Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 April 2024.

UK, US and Canada regret Russia’s lack of response to the Vienna Mechanism of March 2024 on prison conditions and call for immediate humanitarian release of Vladimir Kara-Murza.

Madam Chair,

I am delivering this statement on behalf of the United Kingdom, the United States, and my own country Canada. We align ourselves fully with the statement just made by Denmark on behalf of the participating States who invoked the Vienna Mechanism on 22 March 2024, and would add the following views.

It is evident that Russia continues to completely disregard its international human rights obligations and its OSCE human dimension commitments. Russia’s refusal to respond to the questions posed last under the Vienna Mechanism is yet further evidence of their fear of transparency and accountability.

Russia today is haunted by fear. Ordinary citizens are afraid of exercising their basic human rights. Russia’s rulers are afraid that their fabricated reality is so weak that it will not withstand examination or comment. With self-centered conceit, the Kremlin finds contrary opinions intolerable, and responds to expressions of political opinion with repression.

In an effort to silence dissent, Russian authorities have engaged in the harassment, intimidation, and persecution of civil society members, human rights defenders, journalists, opposition figures, and anyone speaking out against Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. This systemic political repression has resulted in many arbitrary and unlawful detentions; subsequently many prisoners, particularly those imprisoned for political reasons, have reportedly been subjected to torture and other mistreatment at the hands of the state.

States are obliged under international law to treat all individuals deprived of their liberty with humanity and respect for their inherent dignity; they must also respect fair trial guarantees. Yet credible reports indicate that political prisoners in Russia face sexual and gender-based violence, threats of sexual abuse, and prolonged punitive detention in isolation cells. They are often deprived of access to adequate medical care, refused prompt access to their lawyers, and are denied contact with family members.

The sudden death of Alexei Navalny in a Russian penal colony, following years of detention in poor conditions which, according to UN experts, amounted to torture and ill-treatment, is tragically emblematic of state repression in Russia.

Our governments also remain deeply concerned about the ongoing detention of Vladimir Kara-Murza, who we spoke of last week in this Council. Russian authorities have callously disregarded Mr Kara-Murza’s declining health, refusing him the urgent medical treatment he needs. His degrading and inhumane prison conditions are clearly designed to inflict further damage to both his physical and mental health. We again call on the Russian authorities to release him immediately on humanitarian grounds.

We reiterate our call to the Russian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those unjustly imprisoned in Russia on political grounds, including: Oleg Orlov, leader of the Nobel Prize winning human rights organization Memorial who proudly declared that he opposed the war; journalist Maria Ponomarenko, for telling the truth about the conduct of the Russian Army; Alexandra Skochilenko, who received a seven-year sentence for posting anti-war stickers in a food store; Evgenia Berkovich for anti-war poetry; activists in the Navalny anti-corruption foundation Lilia Chaysheva, Ksenia Fadeeva, Vadim Ostanin, Alina Olekhnovich, and Ivan Trofimov; and also, IIgor Baryshnikov, Alexey Gorinov, and Ilya Yashin. And we reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of the three OSCE employees detained by Russia: Vadym Golda, Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov.

These are just a few examples from a very long list. In addition to administrative punishment, foreign agent designations and other restrictions, human rights organization OVD-INFO calculates that there have been 1447 politically motivated criminal prosecutions in Russia since 2022.

We call on Russia to respond to the Vienna Mechanism and to take due account of the recommendations made by the Moscow Mechanism Rapporteur in 2022 and the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Russia in 2023. The latter expressly called for Russia to ensure an independent and impartial investigation of “all allegations of torture and ill-treatment in custody” and to prosecute and hold accountable those responsible.

The Kremlin’s utter disregard for its human rights obligations and its OSCE commitments is a legitimate point of discussion for this Council. We call upon the Russian government to respect its human rights obligations, to allow dissenting voices to express their views without fear of persecution, to end the use of arbitrary and unlawful detention, and to ensure that all those detained are treated with dignity and have access to adequate medical care.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 April 2024.

Ambassador Neil Holland thanks the three OSCE Committee chairs for their work to uphold OSCE principles and commitments.

Thank you, Chair, and thank you to the Chairs of the three Committees for presenting today. Dear Peter, Florian, Anne-Marie: we support the approaches you have proposed. What runs clearly through each is that OSCE Committees strive to uphold the principles and commitments that we have all signed up to as members of this organisation. Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine strikes at the very heart of these commitments and principles. Russia’s war must continue to command our full attention.

