Tag: Foreign Office

Thank you to our briefers. President, I will make four points today on the challenges facing Central Africa.

Thank you, President, and let me also thank SRSG Abarry, Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States President Verissimo and Ms Tamoifo for their important briefings.

President, I will make five points today on the challenges facing Central Africa.

First, as the Secretary-General set out in his latest report, the subregion is facing important electoral and transitional milestones. Inclusive, peaceful and credible political processes are critical for building and sustaining peace in the sub-region. We encourage member states to facilitate inclusive electoral and transitional processes and to draw on UNOCA support.

Second, the transition in Chad is one such potential milestone, but the Chadian Transitional Authorities must honour conditions set out in the May 2023 African Union Peace and Security Council communiqué to see this milestone achieved. The response to last October’s demonstrations was concerning. The United Kingdom encourages the Transitional Authorities to work with UNOCA and ECCAS to ensure accountability and the release of protestors detained without due legal process.

We pay tribute to Chad’s generosity in helping host tens of thousands of refugees fleeing the crisis in Sudan. The United Kingdom is also providing over $3 million in humanitarian assistance to help support vulnerable refugees from Sudan in Chad. We encourage the Chadian Transitional Authorities to use their influence with Sudan’s generals to encourage adherence to the ceasefire, the facilitation of humanitarian access and progress towards a peaceful resolution to this crisis.

Third, the United Kingdom remains concerned about the situation in Cameroon, especially the humanitarian impact of the conflict in the North West and South West regions. We agree with the Secretary-General that inclusive dialogue is critical to resolve the crisis. The UK continues to call on all parties to engage and to enable safe access to schools and humanitarian assistance.

Fourth, as highlighted by my colleague the Permanent Representative of Gabon, climate insecurity is a major threat to this region. The United Kingdom welcomes UNOCA’s implementation of climate security projects in Central Africa. It is essential that UNOCA’s work on climate security in the region continues and that the Council supports efforts to mitigate the challenges posed by climate change.

Finally, President, we cannot ignore the destabilising role the Wagner Group continues to play in this region. They are a driver of conflict and resource competition, motivated by their exploitation of natural resources and frequently associated with human rights atrocities. They are a part of the problem, not the solution.

Thank you, President.

