Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2024.

The 2024 Canada-U.K. Media Freedom Award has been presented today to independent Afghan journalists and media organizations for their courageous reporting despite restrictions imposed by the Taliban.

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, and H.E. Lord Collins of Highbury, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Africa) of the United Kingdom, presented the award to Lotfullah Najafizada, CEO of Amu TV, on behalf of his fellow independent Afghan journalists and media organizations.

This award signals the enduring commitment of both Canada and the United Kingdom to support free and independent journalism.

Every day, independent Afghan journalists and media organizations continue to offer a platform for uncensored information and hope in Afghanistan in the face of the severe repression brought by the Taliban since August 2021.

Independent reporters and media organizations navigate the risks posed by the Taliban’s harsh crackdown on journalism, working bravely to ensure the continuation of free press in a difficult climate. They report on significant issues affecting Afghanistan under Taliban rule, including human rights violations and the plight of women and girls, including forced marriages and bans on education.

Established in 2020, the Canada-U.K. Media Freedom award recognises those who have championed freedom of speech and democracy.

Egyptian online newspaper Mada Masr won the award in 2023. Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang was named as winner in 2022, and the 2020 winner was the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

The announcement of the 2024 award comes during the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week.

The Media Freedom Coalition, which the U.K. and Canada co-founded and now has more than 50 members, celebrated its fifth anniversary during the week’s activities.

Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada said:

We commend the independent Afghan journalists and media organizations who are working courageously and tirelessly to bring the world up-to-date information and thoughtful, expert analysis about what is happening in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

Media freedom remains essential to the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms around the world. These independent journalists and media organizations are giving a voice to people whose voices are being silenced. Canada will continue to support them, together with our partners.

Lord Collins of Highbury, UK Minister for Africa said:

Despite the many restrictions they work under, these brave Afghan journalists have found innovative ways to get accurate, timely and valuable information to the people of Afghanistan, including on the plight of women and girls. They play a vital role in preserving the truth. The U.K. remains committed to media freedom, and to championing human rights and democracy around the world.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 September 2024.

Representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Yemen gave a joint statement on the Houthis’ unjustified detention of people in Yemen.

Statement by representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Yemen:

On September 25, representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Yemen met to discuss the impact of unjustified Houthi detentions of United Nations, NGO, civil society, former diplomatic mission, and other staff in Yemen.

These individuals must be released immediately, and all staff must be allowed to perform their work without fear of unjustified detention or intimidation. We call on all countries and organizations to explore every possible diplomatic channel to advance negotiations for the release of current detainees.

The Houthis must respect international norms and ensure the safety and security of all diplomatic, humanitarian, civil society, and United Nations personnel. We cannot in good conscience put individuals at risk of unjustified detention or worse by continuing business as usual.

As a result of the detentions, we support the United Nations in its decision to minimize the exposure of staff to risk in Houthi-controlled territories. We welcome the UN decision to suspend all non-life saving and non-life sustaining activities in Houthi-controlled areas and call on the international community to redirect such assistance to elsewhere in the country. We urge the Houthis to provide an adequate operating environment in which principled humanitarian assistance can be implemented.

Delivering aid to those most in need across Yemen remains an international humanitarian imperative and requires an operating environment which assures the safety and security of aid workers. We underscore our strong concern for the welfare and dignity of the Yemeni people, and our desire to continue to be able to support their well-being, which is inhibited by the actions and repression of the Houthis.

We reaffirm our strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Yemen, and our determination to stand by the people of Yemen.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 September 2024.

