Tag: Foreign Office

Mr Chair, we have heard much today about economic and environmental issues facing our region. As my Delegation colleague said at the start, its biggest security issue – Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine – also presents some of the largest economic and environmental challenges. This is why I would like to say few things on the future of Ukraine’s recovery.

Ukraine’s reconstruction needs will be immense and will require unprecedented collaboration between government, the private sector and international institutions. That is why next week, at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, we will start the process to help unlock the potential of the private sector.

The Conference will bring together governments, business leaders and civil society, mobilising the international community to help secure for Ukraine a more modern, open, and resilient economic future.

We want the Conference to result in a new business compact; new fiscal support; an announcement of plans for an EBRD capital increase to pave the way for increased investment; a framework for progress on war risk insurance; a pronouncement of Ukraine’s reform plans; a showcase of tech partnership opportunities; and a G7+ green energy initiative to support longer-term transition.

The Conference won’t be a pledging conference, but we encourage fellow States to come with offers of support, nonetheless.

The programme will comprise plenary sessions, breakout sessions, a business fair, and His Majesty the King and First Lady Zelenska will host receptions for senior heads of delegations.

We encourage States to send suitably senior political and business representation, as well as maximum business signatories to the Business Compact.

Mr Chair, Ukraine’s recovery from Russia’s war of aggression will show President Putin that his attempts to destroy Ukraine will only produce a stronger, more prosperous and more united European nation.

We look forward to welcoming delegations in London.

Thank you.

Excellencies, dear colleagues,

The theme of this conference is ‘Promoting security and stability through economic growth.’ But we cannot ignore that one participating State – Ukraine – has had their economic growth destroyed because another – Russia – launched a full-scale illegal and unprovoked invasion against their sovereign neighbour.

Russia’s war has had a devastating impact on the economy and environment of Ukraine, and profound impacts for the OSCE region. As ambassador Hasani said in opening remarks, in March the World Bank estimated that the cost of rebuilding Ukraine stood at $411 billion. We have heard in this forum of the devastating consequences of the war on Ukraine’s ecosystem and the wider environment.

Last week we witnessed the appalling destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. This was an abhorrent act which, if it does prove to have been an intentional attack, would fit the pattern of behaviour by Russia during this war of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure.

Assessment of impacts are ongoing, but it is anticipated that hundreds of thousands could face water shortages and contamination, as well as interruption to electricity supplies. There is also a risk of mines dislodging and threatening lives and livelihoods. On 10 June the UK set out an additional £16 million of humanitarian support as Ukraine deals with the aftermath of the flooding.

As the international community comes together to provide economic assistance to Ukraine, we must continue our efforts to hinder Russia. The UK will introduce new measures against key sectors of the Russian economy and those in Russia and outside who are supporting or profiting from Putin’s war.

I would like to finish by drawing attention to the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London next week, which will help build a modern, resilient Ukrainian economy that strengthens the rule of law, tackles corruption and promotes reform.

Thank you.

Thank you President. I am grateful to the UAE for convening this important meeting and I thank the Secretary-General, as well as the briefers for their valuable briefings.

President, respect for all human rights is and must be an essential beacon for our work in this Council.

Freedom of religion or belief, including the freedom not to have a religion, is a fundamental human right.

And yet, religious minorities have time and again been specifically targeted, including in conflict. This was a key finding of the report commissioned by the former UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt from the Bishop of Truro.

From the Yezidis in Iraq, to the Rohingya in Myanmar, to the recent case of the Baha’i in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, minorities are too often targeted on the grounds of religion or belief. Indeed, there is evidence that religious or belief minorities may avoid seeking humanitarian aid due to fear or intolerance. Including Sunni Muslims in Syria, Shi’a Hazara communities in Afghanistan and Christian communities in Nigeria.

When communities come under attack in situations of conflict, it is the role of this Council to address it. There is more we and the UN system can do to monitor incitement to violence against all minority communities in conflict. We should assure we have the tools in place for horizon scanning to address incitement and extremist rhetoric before it tips over into violence.

Religious communities and leaders have a responsibility to reject hate and extremism in their name which can fuel violence and conflict. They can also play a unique role in conflict prevention, reconciliation, and peacebuilding initiatives, including at the grassroots level, where interreligious and intercultural dialogue can help build trust and understanding between communities, and combat intolerance.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Wellby, who sits on the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Mediation addressed this Council in 2018 on the role religious institutions can play in fragile states in mediation and reconciliation.