Dear Peter, we welcome your appointment and proposed work-plan, particularly your focus on cyber and online activity. 2024 is an important year for democratic institutions and processes. Millions of voters go to the polls in elections, in the UK and elsewhere across our region. This presents a significant opportunity for interference and influence by malign actors. We must be vigilant and increase our awareness of these threats.

Dear Florian, we welcome your continued leadership and work plan, particularly your proposal to hold sessions on food security and connectivity. Instability has a significant detrimental impact on the economies and environment across our region, and the UK values the Economic and Environmental Committee’s flexible approach to respond to new threats on the ground.

Dear Anne-Marie, we welcome your continued leadership and proposed work plan. The UK especially welcomes the work you – with the Chair in forthcoming Supplementary Meetings – continue to lead with civil society. Thematic meetings this year on freedom of the media, torture, and cultural heritage in particular, provide an important platform to review the growing challenges to implementation of our human rights commitments. The UK will continue to work with you, as with the CiO, ODIHR, RFOM and others to defend the OSCE’s vital human dimension commitments and institutions, and to spotlight ways in which internal repression in some participating States has undermined shared security in the OSCE region.

Madam Chair, we need the OSCE now more than ever. Our shared principles and commitments sit at the heart of Euro-Atlantic security, and we will continue to work in the three Committees, with you as our CiO, and the Secretariat, institutions, and field missions – to uphold them. For Ukraine of course, but also for all of us in this room. Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 April 2024.

The UK sanctioned a further 7 individuals and 6 entities that enabled Iran’s destabilising activity in the Middle East, including its direct attack on Israel.

Today (Thursday 18 April) the UK has sanctioned a further 7 individuals and 6 entities who have enabled Iran to conduct destabilising regional activity, including its direct attack on Israel.

This adds to the 400 plus sanctions already imposed on Iran. Previous sanctions include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in its entirety and many of those responsible for the attack on Israel.

In a coordinated package with the US, leading Iranian military figures have been sanctioned in response to Iran’s dangerous direct attack on Israel on 14 April. The UK and US have also announced a range of sanctions to tighten the net on key actors within Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and missile industries and further limit Iran’s ability to destabilise the region.

The Foreign Secretary announced these sanctions during his attendance at the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in Capri, where the UK and our allies reaffirmed support for Israel’s security and the security of all our regional partners.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

The Iranian regime’s attack against Israel was a reckless act and a dangerous escalation.

Today we have sanctioned the ringleaders of the Iranian military and forces responsible for the weekend’s attack.

These sanctions – announced with the US – show we unequivocally condemn this behaviour, and they will further limit Iran’s ability to destabilise the region.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron said:

At a time of great tension in the Middle East, Iran’s decision to launch hundreds of drones and missiles towards Israel carried with it a serious risk of thousands of civilian casualties and wider escalation for the region.

The sanctions announced today alongside the US demonstrate our unequivocal condemnation of Iran’s attack on a sovereign state.

The MSC Aries and its crew should be released immediately, and Iran should halt its reckless and unlawful behaviour. Further escalation is in no one’s interest.

The UK has condemned Iran’s dangerous attack on a sovereign state, which has further inflamed tensions in the Middle East and served to further isolate Iran on the world stage. Today’s designations have been made under the UK’s new Iran sanctions regime, which enables the UK to target Iran’s hostile behaviour.

Further sanctions have been imposed on:

• Armed Forces General Staff: directs and coordinates Iran’s armed forces
• The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy: 1 of Iran’s 2 naval forces
• The Khatemolanbia Central Headquarters (KCHQ): responsible for operational command and control of Iran’s armed forces
• Major General Gholamali Rashid, Commander KCHQ: responsible for operational command and control of Iran’s armed forces, reports directly to the Supreme Leader
• Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, Minister of Defence Armed Forces Logistics: Iran’s Defence Minister, responsible for supporting and equipping the Iranian armed forces
• Seid Mir Ahmad Nooshin, Aerospace Industries Organisation (AIO) Director and 4 further individuals related to AIO

The individuals sanctioned are subject to a travel ban and asset freeze. The entities are subject to an asset freeze.

The IRGC Navy was involved in seizing the civilian ship MSC Aries in international waters and has threatened military action against Israel. The UK has continued to call for the immediate release of the ship and its crew.

