Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 November 2023.

Simon Manley, the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, delivered a statement during Djibouti’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 November 2023.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron met Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar, on 13 November 2023.

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said:

For his first bilateral meeting as Foreign Secretary, David Cameron welcomed Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar in London today.

They discussed shared global challenges, including the concerning situation in Israel and Gaza and Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. In the meeting they also covered the importance of the Indo-Pacific region to global growth and prosperity.

They also reflected on the strength of the UK-India relationship – including meeting the ambition of the UK-India 2030 Roadmap.

The Foreign Secretary and Dr Jaishankar also discussed progressing a free trade agreement and partnerships on defence, science and technology.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 10 November 2023.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Gaza.

I thank the UAE and China for organising this session and our moment of silence earlier. I’d also like to thank Dr Tedros and Dr Jilani, not just for your briefings, but for the life saving work that you and your teams are doing.

Colleagues, we are in no doubt: there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. And as Dr Tedros set out, that humanitarian crisis is deteriorating day by day. Of course, we welcome the opening of the Rafah border, and we thank partners for their work in allowing foreign nationals to leave. But it is essential and urgent that more aid flows in the other direction into Gaza.

Access both through Rafah and other crossing points needs to improve so that aid can reach the people who so desperately need it. For this to happen, we must see humanitarian pauses that allow enough time for aid to be delivered to those who need it and for hostages to be released. Fuel must be allowed to enter Gaza so that hospitals and water desalination plants can operate and for aid to be delivered. The pauses in northern Gaza are a first step but any pauses in hostilities should allow sufficient time and security both for civilians to move and for humanitarian aid to be delivered.

Since the 7th of October, the UK has been firm in its support for Israel’s right to self-defence following Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel. In this context, international humanitarian law is not a nice to have. International humanitarian law is what keeps humanitarian workers and medical staff safe to assist those in need and protects civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, wherever possible. So we urge all parties to the conflict to take all possible steps to minimise harm to civilians, health and humanitarian workers and to protect its sites. And we express our condolences for each life lost.

Finally, Mr President, we have been clear that Israel must do more to prevent escalation in the West Bank. We welcome statements, including that made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, condemning settler violence. But we must see tangible action to bring perpetrators to justice. We also condemn attacks against Israel emanating from armed groups in the region. The UK Foreign Secretary was in Riyadh yesterday where he discussed preventing regional escalation with the foreign ministers and representatives of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the Palestinian Authority. The Foreign Secretary also reaffirmed the UK’s unwavering commitment to a two-state solution.

Thank you, President.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 November 2023.

Explanation of vote by Ambassador to the General Assembly Richard Croker at the UN Fourth Committee.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 November 2023.

Deputy Ambassador Deirdre Brown welcomes Armenian efforts to support the 100,000 people displaced by September’s military action and calls on Azerbaijan to implement a meaningful reintegration plan for those wishing to return.

Following the end of September’s military action in Nagorno-Karabakh, the UK welcomes the access that the Azerbaijani authorities have enabled for the UN and other humanitarian actors to the region. We remain concerned for the welfare of residents affected by the limited access to supplies over the period before September’s events, and strongly support the efforts of the UN and other multilateral agencies to address urgent humanitarian needs of those affected by the conflict. We welcome the cooperation Azerbaijan has shown the relevant international agencies to date, and encourage them to continue to support efforts to address need in the region.

Further to this, we also welcome Armenian efforts to support the 100,000 people displaced by the conflict. Some of those displaced may wish to return to homes they have left behind. A meaningful reintegration plan that accommodates the needs of those wishing to return is of paramount importance. We encourage Azerbaijan to implement such a plan, including the protection of their rights and ability to participate in civic and political life, rigorously and in a coherent and transparent manner.

Now is the time to make progress on a lasting settlement for the region overall. We call on both Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the issues surrounding this region peacefully through dialogue, and in a manner which fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 November 2023.

Ambassador Neil Holland thanks the OSCE’s Special Representative on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings for their work on technology and supply chains, and in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

Thank you, Special Representative, for this report, and congratulations on your appointment. The UK and I personally look forward to working closely with you and your team.

We welcome your office’s leadership in coordinating anti-trafficking efforts over the last year. Conflict, humanitarian crises and instability have left individuals at risk of exploitation. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has continued to cause mass migration, increasing the vulnerability of many women and children to trafficking and exploitation.  It is important to tackle all aspects of security threats from the flow of people, which is why the UK was pleased to be able to financially support your office’s earlier work to respond to the increasing risk of trafficking in migration flows.

It is important we continue to monitor the risk of trafficking as a result of the conflict, and adjust our response accordingly. We were pleased to welcome your office to the UK recently to deliver a workshop on enhancing anti-trafficking prevention amid mass migration flows in the UK. This workshop, as with others delivered across the region, was an important opportunity to consider efforts so far to protect Ukrainian refugees and identify what more we need to do.

