Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 July 2024.

The UK and G7 partners gave a joint statement condemning recent Israeli expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the EU, join the UN and the European Union in condemning the announcement by Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich that 5 outposts are to be legalised in the West Bank.

We also reject the decision by the Government of Israel to declare over 1,270 hectares of land in the West Bank as ‘state lands’ – the largest such declaration of state land since the Oslo Accords – and the decision to expand existing settlements in the occupied West Bank by 5,295 new housing units and to establish 3 new settlements. The Government of Israel’s settlement program is inconsistent with international law, and counterproductive to the cause of peace.

We reaffirm our commitment to a lasting and sustainable peace in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, on the basis of the two-state solution. We have therefore consistently expressed our opposition to the expansion of settlements and, as in previous cases, we urge the Government of Israel to reverse this decision.

Further, maintaining economic stability in the West Bank is critical for regional security.  In this context, we take note of the latest transfers of parts of the clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority, but we urge Israel to release all withheld clearance revenues in accordance with the Paris Protocols, remove or relax measures that exacerbate the economic situation in the West Bank, and to take the necessary measures to ensure that correspondent banking services between Israeli and Palestinian banks remain in place with proper controls.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 July 2024.

Statement by UK Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Colombia.

President Petro, first let me thank you and all our interlocutors in Colombia for hosting the Security Council’s very valuable visit in February. We welcome your continued commitment to full implementation of the 2016 Agreement and to build sustainable peace in Colombia. The next two years of your Government will be critical. So we thank you for you report and your update on your fast track proposals.

The 2016 Agreement is a blueprint to transform Colombia and its territories which requires a whole of society effort. Now is the time to build consensus and accelerate efforts across all three pillars. We welcome the reinvigoration of high-level coordination mechanisms of the Agreement and we urge collective action between the Government and the State entities to demonstrate that commitment to peace delivers for all Colombians.

We welcome Colombia’s continued focus on addressing the root causes of conflict. We remain concerned about persistent levels of violence and threats, particularly in Cauca, Valle del Cauca, and Caquetá, and reports that areas for training and reintegration are closing due to insecurity. We strongly condemn the targeting of peace signatories, of human rights defenders, women and social leaders and indigenous communities. We call on Colombia to ensure their safety and security, as well as bringing the perpetrators to justice. We encourage Colombia to use the security guarantee mechanisms established in the Agreement and we look forward to the implementation of the public policy to dismantle illegal armed groups.

As you take forward building peace through dialogue, civil society participation is essential. We welcome the agreement with the ELN on the 25 May for their inclusion in the process. We also call upon the ELN to re-commit to ending the use of kidnapping and take concrete steps to protect communities. We note the recent divisions within the so-called EMC. And we welcome and recognise that some entities remain committed to the ceasefire. We call upon the EMC to refrain from violence and demonstrate their commitment to peace through dialogue.

President Petro, SRSG Ruiz Massieu, members of the Council, the United Kingdom will continue to partner and support Colombia along its path to sustainable peace. Now is the time to drive forward implementation to achieve lasting change.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 10 July 2024.

Interactive Dialogue on High Commissioner’s report on technical cooperation in Colombia. Delivered by the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, Simon Manley.

Thank you, Mr. Vice-President.

We salute Colombia’s collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, a model for the entire region and beyond.

We support Colombia’s rural development and reintegration programmes and the transitional justice mechanisms. These measures have strengthened the security and participation of the communities in conflict-affected areas.

We support attempts to implement fully the 2016 agreement. Yet, as recognised by the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, several challenges remain, especially regarding human security, with over one million new displacements.

We take this opportunity to pay tribute to the courage of the victims still providing evidence for the ongoing work of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.

We commend the International Human Rights expert’s advice that Colombia implements the Truth Commission’s recommendation for an independent mechanism to seek justice. We urge all parties to implement these recommendations, and to support their implementation.

That is why the UK also supports the High Commissioner’s provision of capacity-building mechanisms to support the Attorney General’s Office. These mechanisms will further the comprehensive implementation of the 2016 agreement, by supporting transitional justice.

Mr Salazar,

How will your Office integrate a local approach in the provision of technical cooperation and capacity building?

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 July 2024.

Canadian Ambassador delivers a joint statement on behalf of the UK and other OSCE participating States to mark World Refugee Day.

Thank you very much Madam Chair,

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

In marking World Refugee Day, we show solidarity with millions of refugees, and we recommit to the task of responding to their humanitarian needs and finding durable solutions to their situations. Compared to a decade ago, the total number of refugees globally has more than tripled – with a 7% increase in 2023 alone. Persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and natural disasters have led to the forcible displacement of more than 117 million people worldwide.