In 2023 alone, the UK made 154 new designations. The UK continues to tighten the net on actors involved in the Iranian UAV and missile industries. Last year the UK introduced trade measures prohibiting the export of specific UAV components and services to Iran. The UK has also designated a wide range of companies involved in production of Iranian UAVs, including the Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 drones – models which Iran has supplied to Russia. These types of drones were also used by Iran in its attack on Israel.

The UK is continuing to work closely with our partners in the G7 as we consider further measures to hold Iran’s regime to account.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 April 2024.

UK and 40 other OSCE States regret Russia’s lack of response to Vienna Mechanism of March 2024 on prison conditions in Russia.

Mr. Chairperson,

On Thursday 22nd of March, Albania, Andorra, Austria, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States expressed deep concern regarding severe human rights violations occurring in the Russian Federation.

By invoking the Vienna (Human Dimension) Mechanism and highlighting the obligations of the Russian Federation under this Mechanism, the aligned countries requested concrete and substantial responses to seven questions regarding arbitrary or unjust arrests and detentions in Russia, the targeting of political opposition members, as well as torture and mistreatment in Russian detention facilities and prisons.

Regrettably, the Russian Federation has not responded in accordance with the commitments of the Vienna Mechanism within the 10-day deadline. In fact, it has now been 27 days without any response.

The world does not yet know exactly what transpired in the final hours before the death of Alexei Navalny. Navalny’s legacy of courageous advocacy against corruption and for a free and democratic Russia continues to resonate. Many imprisoned members of the opposition remain incarcerated and their lives are still in grave danger. Among those at risk is Vladimir Kara-Murza, a human rights activist, politician, journalist, and historian who has survived two poisoning attempts and who serves 25-year prison term in inhumane conditions and without access to urgent medical care.

Another prisoner, Ilya Yashin, was sentenced in December 2022 to eight-and-a-half years in prison for statements he made on his YouTube channel about reported war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russian armed forces in the city of Bucha in Ukraine’s Kyiv region. In February 2024, Russia’s Ministry of Justice designated Oleg Orlov as a so-called “foreign agent”, citing his opposition to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and accusing him of spreading “false information” about the government’s actions. Later that month, a Moscow court found Orlov guilty, sentencing him to two years and six months in a penal colony for allegedly “discrediting” the Russian army.

Sadly, these are only a few examples of the continued widespread and systematic suppression of independent voices by Russian authorities. We call on Russia to immediately and unconditionally release all arbitrarily detained persons.

We remain gravely concerned about reports of escalated and politically motivated prosecution based on ambiguous claims such as “extremism” and “false information”. The growing complexity within the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the Law on Associations, and the Code of Administrative Offences—coupled with credible reports of torture and ill-treatment in Russian places of detention—demands our close attention.

In reference to relevant OSCE commitments, including the 1989 Vienna Concluding Document, the 1990 CSCE/OSCE Copenhagen Document, the 1991 Document of the Moscow meeting of the conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE, the 2004 Sofia Ministerial Council Decision on Preventing and Combating Torture, the 2006 Brussels Declaration on Criminal Justice Systems, and the 2020 Tirana Ministerial Council Decision on the prevention and eradication of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, we urgently request that the Russian Federation provide concrete and substantial responses to our questions without any further delay. We remind that all OSCE participating States have agreed that commitments undertaken in the field of the human dimension are matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating States and do not belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the State concerned.

The silence from the Russian Federation is not in line with the OSCE commitments in the field of the human dimension. Let me therefore emphasize that we will persist in seeking answers to our concerns by exploring relevant meetings, mechanisms, and committees available to us within the OSCE structures and other multilateral arenas.

I thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 April 2024.

Ambassador Holland responds to the report presentation by Ambassador Wahl, Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Firstly, I would like to welcome back Ambassador Wahl to the Permanent Council. Thank you for the work of your team over the last year, and for this comprehensive report.

The United Kingdom highly appreciates the work and added value of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, and the Mission’s support to government reforms. We particularly recognise the important role played by the OSCE Mission in supporting North Macedonia to deliver its priorities as Chair-in-Office last year. I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to North Macedonia for its excellent Chairpersonship of the OSCE in 2023, and as a valued member of the Troika this year.

