Tag: Foreign Office

Thank you, President. I thank SRSG Wane for his briefing and I pay tribute to the courage of all UN personnel in Mali, who continue to face constant threats. I also thank Ms Abouya for sharing her valuable perspective with us today.

The complexity of MINUSMA’s withdrawal is unprecedented and takes place amid a deteriorating context of terrorist violence and human rights violations and abuses, including an upward trend in conflict-related sexual violence.

The Council mandated MINUSMA to conduct a safe and orderly withdrawal, with the objective of completing this process by 31 December 2023. We continue to believe that the Council should stand ready to revise this timetable if needed. A rushed withdrawal that imperils the 2015 Algiers Agreement and puts peacekeepers’ lives at risk will have security implications for the whole region. The recent ceasefire violations in Ber demonstrate the pressing need for meaningful, structured dialogue between all parties to the Peace Agreement prior to the handover of MINUSMA sites, in particular in Kidal region.

President, the UN continues to have a formal and critical role in supporting the Peace Agreement in Mali. We welcome the Secretary-General’s transition plan, which is an important step to help guide efforts to preserve the legacy of the mission and its achievements over the last decade.

We call on the UN to redouble its efforts to support meaningful consultations and mediation between all parties to the Peace Agreement, and we urge all parties to engage in dialogue in good faith. To deliver the UN’s ongoing role in support of the peace process, the UK supports the continued presence of a UN entity dedicated to supporting an inclusive peace process in Mali.

President, we strongly urge the Transitional Authorities to engage with the UN’s proposals for ongoing support, for the benefit of the Malian people. The UN should accelerate consultations with Mali on a detailed strategy for the future of UN support to the Peace Agreement and other key tasks, including delivering on the political transition and the protection and the promotion of human rights.

Finally, as we’ve said before in this Council, the Russian mercenary group Wagner is directly linked to human rights atrocities in Mali, including the systematic use of conflict-related sexual violence. As illustrated by recent events in Russia, they are part of the problem, not the solution in Mali and beyond.

I thank Assistant Secretary-General Khiari for his briefing. I welcome the participation of the representatives of the Republic of Korea, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, at this meeting.

The DPRK made yet another failed launch of a military reconnaissance satellite. It triggered Japan’s local alert system in Okinawa.

This was yet another grave violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and a brazen effort to further expand the DPRK’s military programme. The DPRK have said they will try again.

Claims that so-called ‘provocations’, or rather, legitimate and transparently-declared military exercises, caused these launches, are baseless. The DPRK is not reacting: this is part of a long-established, clearly-defined plan that has required extensive scientific and technological investment.

Kim Jong Un said it himself in January this year: the National Aerospace Development Administration will launch the first military satellite at the earliest date possible by pushing ahead with the full preparation for a reconnaissance satellite and its vehicle, a major task to boost the political, ideological, military and technical strength of his army.

Colleagues, the Council must take action.

All of us here have signed, ratified and support the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

All of us should be committed to the full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions. We have a responsibility to uphold these obligations.

Our words and deeds matter. They are the message we convey to the world about our commitment to preventing nuclear non-proliferation globally. We noted the presence of permanent members, including the defence minister, at a DPRK weapons exhibition, with intercontinental ballistic missiles on display. Interactions such as these signal support for UN-sanctioned WMD programmes.

The United Kingdom urges the DPRK to cease these launches, to return to dialogue and to take credible steps towards denuclearisation and peace on the Korean Peninsula. We hope their presence at this meeting is a step forward in this regard.

The biggest victims of the DPRK’s military programme are the North Korean people, as resources are diverted away from their basic economic needs. DPRK should reopen its borders and engage the UN.

I also remind all UN Member States of their obligation to fully implement UN Security Council resolutions, including sanctions on the DPRK.

I call on all members of this Council to reiterate their condemnation of the DPRK’s illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, in line with their responsibilities as UN Member States and signatories to the NPT.

Thank you, President.

I thank Under Secretary General Voronkov and Executive Director Gherman for their briefings and for the work of the monitoring team in producing the report.

I thank Ms Khalaf for her briefing today. Her harrowing account of the atrocities Daesh committed serves as a reminder of the lifelong impact of these crimes, and the poisonous ideology we are fighting. All survivors of gender-based violence and conflict-related sexual violence, including Yezidis and other communities in Iraq, deserve to see justice delivered.

We support UNITAD and Iraq in pursuing accountability for Daesh perpetrators, and we look forward to renewing UNITAD’s mandate next month to continue this important work.

