an urgent inquiry into atrocities in El Fasher.

Our commitment goes beyond diplomacy:  the UK provides technical support to international justice and accountability mechanisms, and this year we also invested £1.5 million in the Sudan Witness Project to monitor, verify and document human rights violations including attacks on civilians.

We are exploring the possibility of further sanctions as part of our efforts to end impunity and demonstrate that those who commit atrocities are held to account.

The UK is accelerating its response to Sudan’s deepening crisis – acting decisively to save lives. The humanitarian situation in Sudan is the worst in the world, with 30 million people in desperate need of assistance. A further 12 million people have been driven from their homes. Famine and preventable diseases are rampant.

Nearly 5 million Sudanese refugees have fled the country to the region. Some are at risk of falling prey to traffickers and smuggling gangs. The UK is providing support to refugees in the region to help discourage perilous onward journeys.  

We call on all parties to the conflict to allow unhindered passage for humanitarian workers, supplies, and trapped civilians.

Background

The Sanctioned Individuals are:

• Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo – Deputy Leader of the RSF, and brother of RSF leader, General Hemedti. There are reasonable grounds to suspect he is or has been implicated in mass killings of civilians, ethnically targeted executions, systematic sexual violence including gang rape, abductions for ransom, arbitrary detentions, and attacks on health facilities and humanitarian workers.
• Gedo Hamdan Ahmed – RSF Commander for the North Darfur. There are reasonable grounds to suspect he is or has been involved in mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, and attacks on medical and humanitarian personnel.
• Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris – Brigadier General of the RSF. There are reasonable grounds to suspect he is or has been responsible for violence against individuals based on ethnicity and religion, and the deliberate targeting of civilians.
• Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed – RSF Field Commander. There are reasonable grounds to suspect he is or has been responsible for deliberate targeting of civilians in El Fasher.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 December 2025.

Statement by Ambassador Archie Young, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Central Africa and UNOCA.

The United Kingdom remains steadfastly committed in our support for the work of UNOCA and its good offices. UNOCA’s role in early warning, preventive diplomacy, and regional coordination is critical.  

Today, I will make three points focused on the situations in Gabon, Cameroon and the impact of the Sudan conflict on peace and security in the region. I will not address today the very concerning situation in DRC, recognising that the Council will be considering the DRC specifically in our meeting tomorrow.  

First, the United Kingdom welcomes the completion in November of local, legislative and senatorial elections in Gabon. This is an important step, building on April’s presidential elections, which complete Gabon’s political transition. 

We encourage Gabon to continue building on the progress made by implementing necessary governance and electoral reforms to consolidate its democratic institutions.  

Second, the United Kingdom is concerned at continued violence and insecurity in Cameroon, including the recent post-election violence that saw loss of life. Conflict in the North-West and South-West regions continues to impact civilians. We welcome UNOCA’s efforts to promote dialogue. We urge continued engagement towards a peaceful resolution to the Anglophone crisis and call for a Cameroonian led dialogue. 

We also underscore the importance of regional cooperation to tackle Boko Haram and ISWAP threats in the Lake Chad Basin, including through the Multinational Joint Task Force. This is critical to support communities in Cameroon’s Far North region.     

Third, in addition to the dire impact on Sudanese civilians, the ongoing conflict in Sudan continues to destabilise the region, driving significant displacement of the local population and grave humanitarian needs. The UK commends the authorities in Chad for their efforts in hosting large numbers of refugees. 

We encourage continued international coordination to support civilians in the region and to press for an end to the conflict. The United Kingdom remains committed to supporting the UN’s humanitarian response including through the £125 million the United Kingdom has contributed to humanitarian support in Sudan this year.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 December 2025.

The UK reaffirms our thanks to Special Representative Dr Kari Johnstone for the work of her Office.

Thank you Chair and thank you, Special Representative, for your report. The UK recognises and welcomes the valuable contribution of your Office to anti-trafficking efforts across the OSCE region.

It is critical that we continue to monitor emerging risks of trafficking and exploitation resulting from conflicts and humanitarian crises. Russia’s war against Ukraine leaves many vulnerable, particularly women and children. Russian authorities have forcibly deported over 19,500 Ukrainian children to Russia or the temporarily occupied territories. We must strengthen protection measures, and we commend your Office’s efforts in supporting states to do so. With that in mind what innovative approaches can you see frontline actors adopting to detect and prevent trafficking during humanitarian and conflict crises, and how can these practices be scaled across the OSCE region?

In line with the UK’s commitment to UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7, we work with international partners, including the OSCE, to eradicate modern slavery, forced labour, and human trafficking. We face increasingly complex forms of exploitation, including a rise in trafficking for forced criminality. The UK is proud to support your Office’s work on forced criminality in online scamming operations. We must enhance prevention, early identification, and reintegration for victims and survivors across the OSCE region.

We also welcome your Office’s efforts to include survivors and those with lived experience. Their voices and expertise are vital to tackling and preventing modern slavery. The UK is supporting UNDP to develop guidance for investors on engaging survivors in human rights due diligence and grievance mechanisms.

Special Representative, thank you again for your report. It highlights the impressive contributions of your Office and reminds OSCE states of the need for greater cooperation on this agenda. We look forward to continued UK engagement with your Office to support its valuable work.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 December 2025.