Madam Chair, as North Macedonia heads to the polls for presidential and parliamentary elections in the coming weeks, the OSCE – particularly ODIHR and the Mission to Skopje – will continue to have a vital role to play in supporting reforms. We encourage the Government of North Macedonia to follow up on the remaining ODIHR recommendations on electoral reforms, including those highlighted in the ODIHR Election Observation Mission interim report, issued last week.

We positively note the Mission’s achievements over the past 12 months, set out in detail in your report. We particularly welcome your continued engagement to promote social cohesion and community rights, and your support on integrated education – including work in the last 12 months to baseline standards of education in minority language communities.

The UK is also pleased to note the Mission’s continued commitment to gender mainstreaming in all programmatic work. Your report highlights some excellent initiatives mainstreaming gender equality into North Macedonia’s law- and policy-making processes – including the development of training on gender aspects of corruption, and through the successful handover of the Mission’s flagship Gender Mentoring Programme to North Macedonia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Madam Chair, the United Kingdom and North Macedonia have developed a strong and supportive bilateral relationship since we established diplomatic relations 30 years ago. The UK will remain a strong supporter of North Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic path, and we look forward to working with the incoming government towards these ends. I have no doubt that the OSCE Mission to Skopje will continue to have an important role to play in supporting the next government to deliver its priorities.

Thank you, Ambassador Wahl. Thank you, Madam Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 April 2024.

Joint Press Statement by the Permanent Representatives of the United States, Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

We unequivocally condemn the April 13 attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its militant partners on the State of Israel, which involved launching several hundred ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and attack drones against multiple targets, and note this large-scale attack could have caused significant damage and loss of life.

We further condemn the fact that the weapons launched at Israel violated the airspace of several regional states, putting at risk the lives of innocent people in those countries, and appeared to traverse airspace near holy sites in Jerusalem.

We welcome the efforts to avert a further immediate escalation of violence in the region, following the successful coordinated efforts to defend against Iran’s attack.

We condemn Iran’s unlawful seizure of a Portuguese-flagged commercial ship near the Strait of Hormuz on April 13 and call on Iran to release the ship and its international crew immediately.

We note that Iran’s escalatory attack is the latest in a pattern of dangerous and destabilizing actions by Iran and its militant partners that pose a grave threat to international peace and security.

We call on all regional parties to take steps to avert further escalation of the situation and demand that all Council resolutions be fully implemented. We will strengthen our diplomatic cooperation to work toward resolving all tensions in the region.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 April 2024.

Ambassador Holland criticises the recent intensification of Russia’s abhorrent attacks against Ukraine and their disastrous humanitarian consequences.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine has caused unimaginable devastation, shattering the lives of innocent people. Yesterday Russian missiles struck the city of Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine, killing at least 17 civilians and injuring over 60 – including children.  Russia’s aerial campaign across Ukraine has further exacerbated the challenging humanitarian situation.

In recent weeks, Russia has bombarded Ukraine’s second most populous city, Kharkiv, with near daily airborne attacks. Massive waves of drone and missile attacks have killed and injured civilians; destroyed and damaged houses, hospitals, and critical infrastructure; and driven the further displacement of an already traumatised population. On 27 March, Russia struck Kharkiv with glide bombs for the first time. These bombs are imprecise and highly destructive. Their indiscriminate use against civilians is abhorrent and unconscionable.

Russia’s tactics in Kharkiv and other cities across Ukraine have shown a total disregard for human life and the international norms and laws by which it has promised to abide. These have included double-tap strikes, where an initial air attack is followed by a second, killing rescuers as they attempt with great bravery to save lives.

The city of Odesa is also facing the onslaught of increased aerial attacks. Last week Russia struck Odesa’s transport infrastructure, killing five civilians – including a 10-year-old girl – and injuring an additional 14.

Madam Chair, as part of its ruthless campaign, Russia – as it has acknowledged – is deliberately and systematically targeting Ukraine’s energy system. Increased aerial attacks have forced essential services, including hospitals, to utilise back-up power sources and have severely hampered humanitarian operations. Millions of people have faced disruption to power, heating, and water supply, compounding the humanitarian situation in frontline areas. In Kharkiv and Odesa, homes were limited to just six hours of power per day.

On 11 April, Russia launched a barrage of 82 missiles and drones, destroying the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant. The thermal plant was one of Ukraine’s largest power-generating facilities and a critical energy asset for the Kyiv, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr oblasts.