1. Chair, may I warmly welcome the EU’s delegation, led by Director-General for Trade Sabine Weyand, to their 15th Trade Policy Review and thank the Secretariat for their report and our discussant, Ambassador Pimchanok Pitfield, for her ever-insightful comments.
2. Chair, let me acknowledge the uniqueness of this moment. It won’t escape the notice of my ever-observant colleagues that for the first time, the UK is participating in this Trade Policy Review not as a Member State of the EU, but as an independent WTO Member. And although we may no longer sit next to each other in this chamber, we remain close allies not just at the WTO, but indeed on the wider global stage, fostering a relationship built on shared values, and cooperation across our shared interests.
3. Despite the change in our relationship, and some of the challenges we have worked on together in that process, we are fully committed to maintaining a strong partnership that benefits both our citizens and the global community.
4. The trade relationship between the EU and UK is one of the world’s great economic partnerships. Total trade between the UK and the EU was worth more than £730 billion last year. Member States of the EU are still the largest overseas investors in the British economy, and Britain is one of the biggest investors in Member States of the EU, with thousands of British and continental European companies and millions of jobs relying on close ties between our markets.
5. Challenges to trade exist of course, but together we can – and must – overcome them. And we are making progress. Our Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is the EU’s biggest and broadest FTA to date, and a cornerstone of our bilateral relationship. And the recently agreed Windsor Framework marks a turning point in how the UK and the EU will work together collaboratively to fully exploit the potential of this agreement and maximise the relationship between us.
6. This close partnership is what allows us to tackle shared priorities including trade, energy, security, migration, and climate. And it has of course underpinned our consistent collaboration against President Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. Together, we sanctioned the Russian economy by delivering bans on goods and services trade to restrict the funding of the Russian war machine. We welcome our close co-ordination of sanctions packages with the EU, including through the new Enforcement Coordination Mechanism. As the DG said, we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.
7. Chair, the EU’s leadership and influence within the WTO are instrumental to shaping the future of global trade. We are committed to working with our EU allies and partners to address the challenges we face and harness fresh opportunities for global growth.
8. And we have already seen the fruits of our close collaboration. We worked together throughout the pandemic and more recently the global food security crisis, promoting the widely supported Trade and Health Initiative and the Declaration on Food Insecurity at MC12, and in the WTO Committee on Market Access, which has created a rich resource for future policy makers addressing crises in the future. We appreciate the EU’s promotion of open trade principles in negotiations on Fisheries subsidies and e-Commerce and we welcome the EU’s recent proposal for WTO dialogues on state intervention in the economy. We must carry this spirit of collaboration into all our shared challenges, such as strengthening trade resilience through diversifying supply chains, for which both the WTO Director-General and the G7 have called.
9. However, as we set our sights on the future, we must not lose sight of the pressing need to reform this Organisation. We all know that this institution has faced significant challenges in recent years. Its ability to address emerging trade issues and disputes has, sadly, been called into question. To safeguard the benefits of free trade and ensure that it remains an enabler of global growth and prosperity, we must reinvigorate the WTO and adapt it to the realities of the third decade of the 21st century.
10. In this endeavour, we look to the EU as a key partner. EU leadership and influence within the WTO are instrumental in shaping the future of global trade. We encourage the EU to continue its efforts to promote transparency, inclusivity, and effectiveness within the Organisation, and its deep and valuable engagement on dispute settlement reform.
11. On this, World Environment Day, we welcome the EU’s ambition on climate and the emphasis placed on open trade through its Green Deal Industrial Plan. However, the global challenges we face cannot be resolved through unilateral action alone, and we must ensure that the green transition does not come through acting at each other’s expense or at the expense of our rules-based international system. The UK and EU have mutual trade obligations under the TCA and WTO. We must work together to avoid a subsidy race that could distort trade or negatively impact emerging sectors.
12. The UK shares the EU’s concerns about carbon leakage risks, which could undermine our joint efforts to reduce global emissions. The UK has strongly advocated and supported international solutions to carbon leakage risk. We have an ambitious Emissions Trading Scheme and Carbon Price Support mechanism which we expect the EU to take into account when implementing its own Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
13. Chair, the UK shares the EU’s ambition of identifying effective approaches to shortage management in future crises, however we have questions over the trade impacts of the EU’s Single Market Emergency Instrument (SMEI). The framework seems to be an overly inward-looking response to managing supply chains in a crisis, which risks trade with third countries at a time of potential global shortage. We submitted written questions about the SMEI, and we encourage the EU to pursue closer coordination with third countries as part of planning for future crises.
14. The UK recognises that the complexity and variety of semiconductors makes it impossible for any country to address the challenges of semiconductor supply chain resilience alone. We also submitted written questions to understand the trade implications of the EU’s approach. We want to work with the EU and other partners to pursue a coordinated, multilateral approach to this issue. Our vision is that a coordinated approach will work in tandem with industry to increase the resilience in key sectors.
15. We also encourage the EU to ensure its digital sovereignty agenda maintains fair market access for British businesses, in keeping with the UK’s high data protection standards and upholding our shared interests in digital trade and competitiveness.
16. Chair, as we navigate the uncharted waters of the green transition and the digital revolution, it is imperative that we reinforce our commitment to one another. We must collaborate to leverage our collective strengths, and work tirelessly together to reform the WTO. Together, we can protect and promote free and open trade, ensuring a prosperous future for all. In that critical endeavour, we look to the EU as a formidable and crucial ally.

President, I welcome that with this resolution the Council has sent a unified endorsement of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).

I would like to pay tribute to the efforts of UN personnel in Sudan, who continue to do vital work under extremely challenging circumstances. Let me also underline the UK’s support for the work of SRSG Volker Perthes and all of the UNITAMS team.

The situation in Sudan remains of significant concern. In particular regarding the humanitarian needs of Sudan’s population. This renewal underlines that the UN will continue to support their demands for peace and democracy.

This six-month rollover will also provide the necessary time for the Council to assess the impact of the developing context on UNITAMS’ ability to fulfil its vital mandate.

