Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 4 April 2023.

UN HRC52: UK Core Group statement to introduce Item 2 Resolution on South Sudan. Delivered by UK’s Ambassador to the WTO and UN in Geneva, Simon Manley.

Thank you Mr President.

I am honoured to present on behalf of the core group of Albania, Norway, the United States and the UK, draft resolution L.27 on South Sudan, which, if passed, would extend in full the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan for a further year.

Mr President,

The human rights situation in South remains dire and should be of paramount concern to this Council. All major UN actors working on human rights in South Sudan have continued to report that human rights violations and abuses continue to be committed frequently across South Sudan, with impunity, by all actors, across the country. In addition, the transitional justice institutions supposed to guarantee accountability for past violations and abuses have still not been established.

In light of this, our Core Group is clear that the Commission’s mandate to monitor, report, investigate and gather evidence of human rights violations and abuses remains as necessary today as when it was established. This work directly supports efforts to make progress toward lasting peace in South Sudan, based on respect for the rule of law, accountability for past atrocities, and the full enjoyment by all South Sudanese of their human rights going forward.

Mr President,

We regret that, once again, we have been unable to reach consensus on full mandate extension with South Sudan. We note their position here in Geneva, while also deeply appreciating their continued and full cooperation with the Commission in Juba.

We also note the African Group has, as before, tabled draft resolution L.36, focusing on technical assistance and capacity building in South Sudan. We will of course support this text – technical assistance and capacity building, alongside continued and strong human rights scrutiny are key, mutually reinforcing pillars of the overall, comprehensive human rights response we believe South Sudan needs.

We therefore urge the Council to adopt this draft resolution extending the mandate of the Commission, and to vote in favour if necessary. If the resolution is adopted, we hope to continue discussions with South Sudan on whether and how we can find a way back to consensus next year.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 4 April 2023.

General Comment:Universal Declaration of Human Rights & Vienna Declaration & Programme of Action. Delivered by UK Ambassador to WTO & UN in Geneva Simon Manley.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 April 2023.

UN Human Rights Council 52nd session: General debate on agenda Item 10 as delivered by UK Ambassador to the WTO and UN in Geneva, Simon Manley.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 4 April 2023.

UN Human Rights Council 52nd session: Interactive dialogue with the fact-finding mission on Libya.

Thank you Mr Vice-President.

First let me thank the FFM for your vital work highlighting the serious human rights violations and abuses that have taken place in Libya since 2016. We regret your Mission were unable to visit the entire country and did not have access to places of detention.

Mr Chairman, your findings are deeply concerning. In particular, we were alarmed that crimes against humanity may have taken place. The Libyan authorities must put an end to these violations and hold perpetrators to account.

As you said this morning, this is crucial for reconciliation and transitional justice. The participation of an active civil society is fundamental for Libya’s path towards lasting peace. We urge Libya to clarify a transparent, proportionate and consistent registration process to allow civil society to operate freely and securely.

We welcome Libya’s initiative to table a resolution at the Council this session, including its request for capacity building and for expertise to strengthen its transitional justice system. We see this as a positive indication that Libya will take forward the recommendations of the FFM and encourage them to begin implementation immediately, with support from the OHCHR.

Mr Chairman,

How can the OHCHR support Libya to rapidly pursue justice for acts of conflict-related sexual violence, and promote the participation of women in peacebuilding efforts?

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 April 2023.

Statement by Matilda O’Kelly at the UN General Assembly meeting on the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council reform (IGN)

Thank you for the new agenda items you have included in this meeting of the IGN. Continuing to evolve the IGN to reflect emerging key topics is important for us to make progress.

We are clear that there must be permanent African representation on the Council. It cannot be the case that such a large proportion of the world’s population, and a whole regional group, not share their expertise and shoulder the responsibility of permanent membership of the Council.

We also want to see permanent membership for Brazil, Japan and India, which would mean permanent representation from the Latin America and Asia Pacific regional groups, as well as permanent membership for Germany.

On categories of membership, the UK supports expansion in both the existing categories, permanent and non-permanent.

Turning to the “status of documentation,” I would like to outline a few key points:

The urgency and momentum we have heard for Security Council Reform so far this year cannot be ignored. So the UK is open to all avenues to progressing the discussion on Security Council reform. We must move forward at an accelerated pace, as so many colleagues have said in this year’s IGN meetings so far.

We believe text based negotiations would help us to make that progress. A single consolidated and updated text that includes attribution would help us to make the meaningful progress for which so many of us have called.

We are open to different options of what such a single, consolidated and updated text should look like. And we would be pleased to partake in further discussions in this session of the IGN on the basis of a single consolidated text with attributions, circulated to us in advance.

I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome the news that the IGN website will go live later this week.

In closing, co-chairs, we must harness the momentum behind Security Council reform, and translate that into a text from which we can work to make the change we all so want to see.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 April 2023.

Interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on technical assistance and capacity-building for South Sudan.

Thank you, Mr Vice President.

Let me begin by thanking the High Commissioner for his report. We share his sobering assessment of the continuing dire human rights, humanitarian and security situation in South Sudan, and in particular that – and I quote his words – “Rule of law mechanisms, as well as accountability mechanisms for human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law committed across the country, continue to be weak or non-existent, thus perpetuating widespread impunity and leaving victims without redress or effective remedies”.