Despite such brutality, the people of Ukraine have demonstrated remarkable resilience. Russia’s attacks have once again failed to break Ukraine’s spirit. And Ukraine will not face these challenges alone. The UK is intensifying efforts to support Ukraine and has committed nearly £150m to bolster Ukraine’s energy sector. We are continuing to work with G7+ partners to help Ukraine repair, protect and build back its energy system. The UK is committed to providing Ukraine with the support it needs to defend itself and to push Russia out of Ukraine’s sovereign territory. This is the only path to a just and lasting peace. Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 April 2024.

The UK and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to work in partnership on some key issues shaping the financial services sector.

The ASEAN-UK Financial Services Collaboration Package, agreed by ASEAN’s Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors at the 11th ASEAN’s Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting (11th AFMGM) on 05 April 2024, Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, is a comprehensive set of initiatives designed by UK experts to support ASEAN’s goals and boost the UK-ASEAN relationship. The Package brings together leaders from the UK’s private and public sector to work with ASEAN decision-makers on ways to achieve their vision for deeper financial integration across Southeast Asia.

The ASEAN-UK Financial Services Collaboration Package will focus on three areas, key to global financial services trade.

1. Market Infrastructure

ASEAN is committed to a resilient, transparent, and forward-looking approach to market infrastructure, allowing businesses to operate with greater certainty. Through the Package, the UK will share its own policy experience to support ASEAN in ensuring that these regulatory developments are keeping up with global trends and challenges.

2. Green Finance

ASEAN is well-placed to be a leader in green growth. Global trends show that adopting greener practices can have real benefits for companies, including increasing profitability and lowering operating costs, increasing competitiveness and resilience, and opening access to new markets and sources of finance. Through the Package, the UK will share our experience and expertise to support ASEAN’s goal to meet international standards, learn about financial products designed to deliver high value sustainable infrastructure, and increase the flow of green capital.

3. Access and Inclusion

ASEAN is home to a diverse and rapidly growing population, with many individuals and businesses currently underserved by traditional financial institutions. Through the Package, the UK will foster partnership with ASEAN to create innovative and inclusive financial solutions that meet the needs of ASEAN’s growing market. This strand will focus on support for small businesses.

“This marks a step change in ASEAN-UK relations”, said the UK’s Ambassador to ASEAN, Sarah Tiffin.

She added:

The UK became a Dialogue Partner to ASEAN in 2021 and is committed to supporting ASEAN’s economic and financial integration to boost ties between our businesses and our citizens. Given the UK’s leading global role in Financial Services, it has been identified as a top priority for ASEAN-UK economic collaboration. This Financial Services Package will deliver on those commitments, bringing together the best of UK private and public sector experience to engage directly with ASEAN counterparts. With the ASEAN-UK Economic Integration Programme also rolling out across the region, the UK is reinforcing our credentials as a strong Dialogue Partner for ASEAN across the vital economic agenda.

A key feature of the Package is the central role world leading British banking and financial institutions play. The Package is a demonstration of government and the private sector working hand-in-hand to share expertise with ASEAN.

The United Kingdom and ASEAN are natural partners when it comes to financial inclusion, sustainable finance and market infrastructure”, said Surendra Rosha, co-Chief Executive of HSBC Asia-Pacific.

He said:

ASEAN is one of the world’s fastest growing trade blocs and one of the most promising digital economies, with a big role to play helping the world get to net zero. As one of the largest financial groups in the UK, with deep roots throughout Southeast Asia, HSBC is proud to support this cooperation, which will undoubtedly benefit our customers.

Standard Chartered have also welcomed the Package.

“This Package reflects the close partnership between the UK public and private sectors to support ASEAN’s ambitions in financial integration, financial inclusion, and green finance”, said Patrick Lee, Cluster CEO for Singapore and ASEAN Markets, Standard Chartered.

He added:

As a global trade bank with origins in the UK and our longstanding and deep-rooted presence in ASEAN, we are committed to sharing our financial services expertise and capabilities – alongside other leading UK institutions – with ASEAN and ASEAN member states. The benefits of this collaboration for us and our clients in the region are clear: we believe it will bring greater regional connectivity, grow opportunities for green investments, and enhance access to financial services in the region.