The Russia Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues to be the catalyst for massive displacement in the OSCE region and the largest cross-border movement of people in Europe since the Second World War. The UNHCR is currently reporting that almost 6.5 million refugees have been forced to flee Ukraine and an additional 3.5 million individuals have been internally displaced. Large-scale attacks by the Russian Federation across Ukraine, the targeting of energy infrastructure, and a ground offensive in Kharkiv region, all continue to drive a need for life-saving humanitarian assistance to people living close to the frontline. As winter approaches, the UNHCR predicts further displacement and humanitarian need.

The UNHCR also noted the impact of war, destruction and displacement on Ukrainian children and their access to education. They report that, in the current academic year, nearly one million children – a quarter of all Ukrainian children enrolled in school – have been unable to attend in-person learning, and that frequent air raid alarms and power outages have disrupted their education, leading to learning losses and long-term implications for their development.

We are also concerned regarding the displacement by conflict of more than 115,000 ethnic Armenians in late 2023 into Armenia, and the acute humanitarian challenges that they have faced as a result.

Those driven from their homes within the OSCE region add to those already fleeing conflict and persecution from other regions of the world to seek refuge in this region. In the face of this challenge, we commend host countries for opening their borders, for showing empathy and care, and for their efforts to grant refugees the opportunity to study, work, and live decent lives in safety. In this regard, we note the efforts of Poland, Czechia and Moldova in welcoming Ukrainian refugees, as well as the work done by Türkiye, which is among the top refugee-hosting countries globally, hosting 3.4 million refugees and asylum seekers.

We emphasize the importance of inclusion and diversity, and of the positive impact that newcomers can have on our societies and economies. In addressing forcible displacement, we must strive to reach those in need, including women and girls, and to address parallel risks and challenges such as trafficking, discrimination and intolerance.

As participating States of the OSCE we must recall that it is incumbent upon all of us to provide international protection and assistance to refugees, and to find durable and dignified solutions for them and for other forcibly displaced persons.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 4 July 2024.#

The UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN in Geneva, Simon Manley, gave a statement during Mozambique’s WTO Trade Policy Review.

Chair, let me offer a warm welcome to the delegation from Mozambique led by Mr. Silvino Augusto José Moreno, Minister of Industry and Commerce. Let me also express my gratitude to colleagues from the WTO Secretariat for their respective reports, to the Chair, as ever, and to our Discussant, Mr. Li Chenggang, for his insightful comments.

Economic Analysis

1. I’d particularly like to thank the delegation and the secretariat for all of the hard work which goes into a Trade Policy Review. The secretariat and government reports offer invaluable insight into Mozambique’s trade policies and wider economy.
2. Mozambique has faced various shocks since the last TPR in 2017: climate, COVID-19, ongoing conflict. In order to accelerate economic growth and reduce poverty, Mozambique is progressing with some key economic reforms including as part of the IMF programme initiated in 2022. We were also pleased to read that the government is taking steps to address the recent public sector wage bill overrun discussed in the reports.
3. I am pleased to say that our development assistance has been supporting Mozambique’s emergency and humanitarian response, basic service delivery, and economic reforms to strengthen domestic revenue mobilisation, debt and State Owned Enterprises transparency. These economic reforms were crucial for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB) decisions to resume programmatic support in 2022 and 2023.
4. The UK deeply appreciates the insights afforded to us by Mozambique’s engagement with this important transparency exercise, including their answers to our Advanced Written Questions.
5. They allow us to better understand Mozambique’s trade policies, which in turn, allow us to understand how we can work together to further improve our trading relationship, which has seen rapid growth in the last two years. In 2023, UK exports to Mozambique grew by over 100%, whilst our imports from Mozambique increased in value by 175%.

Southern African Customs Union Member States (SACUM) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)

1. Close cooperation between our two countries, and regional partners, has enabled this rapid growth. We are grateful to Mozambique for its constructive work implementing the SACU-Mozambique-UK Economic Partnership Agreement, which came into force in 2021 and underpins our trading relationship with Mozambique, as well as Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa.
2. The UK is fully committed to the EPA, principally as a means of increasing trade and investment to promote sustainable growth and poverty reduction in southern Africa. We look forward to holding the first EPA Joint Council and working with Mozambique and SACU partners to continue implementation and look towards deepening the Agreement and enhancing the benefits for businesses and consumers in the UK and Southern Africa.
3. Last month we celebrated the first anniversary of the UK’s Developing Country Trading Scheme. DCTS has now been in force for one year, providing improved market access to 65 developing countries – home to 3.3 billion people – including Mozambique. Free and open trade is a crucial tool in helping Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to drive economic growth and support sustainable development, and the DCTS helps Mozambique to export to the UK and play a more active part in fast growing global supply chains.