We are grateful for the previous Special Representative’s visit to the UK last year to carry out an in-depth review of the UK’s response to modern slavery, and the valuable recommendations that came from it. Since then, the UK Government has continued to strengthen our cooperation with key partners, including through a Joint Communique with Albania and a Joint Action Plan with Romania.

The UK recognises that the internet is a key enabler of human trafficking, particularly the sexual exploitation of women and girls. We will continue to work with international partners to tackle online exploitation and to safeguard victims. The UK’s Online Safety Legislation will require online companies to take proactive steps to prevent, identify, and remove content linked to criminal activity, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

We were pleased to be able to support the project that delivered the recent study “Mapping the online landscape of risks of trafficking in human beings on sexual services websites across the OSCE region”. This demonstrates the central role online platforms play in human trafficking and addresses important information gaps.

Elsewhere, eliminating forced labour in global supply chains remains a key international priority for the UK. We support the work of your office in building partnerships between the public sector and financial institutions. Recognising the potential of these partnerships, the UK engaged closely with experts to commission research to understand the interface between modern slavery and global flows of capital. This published research offers a practical roadmap that Capital Market Actors, including investment banks and development finance institutions, can adopt to address modern slavery within their value chains using their leverage and influence. I invite colleagues to read it.

The Alliance Conference this year built upon last year’s focus on migration risks and the needs of victims, and highlighted the need for increased national leadership and political will to ensure an effective international response to trafficking. That is why the UK is pleased to support the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, led by Theresa May. The Commission will inject greater political momentum to drive this issue back up the global agenda. It will do so by increasing coordination and cooperation across international organisations, and we welcome your office’s shared commitment to do this.

Special Representative, thank you for your report. We look forward to working with you in your new role and continuing to support your office in its impressive work to combat trafficking.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 November 2023.

Ambassador Neil Holland says that Russia is attacking Ukrainian civilians, monuments, religious sites, museums, and art galleries.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 November 2023.

The UK delivered a statement during Germany’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 November 2023.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has travelled to Saudi Arabia and will hold high-level talks with regional Foreign Ministers.

• Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has travelled to Saudi Arabia after the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Tokyo
• He will hold high-level talks with regional Foreign Ministers in diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation and work towards a two-state solution
• He will push for a collective effort to get lifesaving aid into Gaza as quickly as possible, through as many routes as possible.

The Foreign Secretary will reiterate the UK’s commitment to prevent regional escalation to the crisis and increasing the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza on a visit to Saudi Arabia on 9 November.

James Cleverly will meet with Foreign Ministers from the Middle East, who are gathering in Saudi Arabia ahead of a League of Arab States emergency meeting on Gaza on Saturday.

He is expected to raise efforts to prevent wider regional escalation, including in Lebanon and Yemen, and offer continued UK support to bolster deterrence and counter threats from malign groups in the region.

The Foreign Secretary will also discuss initiatives to significantly increase the volume of aid reaching civilians in Gaza, including medicines, fuel and water, and ensure a pipeline of funds and supplies to support the relief effort. He will reaffirm the UK’s support for further humanitarian pauses in the fighting as soon as possible to deliver aid and provide a crucial window for hostages – including British nationals – to be released.

In his meetings with counterparts, the Foreign Secretary will also reiterate the UK’s condemnation of the rise in settler violence and call for Israel to hold those responsible to account to improve the situation in the West Bank. He will outline the UK’s support for reinvigorating diplomatic efforts towards a achieving a viable two-state solution.

His visit to Saudi Arabia follows on from his attendance at the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, where attendees agreed on the urgent need to allow humanitarian pauses to facilitate urgently needed assistance, civilian movement and release of hostages.

The Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly said:

I have been focused on diplomatic efforts to secure the release of hostages, to ensure that foreign nationals can leave Gaza, to deter any escalation regionally and to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid at scale.

I will continue this essential work in Saudi Arabia where I will meet with a number of my counterparts in the region to explore how we achieve those aims quickly and also look to the future of a lasting, peaceful, and prosperous two-state solution for both Israelis and Palestinians.

His visit follows the UK’s delivery of vital equipment and lifesaving aid to support civilians in Gaza and a £30 million increase in UK assistance to Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Since Hamas’ terrorist atrocities 7 October, UK government ministers have been engaging with countries across the Middle East, as well as the international community. The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary have all visited the region in recent weeks to push for lifesaving aid to get into Gaza, support the return of British nationals, prevent dangerous regional escalation and back Israel’s right to self-defence.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 November 2023.

Statement by Chanaka Wickremasinghe, UK Legal Adviser to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Libya.