Speaking from London, Nicola Watkinson, Managing Director at TheCityUK, described the Package as:

An exciting step forward in deepening business ties between the UK and ASEAN markets. The financial and professional services industry plays a vital role in the economic growth of both the UK and ASEAN, helping to fund vital infrastructure, address climate change, and support households with their everyday needs. It is great to see the ASEAN Finance Ministers’ meeting identified tangible ways we can collaborate now that the UK is a Dialogue Partner. We look forward to working with the UK Mission to ASEAN and industry partners to capture the benefits offered by this initiative.

His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner to Asia Pacific, Martin Kent, said:

I am delighted that the UK and ASEAN are deepening our partnership on financial services. The UK is a leading financial hub, as Europe’s top destination for inward investment stock and London being home to some of the strongest capital markets in the world. The UK already exports £1.9 billion worth of financial services to ASEAN, and this is only set to grow. I look forward to the innovations and partnerships that will come out of this Package.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 April 2024.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on security challenges in the Mediterranean.

President, to achieve lasting peace, the whole of society is required to participate in building it. Without the diverse perspectives that youth and marginalised groups represent, we will struggle to build peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable societies.

I wish to make three points.

First, the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund is a key instrument promoting the positive role of young people as agents of peace. The UK has provided over $35 million to the Peacebuilding Fund since 2020, which has implemented youth-related projects, including in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Libya. We welcome the implementation of the Peacebuilding Commission’s Strategic Action Plan on youth and peacebuilding, including the annual meeting on youth, peace and security, as well as efforts to integrate analysis that is sensitive to this agenda into the commission’s key deliverables.

Second, there is clear evidence that young people, especially young women and girls, are disproportionately impacted by climate change and biodiversity loss, often exacerbated by existing inequalities. But they are also agents of change in the response. In the Mediterranean region, heat waves, floods, sandstorms, and water stress contribute to the loss of food security and livelihoods, directly affecting the drivers of migration. We need to manage, carefully, the emerging challenges and opportunities of migration, including by recognising the role of young people in delivering adaptation solutions that provide people with options for sustainable livelihoods that do not compel them to migrate.

Third, young people live with the effects of conflicts they did not start. Young people, especially women and girls, should be meaningfully included in discussions that affect their futures, including in this Council. So we should translate our commitments into action by strengthening their full, equal, safe and meaningful inclusion in decision-making and peace, development and mediation processes.

President, we will continue to work with the international community to amplify youth voices and harness their lived experience across peace processes and the work of government.

I thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 April 2024.

Ambassador Neil Holland thanks Croatia, as incoming Chair of the Forum for Security Co-operation, for keeping the spotlight on Ukraine.

Thank you, Mr Chair, dear Mario, for setting out Croatia’s priorities for the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) this trimester.  As you execute the mandate of this Forum at a critical time for European Security, you can count on our full support.

Today marks 783 days since Russia’s unprovoked, full-scale and illegal invasion of Ukraine.  Actively facilitated by Belarus.  An invasion that continues to transgress OSCE principles and commitments.  Principles including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the right to be party to alliances.  Principles which Russia and Belarus co-wrote.  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was not a failure of the OSCE’s principles and instruments.  It was a failure of Russian political will to implement its commitments faithfully.

Since 24 February 2022, the Ukrainian people have defended their homeland heroically.  Each week, we have supported Ukraine.  And each week, we have condemned President Putin’s strategic mistake of invading a sovereign neighbour.  The FSC’s work – through its tools and the principles it upholds – remain vital for security in the OSCE area.

We welcome your proposed FSC agenda which keeps the FSC spotlight on Ukraine.  We particularly welcome your joint FSC-PC Security Dialogue on Women, Peace and Security.  We must continue to champion women’s full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation in political and peace processes.  We must do so whilst also tackling gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence.  The UK also supports your other Security Dialogues, including on Humanitarian Mine Action and Military Education.

Mr Chair, last trimester we condemned the Russian delegation for blocking consensus – again – on a FSC Security Dialogue on International Humanitarian Law.  We called out the Russian delegation’s continued misbehaviour – including its threats to future FSC Chairs.  This behaviour has no basis in our rules.  Once again, we urge the Russian delegation to stop blocking consensus on FSC dialogues – and to return to the diplomatic decorum that the rest of us practice.

I wish to conclude by welcoming Denmark to the FSC troika, and to thank Canada for their work as they leave the troika.  And most importantly, I wish you, Mr Chair, dear Mario, and your able team here in Vienna and in Zagreb the best of luck this trimester.  You can count on the full support of me and my delegation.