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

1. Thank you very much, Chair. First of all, let me offer a really warm welcome to the Minister and all his team from Astana. Great to have you here. Great to have you back, Ambassador Zanar Aitzhan, really lovely to see you. Let me thank you, Chair, as ever, for your introduction, the WTO Secretariat for your report and, of course, our Ambassador Sophia Boza Martinez, Ambassador and, of course, Professor. Thank you for your presentation this morning.
2. As this is the first Trade Policy Review since Kazakhstan’s accession 10 years ago, obviously, today, this week, indeed offers a really unique opportunity to reflect upon Kazakhstan’s trade policies over the last decade. And thank you, Minister, for your presentation to kick us off this morning, but also for the role that trade policy has played not just in Kazakhstan’s development, which you explained, but also in this organisation and in our work over the last 10 years.
3. Chair, I think probably is not a surprise to you or to most of the people in this room, but the UK is a great believer in the virtues and benefits of WTO accession. And I think they’re demonstrated by Kazakhstan’s economic performance over the last 10 years: trade growth from 57% of GDP back in 2017 to 62% last year, Most Favoured Nation tariff decrease from almost 8% in 2016 to 6% now.
4. During that same period, again, as the Minister related at the beginning, Kazakhstan has faced the shock, political, economic shock of the pandemic, but showed significant broad-based economic resilience. And we think that is, in part, the fruit of being a member of this organization. We particularly recognize the success of the ‘Digital Kazakhstan’ programme, which has facilitated the growth of so many Kazakh SMEs (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises).
5. The UK is, again, both the Minister and Sophia mentioned, a strong believer in the Kazakhstan’s economy. We are one of Kazakhstan’s top six investors, with an annual trade turnover of almost £ 3 billion, which reflects, in our view, a strategic partnership which we have nurtured since Kazakhstan’s independence back in 1991. And that partnership stretches across many areas, from business and education to climate and biodiversity and all the way from Astana and the Caspian Sea to the shores of Lake Geneva here in Switzerland.
6. For instance, Kazakhstan’s national airline Air Astana was successfully floated on the London Stock Exchange earlier this year; British universities, including Coventry and De Montfort, have opened campuses in Kazakhstan and offered dual degree programmes; British companies have made significant investments in flagship oil and gas projects and Kazakhstan’s mining sector. And here in Geneva, we are close partners, not just here in this organization, but also in the Human Rights Council, where we are proud to work with Kazakhstan as an elected member of that body.
7. We welcome Kazakhstan’s commitment to continue broadening and deepening that bilateral relationship. We look forward to hosting our annual Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Investment in London this autumn, and that 11th session of the Commission will provide an important opportunity to discuss how we can further strengthen that relationship for the future, with the first meeting since we signed the UK-Kazakhstan Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
8. Our engagement with this Trade Policy Review has been motivated by a desire to build upon that bilateral progress. Kazakhstan’s constructive answers to our Advanced Written Questions, thank you, should provide clarity, and we hope ease trade for UK and Kazakh businesses.
9. Most of all, Chair, Minister, we’d welcome progress in tackling one key Market Access Barrier that is faced by British businesses, and that is the use of subsidies favouring domestic agricultural machinery over imported “like” machinery. We fully understand the importance of increasing domestic manufacturing for Kazakhstan’s economy, but we do believe that those subsidies negatively impact Kazakhstan’s agricultural sector development, responsible for over 4% of GDP, pricing, we’d argue, the best technology out of the market. We’d also venture to suggest that those subsidies are not compliant with WTO rules. So, going forward, we would really like Kazakhstan to comply with those rules and take steps to modify or eliminate those subsidies.
10. We would also, I have to say, welcome Kazakhstan’s accession to the Government Procurement Agreement, as it suggested it would do during the WTO accession process. We maintain an offer of bilateral assistance, should you desire to take forward that process of accession.
11. More generally, let me pay tribute, as so many others have done this morning, to the role that Kazakhstan has played within this organisation since its accession. Minister, you touched on it, as did Sophia, most significantly the pivotal role you played in chairing the MC12 negotiations, even if we were denied the opportunity, sadly, by the Pandemic of a visit to Astana. It was a great privilege to work with Ambassador Aitzhan, who led the charge for the delivery, not just of that Ministerial Conference, but also for the Services paragraph, and it has been a great tribune for services in trade in this organisation as Chair of the Council for Trade in Services in Special Session. Your work is not being left unfinished. We need to push forward with ensuring that we give due recognition in this organization to the rapidly growing global services in trade, which offer such opportunities for countries in both the developed and developing world.
12. We also welcome Kazakhstan’s participation within a whole range of other plurilateral initiatives, as others have said this morning, including those on Investment Facilitation for Development, E-commerce and Services Domestic Regulation, all really important initiatives which we wish to see brought within the framework of this organisation.
13. And it would be remiss of me as one of the co-chairs of the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender, not to mention, as my Ukrainian colleague did, Kazakhstan’s commitment not just to that Working Group, but to the cause of trade and gender equality, particularly through enhancing women’s employment and entrepreneurial skills. So, I would really love Kazakhstan to come to that Working Group to share its experiences in supporting women in trade, including the Business Roadmap 2020-25 initiative, at one of our future meetings.
14. Finally, let me commend the Minister and is delegation, who had to face the WTO internal deadline of the 30th of August for submitting Advanced Written Questions, coinciding with their most important national holiday, the Constitution Day. I hope that they found time to have their own belated celebrations, if they haven’t done so far. And I hope that, at the end of this week, they will celebrate in style in this fair city.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 September 2024.