Daesh continues to suffer blows to their campaign, including the death of leader Abu Husaini al-Qurashi in April. However, the threat is becoming less predictable, harder to detect, and harder to investigate. We must therefore keep up the pressure. A resurgent Daesh core in Syria and Iraq remains a real risk. IDP [Internally Displaced People] camps provide a fertile ground for radicalisation in which Daesh can recruit and operate. In Al-Hawl camp the UK is focusing our efforts on improving the situation through humanitarian assistance, by responding to gender-based violence and providing child protection.

As we heard today, ISKP [Islamic State – Khorasan Province] continues to show it has the capacity to carry out high-profile attacks on civilian and international targets inside Afghanistan and encourage attacks abroad. Earlier this year, the United Kingdom convened the inaugural ISKP Diplomatic Grouping that saw 19 countries come together and agree to intensify and coordinate our response to counter the threat from ISKP.

Last month the UK published a refresh of our Counter Terrorism Strategy – CONTEST – to ensure we remain agile in the face of an evolving threat and aligned with our international allies.

In Africa, Daesh is expanding fast and we urge the international community to step up our efforts.

We must address the root causes that are driving conflict in the region and enabling the expansion of Violent Extremist Organisations.

In the Sahel, the UK provides financial support to the UN’s regional stabilisation facility for the Lake Chad basin, an initiative that will support local communities.

Finally, President, the UN plays a key role in the fight against terrorism and the UK welcomed the adoption of the 8th Global Counter Terrorism Strategy.

International coordination, with a meaningful role for civil society, remains essential for our work.

Representatives from the United Kingdom, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Canada and Norway visited the Palestinian community of Burqa and the site of the recently displaced community of Ras at-Tin amid accelerating rates of settler violence and following the demolition by Israeli authorities of donor-funded humanitarian structures, including a school in the nearby community of Ein Samiya. Ireland and Denmark also support this statement.

In Burqa, diplomats learned how the community have endured harassment and intimidation from settlers. They also observed the aftermath of Ras at-Tin’s displacement due to settler attacks and how these attacks intensified after the establishment of an illegal outpost near the community.

The delegation was extremely alarmed by the growth of settler violence, which alongside demolitions has displaced over 400 Palestinians this year and resulted in several casualties across the West Bank, most recently the death of 19 year-old Qusai Maatan, who was killed in Burqa earlier this month.

The diplomats strongly condemned settler violence. While they noted some steps taken by the Israeli authorities, including arrests, they urged Israel, as the occupying power, to do more to hold to account and prevent those who have made the lives of Palestinians – such as in the communities of Al Qaboun and Al Mughayyir – intolerable. They underlined the prohibition of forcible transfers in International Humanitarian Law, in particular article 49 of Geneva Convention IV. They reaffirmed their opposition to settlements, which are illegal under international law, result in increased settler violence, and undermine the two-state solution and prospects for a lasting peace.

Additionally, diplomats strongly condemned the recent demolition of Ein Samiya school, which was funded by donors as humanitarian relief, emphasizing Israel’s breach of international humanitarian law. They called on Israel, as the occupying power, to halt all confiscations and demolitions and to give unimpeded access to humanitarian organisations in the occupied West Bank. They reaffirmed their commitment to Palestinian rights and assisting vulnerable populations in Area C. Through official channels, the consortium of donors have called on Israel to return or compensate for all humanitarian items which they have funded.

The abovementioned representatives condemned the killing of Palestinians and Israelis alike, while stressing the record high number of individuals killed this year in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The 7th Year of the Arbitral Victory: Defending the West Philippine Sea, the Indo-Pacific, and the Rules-Based Order

UK Promoting Reliable Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific Region

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.  It is a pleasure to be here today, alongside such distinguished speakers, on the day of the 7th anniversary of the 2016 arbitral award, to discuss the UK’s perspective and role on the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific in general and the South China Sea, in particular.

This is, of course, a very important and timely conference. For us – it comes on the back of the UK-Philippines Joint Defence Committee that was held last week, co-chaired by our MOD and the Philippines’s DND. And just two months before in February, we had our inaugural face-to-face UK/Philippines Maritime Dialogue. Both demonstrate how seriously we are taking our relationship with the Philippines on these matters.

And it comes as the NATO Summit is happening in Vilnius. This historic summit reminds us how much we value our shared security and our allies. It sends a strong signal to all those that are watching that the resolve of those that stand up to blatant violations of international law is stronger than ever. And it is a demonstration that the security of the Indo-Pacific and that of the Euro-Atlantic are increasingly intertwined.