WTO

1. Chair, given the benefits trade can bring to LDCs, the UK was pleased to see that the reports reference Mozambique’s commitment to uphold the principles of a rules-based, predictable and transparent trading system; and equally, to hear Minister Moreno’s reference this morning to Mozambique’s objective to create a stable and sustainable environment for trade. Mozambique’s commitment is evidenced by the significant role global trade plays in the Mozambique economy, with aggregate two-way trade flows ranging from 92.8% and 137.7% of GDP between 2017-23.
2. Mozambique’s constructive work within the WTO itself is also praiseworthy. In particular, the UK welcomes the role which Mozambique plays on Trade Facilitation; Mozambique is a focal point within these important discussions. We look forward to continuing to work together with Mozambique within the Committee on Trade Facilitation, ensuring that the WTO continues to work for LDCs and Developing Countries. We were also pleased to see Mozambique enhancing its participation at the WTO through the Informal Working Group on Micro Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), and the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution.
3. The UK is also keen to hear more about Mozambique’s efforts in promoting inclusive economic development in the future. As one of the co-chairs of the WTO Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender, I would welcome hearing more about Mozambique’s initiatives, in the spirit of sharing best practice and learning in this group.

African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

1. Chair, we would like to take this opportunity to commend Mozambique for its Accession to another multilateral body: the African Continental Free Trade Area. The UK is a firm supporter of the AfCFTA, which has the potential to be a game-changer for intra-regional trade across the continent and thereby inclusive economic growth and development.
2. The UK was proud to be the first non-African country to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the AfCFTA Secretariat, and through our development assistance, we are working closely to support the AfCFTA Secretariat and Member States to get the agreement up and running.
3. Finally Chair, let me thank Mozambique for their full cooperation with this important exercise in transparency. I would particularly like to thank the delegation for their hard work answering the UK’s questions, hard work which I hope didn’t distract them from celebrating the Dia da Independência last week.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 July 2024.

ID with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Venezuela. Delivered by the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, Simon Manley.

Thank you, Ms Vice-President.

We are less than a month before elections in Venezuela, and we are really worried by what we are seeing in terms of political repression, arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances.

We condemn the ongoing harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders, journalists, and the political opposition. And we are concerned at the threat to remaining civic space through the proposed NGO law. As Venezuela approaches these elections, we think it is really imperative to ensure that all candidates, the political opposition, and civil society can all operate without fear of reprisal.

High Commissioner,

We continue to call for the unconditional return of your Office to Venezuela. We reaffirm our commitment to its mandate and that of the Fact-Finding Mission and call for their renewal in September at this Council. Their work is essential to ending human rights violations, particularly for vulnerable populations.

High Commissioner,

It has been three years now since the arbitrary detention of human rights defender Javier Tarazona, whilst Rocío San Miguel and many others also remain detained. What prospects do you see for an improvement to the current situation?

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 July 2024.

UK statement for Interactive Dialogue on the oral update of the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic. Delivered by the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, Simon Manley.

Thank you, Mr President.

Commissioners, thank you for your comprehensive assessment of human rights violations in Syria. In the fourteenth year of the conflict, human rights violations remain systematic and widespread.

The Syrian people continue to live in uncertainty and insecurity, without the protection of the rule of law. Access for humanitarian aid is precarious and civilians are all too often the innocent victims of violence and attacks by the Assad regime and its Russian allies and armed groups.

Mr President,

Syrian refugees have the right to return to Syria in a manner that is safe, voluntary and dignified. However, for those returning to Syria, an uncertain fate awaits. We are alarmed by reports of gross human rights violations and abuses suffered by returnees at the hands of the Syrian authorities and armed groups, including reports of returnees being arrested and arbitrarily detained. While the Syrian authorities continue to show such scant regard for human life and international law, it is simply not viable for people to return.

Commissioners, how can the international community support you in seeking accountability for those who have violated and abused the rights of detainees, including through arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and torture?

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 July 2024.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Haiti.

The crisis in Haiti has affected the lives of Haitians for far too long. Schools are closed, hospitals have run out of supplies and access to food is severely limited. We continue to hear chilling accounts of gangs using sexual violence and gender-based violence as a means to control the population.

We commend the recent arrival of members of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) to Haiti and pay tribute to Kenya’s leadership of this mission. The mission remains vital to supporting Haitian efforts to resolve instability. The UK has pledged over $6 million dollars to support it.