First of all we would like to thank Leen Sharqawi and Ahmed Abu Daqqa for their very powerful statements. A reminder, if we needed it, that UNRWA continues to provide a vital beacon of hope for Palestinians.

President, the UK also believes UNRWA plays a critical role in preserving stability in the Middle East in its education services to around 543,000 students, access to health services to 1.9 million refugees, and protection assistance to 5.9 million refugees.

It has also provided 32,000 loans to support sustainable income-generating opportunities. It helps the most vulnerable Palestinian refugees not only to survive but to thrive.

UNRWA cannot do this alone, but relies on us, the international community, to show our support to and solidarity with Palestinian refugees. I am pleased to announce that the UK will pledge £10m [$12.5m USD] to support it in delivering high-quality services.

However, UNRWA faces several financial challenges. It is working to meet this challenge head-on by developing a robust Resource Mobilisation and Outreach Strategy. The international community must collectively support this strategy, and help to address the chronic funding shortfalls by providing predictable, multi-year funding.

We welcome the pledges from others and we support creative thinking about other means to ensure UNRWA’s financial viability to implement its mandate.

The UK continues to believe that a negotiated, two-state solution is the only viable means of bringing the peace and stability that both Palestinians and Israelis desire. Until then, the UK remains steadfast in its commitment to UNRWA and to Palestinian refugees.

Thank you, Mr Chair. Thank you, Ambassador Yrjölä, for your timely and sobering report. It makes clear how critical the OSCE’s conflict cycle tools are to our ability to deal with complex and substantial security challenges.

Unfortunately, Russia has consistently stymied this work. Russia blocked the mandate renewals of the Border Observer Mission, the Special Monitoring Mission, and the Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. We call on Russia for the immediate release of our OSCE Special Monitoring Mission colleagues currently detained in Donetsk and Luhansk. Their detention is unjust and unacceptable.

Russia continues to show no interest in peace, and has caused untold harm to Ukrainian citizens. Russia’s actions make it hard for the OSCE to carry out the work it was designed to do. The irony is that it also makes that work more necessary than ever. To that end, we are grateful for the CPC’s role in coordinating the Support Programme for Ukraine. It is vital that civilians and civilian institutions in Ukraine are protected and supported.

Russia also continues to undermine Georgia’s sovereignty. It has violated its territorial integrity by recognising the so-called independence of Georgia’s Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions, and by its attempted borderisation tactics. In Moldova, Russian forces and potentially hazardous munitions remain present illegitimately in Transnistria. We continue to support efforts to ensure peaceful, sustainable resolutions to these conflicts, including through the valuable work of the Geneva International Discussions and the Mission to Moldova.

We are also closely following the ongoing peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and we welcome the participation of both countries in working towards a settlement of all outstanding matters between them. We urge them to continue with this momentum.

The CPC is able to play a crucial role in addressing all of these challenges through international reporting, early warning, dialogue facilitation, mediation, rehabilitation, and programme management. We support the plan to strengthen these tools further, including through greater use of technology. But as the report states, these tools can only be as effective as we, the participating States, allow them to be. We must demonstrate the political will to use these resources and fully implement the principles and commitments that underpin comprehensive security.

It is essential that across the CPC’s work, there is an emphasis on the participation of women and civil society. We welcome the CPC’s work to strengthen the capacities of women negotiators in the Working Groups of the Transnistrian Settlement Process, as well as other valuable initiatives such as the CPC’s Scholarship for Peace and Security training programme. As we have seen time and again, the full, equal and meaningful participation of women leads to better, more sustainable outcomes for all.

Mr Chair, as set out so clearly in Ambassador Yrjölä’s report, the chronic lack of financial sustainability is having a hugely negative impact on the work of the CPC and other OSCE structures. The continued non-agreement of the 2023 OSCE Unified Budget remains an enormous hindrance to the effective running of the organisation, its institutions and its field missions. We urge those participating States who continue to obstruct agreement to look beyond a narrow, national focus. We must ensure that all OSCE institutions and structures have the funding they need in order to effectively fulfil their mandate.

Ambassador Yrjölä, I would like to thank you, your team, and the field missions for your ongoing support to participating States facing conflict situations. Over the next year, we will face continued challenges, and we must all renew our commitment to preventing conflict and sustaining peace.