We of course agree that South Sudan is in real need of technical assistance and capacity building to help improve its human rights situation and to build a sustainable peace, but that is only part of the solution. We need accountability and a more comprehensive approach to improving human rights in South Sudan is needed, which has to include, for us, the continued scrutiny by the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.

We do encourage, once again, the Government of South Sudan to continue its cooperation with the Commission, and we encourage our fellow Council members to extend its mandate in full this session.

So if I may ask, what immediate steps the Government can take in implementing the Revitalized Peace Agreement, including Chapter V, to improve the human rights situation on the ground?

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 31 March 2023.

The visits aimed to strengthen defence ties and celebrate our historical defence and security cooperation.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 31 March 2023.

UN HRC52: UK Statement for the High-Level dialogue on the Central African Republic.

Thank you, Mr President.

The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned by increases in the number of human rights violations and abuses in the Central African Republic. Reports have highlighted that Central African Armed Forces and Wagner Group forces are responsible for the majority of these.

Wagner Group has shown repeatedly that their presence in CAR is self-serving. We continue to urge the government to investigate allegations of human rights violations and abuses, and to ensure that all perpetrators are held to account.

We are equally concerned by reports of attacks on expatriates and urge the Government to ensure the protection of all citizens.

We call for a revitalisation of the peace process. The Political Agreement for Peace and Stability remains the only viable option to end conflict and crisis in the Central African Republic. We call on the Government to build on political progress through meaningful engagement with all actors in country.

Lastly, we commend the progress made by the National Elections Authority and the support of the Central African Government, MINUSCA and UNDP, in preparing for the local elections in July 2023. We remain concerned about financial, logistical and security challenges in organising these crucial elections.

Mr Agbetse,

What steps should CAR and the international community take to stem the worsening human rights situation?

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 31 March 2023.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council meeting on President Putin’s announcement of basing nuclear weapons in Belarus.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 31 March 2023.

Accession means lower tariffs on some exports to the UK, which are not already removed through the UK’s bilateral agreements with member countries.

The UK has today, 31 March, announced the conclusion of trade talks with member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a vast free trade area spanning the Asia-Pacific, after 21 months of negotiations.

The bloc is home to over 500 million people and will have a total GDP of £11 trillion once the UK joins.

Negotiations, which began in June 2021, concluded after an intense round of talks in Vietnam, with representatives from all CPTPP member countries agreeing to the UK’s accession.

The UK is the first new member and European country to join CPTPP, which is made up of 11 Pacific nations including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

As a free trade area connecting a wide group of economies, CPTPP creates opportunities to deepen our trading links across the Americas, providing a range of different opportunities with the different countries.

CPTPP membership will complement and reinforce existing bilateral trade agreements we have already signed, including those with Chile, Mexico and Peru.

Joining the CPTPP trading bloc means that over 99% of UK goods exports to CPTPP members will be eligible for tariff-free trade, and UK membership will secure CPTPP countries greater access to the fifth largest market in the world by GDP, with 67 million consumers.

Accession means lower tariffs on some exports to the UK which are not already removed through the UK’s bilateral agreements with member countries.

UK Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said:

Our accession to CPTPP sends a powerful signal that the UK is open for business and using our post-Brexit freedoms to reach out to new markets, including in the Asia Pacific region, and grow our economy.

Joining this influential trade bloc will help us to shape the rules of global trade with like-minded nations, and work even closer together on our shared priorities of prosperity, security and free and fair trade.

UK membership could also benefit businesses and investors in all CPTPP countries through modern rules that make it easier to establish, operate investments and do business in the UK.

It sends a powerful signal that the UK as an independent trading nation will continue to champion free and fair trade, fight protectionism and remove barriers to trade at every opportunity, helping to reinforce the rules-based international system at a critical time in our history.

Five rounds of talks with UK and CPTPP chief negotiators took place in total, with many more intersessional and bilateral negotiations alongside, and for the final round in Vietnam alone more than 150 delegates from all CPTPP member countries took part.

As one of the largest free trade areas in the world, CPTPP accounted for 12 percent of global GDP in 2021. This would rise to 15 percent with the UK’s accession, adding substantial value to this huge free trade area.

HM Trade Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jonathan Knott said:

The UK’s strategic interests align closely with our CPTPP member countries from Latin America, Mexico, Chile and Peru. Our priorities for the region include protecting economic security, tackling climate change and defending our values and the international rules-based order. We share a vision for free, open and secure trade.

I am confident that the UK accession will consolidate CPTPP as a bedrock of a rich network of economic and strategic relationships.

The British Ambassador to Chile, Louise de Sousa, said:

CPTPP will deepen trade links between the UK and Chile, enhancing our current Free Trade Agreement by removing barriers and improving market access.

Chile is already the UK’s third largest export market in Latin America and the removal of barriers to trade will provide opportunities for businesses across numerous sectors, fostering economic growth and enhancing our bilateral relationship.

Greater alignment on cross-border trade in services and e-commerce will open opportunities in financial services, while closer alignment will support key strategic sectors such as energy and infrastructure, whilst helping bother countries implement our decarbonisation plans.

Through our bilateral Trade Dialogue with Chile, the UK government will continue to look at ways to boost trade for SMEs, innovative businesses and address the deficit of female-led companies in our trade relationship, utilising the new opportunities under CPTPP.