Let’s begin with the basics.  The UK is far from the Indo-Pacific, but the Indo-Pacific matters to the UK.  It does so for obvious economic and security reasons. For example, at least 1.7 million British Citizens live across the region. And our trade with the Indo-Pacific was nearly £300bn last year, which is nearly 12% of our GDP.

And it’s not just the Indo-Pacific in general terms. What happens in the South China Sea matters to the UK. It does so because:

1. Freedom of navigation is essential. Yes it is essential to our security and prosperity.  But it is essential as a cornerstone of international maritime law.
2. We have a collective responsibility to ensure that the SCS is not a testing ground for reckless behaviour.
3. The consequences of escalation and crisis in the South China Sea would have implications for us all – including, but not limited to, major risks to global economic stability.

Earlier this year, we published our Integrated Review Refresh – a comprehensive strategy that reflects on the intensification of competition, the great pace of geopolitical change, and increasingly volatile and contested world.  And our place within that.

Our conclusion of the Review is that:

1. Those who believe in the principles of openness, good governance, respect for sovereignty and respect for international law must do more to build our resilience and out-cooperate and out-compete those driving instability.
2. As such, the UK will take a more active and activist posture on the world stage.

So, our direction is clear, and we will proudly and confidently play our part to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Standing up for what we believe in

This begins by standing up for what we believe in. We stand up for international law, the international law-based maritime order, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – something that is frequently reinforced by our Ministers in their public speeches.

The Minister for Indo-Pacific reiterated the UK’s unwavering support for UNCLOS on its 40th anniversary at the South China Sea International conference last year. The UK will continue to demonstrate its support and stand up for the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-aggression. We will continue to oppose any action that raises tensions or the risk of miscalculation. Unashamedly.  Where this involves calling out actions that go counter these principles, and that are dangerous, we do so.

Alongside our G7 partners in the Hiroshima Leaders’ Communique, the UK reaffirmed the importance of UNCLOS and reiterated that the 2016 Arbitral Award is a significant milestone, which is legally binding upon the parties to those proceedings and a useful basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties.

We stand up for international maritime law in our words, but also in our actions.

The 2021 deployment of the Carrier Strike Group (in which we engaged with over 40 countries), and long-term deployment of two Offshore Patrol Vessels, HMS Spey and HMS Tamar, has not just allowed us to further defence engagement across the region, but enabled us to walk the talk – in particular on freedom of navigation.

Following HMS Queen Elizabeth, our 5th generation aircraft carrier and her strike group’s visits in 2021.

We note that the Philippines has also taken the bold step to stand up with confidence in support of international law in the South China Sea. We applaud this and salute the resolve shown by this administration.

Developing Strong Security Partnerships

Beyond that, we believe that building closer bilateral, mini-lateral and multi-lateral defence and security partnerships with regional partners will be key to support peace and stability throughout the region.

Indeed – alliances and their cohesiveness are key. So that those who threaten, coerce, intimidate or use force feel the unity and the might of those who uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and abstain from said threats, coercion, intimidation, or the use of force.

We are already building these alliances through landmark agreements and partnerships including AUKUS, with the US and Australia, and the Global Combat Air Programme with Japan and Italy. We firmly believe that these not only show our resolve, but also have a stabilising effect in the region.  Here in the Philippines, these agreements also show that the Philippines does not stand alone.

Building Capability

These partnerships are important, but not sufficient. We believe in working with partners to strengthen our collective capabilities. Here in the Philippines, we are working alongside partners to build the capability of the Philippines to defend its territory. We are:

*Increasing bilateral defence engagement across the air, land and maritime domains with periodic visits by Royal Navy ships, visits and engagements by Defence leaders and specialist training teams. *Building military capability through provision of international defence training in the UK, the Philippines and the region, focusing on developing specialist skills and professional military education for future commanders. *Pursuing joint military exercises and capitalise on opportunities to observe other military exercises in the UK, Philippines and Indo-Pacific.

But it’s not just about hard-edged security and defence.

The UK is also offering its expertise in areas such as Maritime Domain Awareness, Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported Fishing and tackling environmental damage to coastal areas through our own world-renowned agencies, such as the Royal Navy’s MDA team and the UK’s Hydrographic Office.

It’s also about the economy, economic resilience and economic security.