The appointment of Prime Minister Conille and a cabinet to lead the Transitional Government is an important development, which we strongly welcome. We urge Haitian political and civil society, with the active participation of women and youth, to seize this opportunity to address the root causes of the security crisis and to create the conditions necessary for lasting change. Prime Minister, you have our support in this vital task.

Let me reiterate also, as the Council considers the renewal of BINUH’s mandate, the United Kingdom’s full support to the SRSG and the mission. BINUH will continue to play an important role in supporting the Transitional Government. This should be coordinated with the MSS mission.

President, these developments have created positive momentum in Haiti. It is vital that the international community now supports Haiti’s Transitional Government to take advantage of this, to bring about the stability and security that the Haitian people so desperately need and that they deserve.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 July 2024.

Joint Statement for the Interactive Dialogue with UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria. Delivered by the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, Simon Manley.

Mr President,

This statement is on behalf of 54 countries.

We commend the Commission of Inquiry’s continued work in shining light on large-scale, systematic, and arbitrary or unjust detentions and related violations and abuses. This, together with the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism, is crucial for ensuring accountability.

We deplore the fact that tens of thousands of Syrians are estimated to have been subjected to arbitrary and incommunicado detention. Torture and other ill-treatment, including sexual and gender-based violence, have been reported on an alarming scale, and continue to this day. We strongly condemn all deaths, torture and abuse of detainees in detention facilities, particularly in Syrian government facilities. We recall the Commission’s clear assessment that the rights of detained persons have not been respected throughout the conflict.

Tens of thousands of families continue to live with the anguish caused by not knowing the whereabouts of their loved ones. Cooperation, by all parties to the conflict, with the newly created Independent Institution on Missing Persons is also essential.

Mr President,

The Syrian regime and all parties must cease such practices; release unjustly detained Syrians; clarify the fate of the missing; ensure appropriate access for independent and humanitarian monitoring organisations and hold those responsible to account.

Finally, we reiterate our call for a sustainable and comprehensive political solution for Syria in line with Security Council Resolution 2254.

Co-signatories: 1. Albania 2. Andorra 3. Argentina 4. Australia 5. Austria 6. Belgium 7. Bulgaria 8. Canada 9. Czechia 10. Colombia 11. Costa Rica 12. Croatia 13. Cyprus 14. Denmark 15. Ecuador 16. Estonia 17. Finland 18. France 19. Germany 20. Georgia 21. Greece 22. Hungary 23. Iceland 24. Ireland 25. Israel 26. Italy 27. Japan 28. Latvia 29. Liechtenstein 30. Lithuania 31. Luxembourg 32. Malta 33. Monaco 34. Montenegro 35. Moldova 36. Netherlands 37. New Zealand 38. North Macedonia 39. Norway 40. Poland 41. Portugal 42. Qatar 43. Republic of Korea 44. Romania 45. San Marino 46. Slovakia 47. Slovenia 48. Spain 49. Sweden 50. Switzerland 51. Turkey 52. UK 53. Ukraine 54. US

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 July 2024.

UK military advisor, Nicholas Aucott, says Russia’s violations of international law damages global security. Their approach is rooted in chaos, the rule of force, and is accepted only by a few hostile states.

Thank you, Mr Chair. Russia continues to contravene the universal principles to which every member of the OSCE, including Russia, has subscribed; the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act.

Russia has violated all of this by aggressively invading its neighbour, Ukraine. There is no escaping this reality, which is in complete violation of international law. And yet, Russia’s narrative is to suggest that it has a new offer, in which such actions would be legitimate. This is its offer of ‘Multipolarity’.

Russia’s projection of multipolarity stands for the rule of force. It promotes illegal and anarchic behaviours, tearing up the rulebook because it doesn’t suit. It is there to maintain power for President Putin and a narrow cohort of Kremlin elites.

Russia’s vision of multipolarity is embraced by hostile States; Iran has given Russia one-way attack drones which inflict pain, suffering and death on its neighbour; and North Korea, who Russia sources munitions from, in spite of international sanctions.

Russia’s view of the world is cynical. It is a view of the world, thankfully, embraced by only a very few. It is incumbent on us in this Forum, and this organisation more broadly, to stand strong against this worldview, and to embrace the universal principles enshrined in the UN Charter.

That is why it matters so much to continue to support Ukraine. It matters in its own right, to support a nation who has had untold aggression brought to its land. But it matters more broadly, for Russia threatens to undermine the very basis on which nations around the world can peacefully co-exist. This is why the United Kingdom will continue to support Ukraine in its fight against tyranny and aggression for as long as it takes. Thank you.