Interactive Dialogue on the UN Secretary General’s Report on Reprisals. Delivered by the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders.

Thank you, Mr President, and thank you to the Secretary General for his tireless work to highlight continuing efforts to silence those who cooperate with the UN to defend human rights.

The UK pays tribute to these courageous individuals.

This time last year, we highlighted the intimidation and harassment faced by the son of Jimmy Lai, Sebastien, and his international legal team, for their engagement with this Council. We are deeply troubled that such tactics appear to have continued, including death and rape threats and repeated attempts to hack email and bank accounts as set out in this year’s report.

In Belarus, members of the Congress of Democratic Trade Unions have been detained for advocating for workers’ rights and engaging with the International Labour Organization.  Delegates of the Human Rights Centre Viasna face years in prison for cooperating with UN mechanisms.

In Vietnam, author and journalist Pham Doan Trang remains in detention for her work to advance human rights, including through her engagement with the UN.

And in Russia, the authorities have dissolved the NGO “Man and Law” citing its engagement with the UN.

Mr President, a conservative figure of 300 human rights defenders lost their lives in 2023; what can be done to reduce this terrible toll?

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 September 2024.

The UK is providing £5 million to UNICEF in Lebanon to support humanitarian response efforts and enable UNICEF to distribute supplies to those in need.

The essential humanitarian support comes after further civilian casualties following this week’s air strikes. Thousands more have been displaced or forced to flee their homes.

The package includes essential medical supplies, hygiene kits and fuel for water stations, to help thousands of displaced civilians across Lebanon meet their basic needs.

It will also help emergency teams respond to urgent health and nutrition needs and provide a series of training sessions for key delivery partners and frontline workers to ensure an effective emergency response.

Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Hamish Falconer said:

Today we are providing £5 million to UNICEF in Lebanon to support the urgent humanitarian response in Lebanon.  The number of civilian casualties is unacceptable, and the UK is deeply concerned by the surge in numbers of displaced people.

An immediate ceasefire is essential.

Development Director and Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy Beirut Victoria Dunne said:

We are profoundly saddened by the civilian deaths in Lebanon. The number of casualties and the scale of displacement is deeply distressing.

Alongside our tireless diplomatic efforts, the UK is providing £5m to UNICEF Lebanon, to deliver vital supplies to support thousands of displaced civilians facing a humanitarian emergency in Lebanon. The UK has been and will remain a strong supporter of Lebanon.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 September 2024.

Statement by Lord Collins of Highbury, Minister for Africa and multilateralism, at the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.

President, let me start by underscoring a very clear message from my government. We need an immediate ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza now. And we need an immediate ceasefire across the Lebanon/Israel border now.