This year is the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland – a peace deal that Catholic and Protestant clergy helped deliver through mediation between adversaries. In Sierra Leone, the Inter-Religious Council was crucial to the signing of the Lomé Peace Accord which brought peace in 1999 after a decade of war. And in Mali, a country threatened by violent extremism, some Islamic figures have been working tirelessly in support of peace.

Women leaders are of course a crucial part of this: the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention and resolution, negotiations are more likely to succeed, and peace agreements be sustained. The Ecumenical Women Peacebuilders Network is a powerful example, a nationally recognised group of Catholic and Protestant women church leaders in Colombia who helped drive the 2016 peace accords. They now help foster reconciliation as former combatants return home. So we, as a Council, should ensure that UN peace efforts are making use of the leadership of women, religious leaders, youth and wider civil society.

President, human rights and freedom of expression must be at the heart of any attempt to advance freedom of religion and belief. Attempts to tackle intolerance will not be successful if they don’t prioritise inclusivity, equality and safeguard freedom of expression and opinion.

These principles are reflected in the resolution we have presented with our partners, the UAE, and which we hope will be adopted later today.

The UK is a proud champion of the rights of members of marginalised groups, including women and girls, and is committed to defending them.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Once again, Ukrainian civilians have paid the price for Russia’s brutal aggression. Yesterday in Kryvyi Rih at least 11 people were killed and a further 28 injured due to Russia’s large-scale missile attacks. Residential buildings were destroyed, and civilians were trapped under the rubble. Such attacks are inexcusable and demonstrate Russia’s blatant disregard for the lives of civilians.

The catastrophic collapse of the Kakhovka Dam last week has impacted thousands of Ukrainian citizens. On 11 June, the United Nations estimated that 700,000 people in Kherson region were without access to drinking water. In addition, the collapse of the dam has almost certainly severely disrupted the primary source of fresh water for illegally annexed Crimea. Open-source imagery shows that water has stopped flowing into the intake which feeds the North Crimean Canal, and this will reduce the availability of fresh water in the southern Kherson Oblast and northern Crimea.

The resulting floodwaters have also caused lasting damage to huge swathes of agricultural land. The Ukrainian Agriculture Association has estimated that Ukraine will lose 14 percent of its grain exports due to the flooding.

We again express our deepest concern regarding the potential impact of this damage on communities living in the downstream areas, the provision of clean water supplies, the longer-term safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and the wider ecological consequences from the destruction of the dam. We call for immediate access for neutral and impartial humanitarian organisations to help those in need wherever they are.

Multiple reports indicate that Russian shelling has caused death and injuries to civilians during evacuation efforts – this is despicable. We are clear; the destruction of the Kakhovka dam is yet another devastating example of the terrible consequences of Russia’s unprovoked, illegal and full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It is a disaster zone in the middle of a war zone.

Madam Chair, we repeatedly warned Russia, in this and other fora, that any Russian military incursion into Ukraine would be a massive strategic mistake. Russia ignored those warnings at terrible cost to Ukraine and its own people. Over 15 months into its illegal invasion, the list of Russia’s accomplishments read like a depraved horror story. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians killed; cities and towns laid to waste; evidence of unimaginable atrocities against men, women and children committed. I ask our Russian colleagues, are these the goals of the so-called “Special Military Operation” that they endorse in this room every week? By justifying these actions and supporting them by spreading disinformation and hate-filled vitriol, our Russian colleagues, as professional diplomats, must know they bear responsibility for the lies they peddle to this forum and their own population. Lies cannot live forever.

Madam Chair, over the last five days, significant Ukrainian operations have taken place in several sectors of eastern and southern Ukraine. In some areas, Ukrainian forces have likely made good progress and penetrated the first line of Russian defences. Russian performance has been mixed; some units are likely conducting credible defence operations while others have pulled back in some disorder with multiple reports of further Russian casualties as they withdraw through their own minefields.

In Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces continue to exploit weaknesses in Russia’s defensive lines and ambiguity over Russian command and control following the withdrawal of Wagner Group forces. Continued Russian disorder on the battlefield, also seems to be fuelling further dysfunction in the already fraught relationship between Wagner and the Russian Ministry of Defence. On 10 June, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Nikolay Pankov announced that ‘volunteers’ fighting for Russia must sign contracts directly with the Russian Ministry of Defence. Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin immediately announced that his personnel would refuse to sign the contracts.

It is a telling indictment of the progress of Russia’s so-called “Special Military Operation” that, whilst Ukraine is focused on fighting its barbaric invader, Russia is fighting itself.

Madam Chair, we do not underestimate the continuing threat posed by the Russian Federation but, in time, there will be cause for Ukraine to celebrate. Ukraine will continue to demonstrate their resolute courage, determination and enduring moral strength as they fight to liberate more of their homeland. The UK and the international community will remain steadfast in our support – we will stand by Ukraine for however long it takes. Our united approach of providing Ukraine with the support it needs to defend itself and push Russia out of Ukraine’s sovereign territory is the swiftest, and only, path to a just and lasting peace. Ukraine will win. Thank you.

The UK is fully committed to implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

We are developing a UK Disability Action Plan outlining speedy actions the Government will take in 2023/2024 to transform disabled people’s lives.

Ensuring the voices of disabled people are properly heard is a priority for the UK Government. That is why we will run a full public consultation and engagement on the draft Plan this summer.

This will build on our recently published “Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper” – an ambitious reform package that will transform the health and disability benefits system.

Last year, we enacted two landmark pieces of disability legislation – the British Sign Language Act and the Down Syndrome Act.

We have also expanded our Disability and Access Ambassadors programme to drive accessibility improvements across different sectors in the business world.

The global context of numerous humanitarian and economic crises, plus the continuing impact of the pandemic, means disability inclusion risks falling further down the agenda.

The UK remains committed to championing disability rights and inclusion globally.

Following the launch of our international Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy last year, the UK is focussed on embedding its principles across our huge diplomatic and development network.

Promoting the full, active, and meaningful participation of disabled people in our work is a key element of this.

Our Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has published guidance for all its staff on engaging disabled people in the development of our international policies, programmes, and responses. Ensuring the UK’s global output reaches all of those in need and leaves no one behind.

Furthermore, earlier this year we published our international Women and Girls Strategy, in which we committed to use the full weight of our diplomatic and development offer to put women and girls, in all their diversity, at the heart of everything we do.

Thank you, President. We are grateful to the United Arab Emirates for focusing the Council on this subject today. I also thank USG Lacroix, Former President Santos and Ms Kadry for their important briefings.

There has been some progress since the UK first brought climate security to the Council in 2007. The implications of climate change are increasingly integrated into our work on conflict, peace and security.

Still, the physical impacts and cascading risks of climate change are being felt across the world, and are exacerbating pre-existing fragilities. The link to international peace and security is clear, and has been set out by ministers from Africa and the Middle East today – regions that form the majority of our work in this Council

Urgent, coordinated global action is needed now to address threats. We see the following as priorities:

First, is the need to increase and improve access to finance for countries most affected by climate change, as highlighted so powerfully by Secretary Kerry just now. We are working to reform the international financial system and to scale up public and private finance for climate resilience and sustainable peace, including for countries on this Council’s agenda. Regional risk pools founded by the UK have transferred $1 billion of risk from Africa, with Somalia receiving a first payout from drought insurance this year. In July, we will convene events on climate finance in the UK and New York including for countries with humanitarian needs to contribute to this theme at COP28.

Second, we need to ensure drivers of conflict are considered within climate interventions. Conflict-sensitive climate adaptation needs to be part of the solution for destabilised countries. And women, girls and local actors need to be meaningfully included in formal systems and negotiations.

Finally, climate and conflict risk reduction and early responses should be integrated into humanitarian, peacebuilding and development programmes, in line with the Sendai Framework and the UN Secretary General’s Early Warning for All initiative. Reducing risk and impact of disasters is critical to ensuring continued progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals – especially SDG13 for climate and SDG16 for conflict.

The UN system is well-positioned to coordinate climate, development, peacebuilding and security efforts, including through existing CPS Advisers in UN Missions. This Council should support this by helping to drive a more coherent and integrated response to stabilisation, peacebuilding and climate-resilient development across UN activities.

Thank you.