Indeed, these are also the modern nomenclature of conflict. And the areas we must invest in to prevent said conflict.  Across the world we have seen a disturbing rise in incidents of economic coercion that seek to exploit economic vulnerabilities and dependencies and undermine the foreign and domestic policies and sovereignty of countries around the world.  We categorically oppose this behaviour, regardless of which country engages in them. We are committed to ensure that attempts to weaponise economic dependencies by forcing our partners to comply and conform will fail and face consequences.

So as the UK we will boost economic growth and opportunities through high-quality trade agreements and digital partnerships.  Alongside our G7 partners, we are taking steps to end strategic dependency – on energy, investment and technology – and provide a credible alternative.  We are working to unlock investment and collaborating with innovative private sector partners to develop and grow successful UK and Indo-Pacific partnerships.

At Hiroshima, G7 Leaders launched a new Coordination Platform on Economic Coercion. As part of this, Leaders committed to further promote cooperation with partners beyond the G7, and to coordinate, as appropriate, support to targeted states, economies and entities as a demonstration of solidarity and resolve to uphold the rule of law.

Through continuing to build strong partnerships and collaboration in this way, together we can ensure a more stable, peaceful and prosperous future for all.

Today is Ukraine’s Independence Day, marking 32 years since the Act of Declaration of Independence was adopted. It also marks 18 months since Russia launched its illegal full-scale invasion with the aim of overthrowing Ukraine. It was a premeditated, unprovoked attack on a democratic sovereign state.

In Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General had the UK’s support for their work investigating allegations of war crimes, building cases fairly, independently and robustly, to ensure those responsible are held to account. In my new role here I will support international organisations such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) in their complementary work to secure justice for what has occurred.

The UK and the Netherlands have together played a leading role not only in supporting Ukraine to win the war through significant financial and military assistance, but also ensuring there is accountability for the atrocities that have taken place. It is vital that we continue to support the effective and proper monitoring and documentation of human rights abuses. Not only to ensure perpetrators of these heinous crimes are brought to justice, but also to ensure evidence is collected from survivors efficiently to minimise additional stress and trauma.

I have seen first-hand the work of British and Dutch organisations who together are seeking to ensure such effective evidence collection. Earlier this year, the Justice Ministers of the UK and the Netherlands co-hosted an international conference in London, helping to ensure that the ICC has the resources it needs for its critical investigations. The international community, and the UK, is grateful to the Dutch for hosting the Register for Damages and the International Centre for Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression alongside other legal institutions in The Hague.

I have seen Russian aggression not only in my time in Ukraine, I happened to be in Moscow on the day Flight MH17 was shot down. At that time, I was serving as Consul General in St Petersburg. The UK is clear that Russia must be held accountable for this monstrous attack. And I was pleased to see successful prosecutions brought by the Netherlands earlier this year, despite the absence of the perpetrators.

The MH17 trial and process has shown that international justice takes time, it must be to ensure rigorous, fair, and effective trials. That is why we must be unrelenting in our support for the international organisations here in The Hague, to honour the brave people I met in Ukraine with justice, either in Ukrainian courts or here in The Hague.

So, I am proud to be able to continue to support Ukraine from here in The Netherlands. I wholeheartedly agree with Foreign Minister Hoekstra’s statement that accountability is of the utmost importance to ensure a sustainable peace. Justice for the crimes that have been committed will be crucial to rebuilding Ukraine, and some of that rebuilding has already begun. Earlier this year, the international community came together at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London to unlock the potential of the private sector to help Ukraine’s economic recovery. This, in turn, will support the country to come back stronger, as a modern, stable and resilient democracy. Over $60bn in funding was pledged, and many Dutch business were among the 500 who pledged their support.

Over 20 countries, including the UK and the Netherlands have now also signed a Joint Declaration to provide long-term military support to help Ukraine win the war and strengthen its security in the long term to deter and defend against Russian attacks.

Ukrainians will always defend their land – as people in any country would. So there is no chance of a just and lasting peace unless it fully respects Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity in line with the UN Charter and sees the departure of Russian forces.

We must hold those responsible to account, to ensure our world is one of freedom and democracy, not force and aggression. In the meantime we will continue to provide Ukraine with humanitarian, economic and military aid until Russia’s forces leave, which would be the quickest path to peace.

On Ukrainian Independence Day, I want to celebrate the strength, resilience and identity of the Ukrainian people that despite daily atrocities carry on with their lives.

In Ukraine, I saw the heroes of the country fighting every day for the values we share. We owe it to them to stand by their side for as long as it takes to end the war, to rebuild their country and to ensure justice is done.