We are on the brink of a much larger regional war, which risks even more devastation and suffering. Unfortunately, as we have seen both on the ground today with further strikes in Beirut and as we have heard from speeches in the General Assembly hall, the escalation continues.

We urge Israel and Hizballah to heed the calls of the UK and our partners to immediately agree a 21-day ceasefire. Calm heads must prevail to end this cycle of violence.

President, today’s meeting was called to focus on the dire situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Almost one year into the conflict, 41,000 Palestinians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians lack access to clean water and sanitation, facing the threat of disease and famine.

And 101 hostages are still held by Hamas in horrific conditions, as Israel and its people continue to reckon with the aftermath of the worst terrorist attack in its history.

It is clear that there can be no military solution to this conflict. Israel and Hamas must agree a deal urgently.

In the meantime, Israel must fulfil its commitment to flood Gaza with humanitarian aid. Sadly this has not yet materialised.

Ahead of a winter, Israel must ensure that the right supplies and equipment can enter Gaza to protect vulnerable families.

And it must ensure it complies with its obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians.

Only last week over 200 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and many continue to live under a relentless barrage of attacks, unsafe in the shelters where they seek refuge.

The UK is also deeply concerned by the situation in the occupied West Bank. We call on Israel to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, and clamp down on actions of those who seek to inflame tensions.

The closure of Al Jazeera’s offices in Ramallah by the IDF is contrary to the democratic principles that Israel is rightly proud of. Media freedom and security of journalists must be respected.

President, without a revitalised political process towards a two-state solution we will not achieve a sustainable peace. We need galvanised international efforts to this end, and to realise a safe and secure Israel, alongside a safe and secure Palestinian state.

This must include the reunification of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in line with 1967 borders and under the effective control of the Palestinian Authority.

President, planning for Gaza’s future must also put Palestinians at the centre of governance, security, recovery and reconstruction efforts. This is the only way to deliver a lasting stability.

Together, we must stop the region slipping into a deeper crisis and pull it back on the path towards a peaceful future.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 September 2024.

Deputy Ambassador Brown condemns Russian disinformation and other forms of malign influence.

Thank you Madam Chair.

The United States has just informed this Council of steps it has taken to defend its democratic institutions in the face of a covert foreign influence operation by the Russian Federation. This follows other participating States’ interventions in this Council to highlight multiple forms of malign interference across our region in recent months.

Indeed the United Kingdom put Russia’s malign influence and interference onto the Permanent Council’s agenda in May and I thank the US for once again raising this matter.

All OSCE Participating States – including the UK – have made important commitments to uphold media freedom, including to foster “free, independent and pluralistic media” as part of open societies and accountable governments.

The United Kingdom will continue to uphold media freedom, learning from best practice – including that shared by the Office of the Representative for Freedom of the Media. And we again call on all other participating States – particularly Russia and Belarus – to uphold OSCE commitments on media freedom, safety of journalists and freedom of expression.

At the same time the United Kingdom will also take action to defend our national and regional security against the full spectrum of threats emanating from Russia, working in partnership with others. This has included sanctioning Russian media outlets like Rossiya Segodnya and TV Novosti (which controls Russia Today) which spread disinformation and propaganda designed to incite violence and hatred towards Ukraine and its people.

Madam Chair. Our message to Russia is clear: stop this illegal war; withdraw your troops from Ukraine; cease your malign activities including disinformation and information manipulation; and, respect the OSCE principles and commitments that keep us all safe.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 September 2024.

Ambassador Neil Holland voices UK support for the OSCE Programme Office’s work in Tajikistan, especially on border security, gender equality, and human rights.

Ambassador Kempel, welcome to the Permanent Council and thank you for your report. Your presence after a long vacancy in the role is very welcome. The OSCE field missions need leadership – as well as reliable resourcing – to operate effectively. We again urge participating States to break the endless impasse over budgets and ensure that all OSCE institutions – including the important Border Management Staff College – are adequately funded to effectively fulfil their mandates.