Deputy Ambassador James Ford highlights Ukraine’s constructive approach, condemns Russia’s ongoing aggression, and affirms the UK’s commitment to defending international law and supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty. Peace in Ukraine must be built on foundations that reinforce the rules safeguarding European security.

Thank you, Chair.

The UK fully supports efforts to secure peace in Ukraine. We welcome the progress that has been made and agree with the joint statement from Ukraine and the US that “real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace”.

Ukraine has demonstrated time and again its constructive and realistic approach to peace, including the intensive discussions that have taken place over the past couple of weeks.  Ultimately it is for the Ukrainian people and leadership to determine the terms that are acceptable to them. The UK will continue to stand by Ukraine, both because it is the right thing to do and because the outcome matters to us all.

Russia’s war against Ukraine is an assault not only on a sovereign state but also on the principles that underpin European security.  Without provocation, Russia violated every single Helsinki principle: respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, refraining from the threat or use of force.

But it is in all of our interests that these principles endure – because they are the guardrails that prevent the next conflict. History shows us that the way wars end shapes the peace that follows. Our task is to ensure that, in Ukraine, peace is built on foundations that strengthen – not weaken – the rules that protect us all.

Standing up for Ukraine is standing up for our own security. If borders can be redrawn by force, none of us can rely on the rules that keep us safe.  We don’t call for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine because we are idealists or of course for any of the cynical reasons that the Kremlin’s disinformation would have some believe.  It is required because it is right and because legitimising this illegal invasion would erode the foundations of peace in Europe for generations to come.

Our message must be clear: International law matters. The UN Charter matters. The Helsinki Final Act matters. These are not abstract words; they are the framework that keeps Europe secure. If we fail to defend them, we will pay a far higher price later.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 10 December 2025.

Statement by Legal Adviser Colin McIntyre at the UN Security Council meeting on the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.

Today’s briefing occurs at an important time for the Mechanism.  

In the first half of 2026 Council Members will engage in detailed discussions on the future of the Mechanism.  

Whilst the details of those discussions will take place over the months ahead there are some general principles which, in our view, should guide the work of the Council.

First, and as the Council has agreed previously, the Mechanism should be a small, temporary and efficient structure, whose functions and size diminish over time and whose staffing and structure should be commensurate with those functions. 

Given the completion of the Mechanism’s core crimes work, it is natural and appropriate that, in future, the Mechanism should be a substantially smaller institution than has been the case to date.  

This would be reflective of the truly residual nature of the institution at this later stage in the justice cycle.

In order to achieve this, it would be appropriate to transfer certain functions currently performed by the Mechanism either to States or to other institutional structures. 

The UK is grateful for the work which the Mechanism and the principals have already undertaken in assessing how this could be achieved in practice.  

We are pleased that there appears to be a considerable degree of agreement between the Prosecutor, President and Secretary General on this matter.  

This is welcome and provides a strong starting point for the work that lies ahead.

There will, of course, be a range of proposals and we stand ready to consider those.

However, to comment briefly on a specific example, the UK can see a strong case for the transfer of work relating to the provision of assistance to national jurisdictions away from the Mechanism.  

Such work remains valuable, as is attested to, by the ongoing demand for this assistance from States.  

But such a workstream may not need to be provided by the Mechanism as currently structured. 

Nonetheless, Mr President, it is also clear that some functions will, of necessity, need to remain at the international level.  

This includes certain judicial functions, for instance, where there is a need for consistency in decision-making.  

As we move ahead with this work, we look forward to receiving the upcoming OIOS and Secretary General reports, which we are confident will prove of assistance to Council Members.

In relation to the archives, we agree with the principle that, where possible, these should be housed as close as possible to affected communities.  

We hope and expect that this will prove to be the case in respect of the archives of the ICTR.  

We hope the same will also apply to the archives of the ICTY and, at minimum, we see a good case for these to be located in Europe.

Finally, and on a different note, we wish to extend our gratitudes to the Mechanism for facilitating a visit by representatives of Council Members to the UN Detention Unit in The Hague during this reporting period.  

This enabled Council members to see for themselves the fully satisfactory nature of the provision there.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 10 December 2025.

The British High Commission has announced that construction on the new buildings have started at the existing site in Nicosia.

Our historic site, which was formerly part of the Central Prisons’ compound, will soon house a new, fit-for-purpose, eco-friendly High Commission, which will better symbolise the strong and growing partnership between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Cyprus. 

The €40 million-plus project – the largest current project on the UK’s diplomatic estate – constitutes a mark of confidence in the strength of the bilateral relationship. And with the prime contractor being the Cypriot-owned firm Atlas Pantou, it is also a significant British investment into the Cypriot economy.

Ground was broken in December and is the project is expected to be completed by November 2028. The project consists of a new High Commission office building, a security facility and a new Residence for the High Commissioner. The new compound will be carbon-neutral, contributing to Cyprus’ efforts to reduce emissions in our common fight to tackle the climate crisis.

The existing High Commission buildings will continue to be functional until the opening of our new building. While there will be new temporary access points for visitors, our services will not be interrupted.

British High Commissioner Michael Tatham, said:

“Any new construction represents change and a departure from the past. We see this as a massive upgrade, reflecting the value that the UK attaches to its strong partnership with  the Republic of Cyprus. We are looking forward to seeing a new High Commission take shape – and to inviting our many Cypriot friends and partners to see it soon.”