I would like to highlight several areas of the Programme Office’s work today that are particularly important to the UK.

Firstly, the Mission’s work to promote gender equality and support those affected by domestic violence through the Women’s Resource Centres. The importance the UK attaches to addressing domestic violence cannot be understated. These OSCE centres support vulnerable women and help them engage in crucial advocacy with local administrations to prevent Gender Based Violence.

Secondly, the crucial role the Programme Office plays in facilitating cross-border cooperation and security. Tajikistan has undertaken valuable work in the demarcation of 94% of its border with Kyrgyzstan, highlighting the value of diplomacy and peaceful dialogue. We commend these efforts and look forward to seeing further progress. The UK is also committed to working with Tajikistan, its neighbours and the OSCE to mitigate the challenges arising from Afghanistan.

Finally, I want to commend the mission’s efforts in the human dimension, notably its support to the Government of Tajikistan to promote the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners. I also welcome the Mission’s work with the Government of Tajikistan to embed human rights within government training courses. Issues remain: detention and prosecution of journalists and political opposition, including in but not limited to the Gorno Badakhshan autonomous region, is an issue of concern for the UK; and is undermining Tajikistan’s international reputation and prospects for investment.

Madam Chair, I would like to commend the Government of Tajikistan for their continued leadership on climate and water security, not least demonstrated by their water management event during the 31st OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum in Prague this month, as well as the Water Conference in Dushanbe in June. As climate change makes water access more competitive and harder to manage, cooperation and solutions become more vital.

From the environmental climate to the business one. For the Government of Tajikistan to make progress in its efforts towards driving economic development and improving the business climate, it must recognise the importance of offering a predictable business environment where business owners can generate profit. This will encourage quality foreign investment that can create clean growth and jobs for Tajik citizens.

To conclude, I would like to thank you again, Ambassador Kempel, for presenting your report today; and wish you all the best in your new role.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 September 2024.

Emma Logan, UK Delegation to the OSCE, says that by disrupting cultural property trafficking, we can also disrupt broader Serious Organised Criminal activity.

Thank you Chair for bringing together a set of very interesting speakers today.

The trafficking of cultural property, be it an antiquity or modern artwork, can be an enabling element to conflict, non-state threats and can facilitate money laundering for Serious Organised Crime (SOC). As today’s panel has illustrated, the protection of cultural property from intentional destruction, looting and trafficking becomes far more complex during times of war.

I will pick up on three points that have been mentioned today. Firstly, the need for continued cooperation of international organisations, agencies and bodies was recently reaffirmed at the G7 in Naples; with Minister Bryant, Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and- Tourism, representing the UK. Today, we thank the OSCE for continuing the dialogue in this critical area.

Secondly, I want to add the UK voice to underline the importance of the OSCE’s Heritage Crime Taskforce. The UK Government has invested specifically in the OSCE project establishing the new national Heritage Crime Task Force in Ukraine. We plan to continue this partnership with the OSCE, and invest in the Taskforce beyond this project, as recognition of the critical role that cross-border cooperation plays in combating transnational crime, including the illicit trafficking of cultural property.

UK organisations are part of that cross-border cooperation. As an example, the Metropolitan Police recently assisted Homeland Security in investigations which revealed new evidence of money laundering by proscribed terrorist organisations through the UK and US art markets.

We agree with what many of other speakers have said: that by enhancing a collective understanding of the linkages between cultural property trafficking and wider Serious Organised Crime, and by demonstrating opportunities to disrupt broader harms through the cultural property lens, we can expose the harms of cultural property trafficking to a wider group of stakeholders. For example, the UK Department for Culture Media and Sport’s International Cultural Heritage Protection Programme has funded investigations into artefacts known to have been looted from Syria and trafficked through pre-existing networks. Providing information and assistance to law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities, namely the Met Police, OSCE and INTERPOL was integral to this project. Additionally the UK Government is a founding member of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory (ACA) Group, which supports Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression through its own domestic criminal justice system. Over the last year, ACA has made concerted efforts to engage with national-level officials on issues relating to heritage crime.

The Met Police plays an important role in tackling the illicit trade in cultural property, with the support of expertise from the museum and antiquities sectors. Earlier this month, the Met played a pivotal role in repatriating the largest antiquity back to Iraq, a stone relief carving depicting a winged genie from the Palace of Nimrud, looted from Iraq after the first gulf war.

Lastly, every panellist has mentioned recommendations of what more needs to be done. For the UK, we recognise that our museums and art market businesses need to undertake more provenance research and engage more actively in the identification and authentication of looted items. And in cases where looted and illicitly-traded objects cannot be seized, we need to find effective ways within existing legal systems and by cooperating with the trade, so that they can be returned to the country or community to which they belong.

In conclusion, we should continue making the point that by disrupting cultural property trafficking, wider SOC activity can also be disrupted. This may stimulate engagement and a more effective response across operational, policy, programming, and diplomatic partners. The UK remains committed to being part of this network to combat illicit trade in times of war and peace.

Thank you, Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 September 2024.

Ambassador Holland calls out Russia’s illegal attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory and the system of violence and terror that accompanies Russian occupation.

Thank you, Madam Chair.  Next week marks the second anniversary of Russia’s illegal annexation attempts in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts. Russia claims these land grabs, and ten years of control over Crimea, have brought liberty. On the contrary, these years of occupation have brought violence, terror, and occupation. Carried out under the guise of sham referenda and backed by military force, Russia aims to legitimise its aggression and create a false narrative of rightful control over Ukrainian land.

First implemented in Crimea, the Russian state has expanded to the newly occupied territories a systematic campaign, designed to suppress Ukrainian heritage, history, and language. This campaign goes beyond territorial ambitions; it seeks to dismantle the idea of Ukraine as a distinct nation, stripping away the cultural and national identity of its people.

We continue to be appalled by widespread reports of violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and violations and abuses of International Human Rights Law (IHRL) within the temporarily occupied territories. As the independent Moscow Mechanism reports have shown, arbitrary detentions, forced deportations, and the persecution of civilians are prevalent. Particularly alarming is the forced deportation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children. The most recent report details the atrocious conditions faced by both civilians and prisoners of war held in detention, and the widespread and systematic use of torture, as well as sexual violence. In recent weeks, we have also seen media reports of POWs being executed in the most barbaric manner.

Russia is also deliberately targeting Ukraine’s cultural heritage in the territory it occupies. Museums, religious sites, and historic buildings have been bombed, looted, or appropriated. This systematic destruction of cultural sites not only devastates the physical symbols of Ukraine’s heritage but also attempts to erase crucial elements of its national identity.

Madam Chair, Russia’s annexation attempts are a clear violation of the Helsinki Final Act, which enshrines the principle of territorial integrity and the inviolability of national borders. As a signatory, Russia committed to respect the sovereignty and independence of all states in the OSCE region, including Ukraine. They made the same pledge more directly in the Budapest Memorandum in the 1990s.  By attempting to seize Ukrainian territory through force, Russia has flagrantly disregarded these principles. Moreover, the purported annexations represent a breach of the Paris Charter of 1990, in which all participating nations, including Russia, reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful relations, the rule of law, and the right of nations to determine their own destiny without external interference.

Russia’s continued imperialist ambitions destabilise the world, creating insecurity for all. We must call it what it is. And We must stand together to resist this dangerous expansionism. Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, and Crimea are all irrefutably part of Ukraine. The UK will never recognise Russia’s illegitimate claims to these regions. We call upon Russia to immediately cease its unprovoked illegal war and withdraw its forces unconditionally from all of Ukraine. Thank you.