Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 March 2023.

A joint statement following the Foreign Secretary’s call with Catherine Colonna, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

Catherine Colonna, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, and James Cleverly, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, spoke by telephone on 6 March 2023.

The exchange helped prepare for the 36th Franco-British Summit to be held on 10 March in Paris and will deepen the long-standing bilateral relationship between the two countries by deepening cooperation in a number of areas, including foreign affairs, security and defence, the economy, youth, energy and migration.

In this context, the ministers discussed the major international issues of the day, including joint support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and the defence of the rules-based international order.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 March 2023.

Statement by Alice Jacobs, UK Deputy Political Coordinator at the Security Council briefing on Syria.

I thank USG Nakamitsu for her excellent briefing, as ever.

As we discussed last month, the Douma report is further confirmation of Syria’s disdain for its basic obligations under international law.

We again commend the Investigation and Identification Teams’ integrity, impartiality and professionalism in reaching its conclusions through rigorous scientific methodology.

The Douma report has also further exposed Syria and Russia’s repeated attempts to discredit and undermine the OPCW to protect the Assad regime from accountability. Their reprehensible scapegoating of the White Helmets is aimed at deflecting attention. The White Helmets’ life-saving work has been demonstrated time and again, including during the recent earthquake response.

President, it is also worth noting that today marks five years since two Russian GRU agents carried out a chemical weapons attack in the UK killing a British citizen and injuring others. It is, therefore, perhaps not just the Assad regime that it is attempting to protect.

President, Douma represents the ninth attributed instance of chemical weapons use by the Assad regime. Given this consistent pattern of behaviour and without progress on any of Syria’s outstanding declaration issues, we cannot exclude the possibility that the Assad regime might use chemical weapons again.

As we have said many times, the outstanding issues on Syria’s declaration are neither academic nor historic. While Syria continues to fail to comply with its obligations under the CWC, its chemical weapons programme presents an ongoing threat to international peace and security. It is therefore incumbent on this Council to continue to discuss the matter and to continue to bring pressure on Syria to cooperate with the OPCW.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 March 2023.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council briefing on South Sudan.

Thank you, President. Let me join others in congratulating Malta for their successful Presidency in February and wishing you the best for yours in March.

Thank you also to SRSG Haysom and to our briefers for their updates. I also welcome the presence of the Permanent Representative of South Sudan in our meeting today.

First, I would like to echo the messages delivered by the Pope, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Moderator of the Church of Scotland during their historic visit to South Sudan.

The UK endorses their calls on the Government of South Sudan to stop violence, end corruption, and deliver basic services for the South Sudanese people.

Recent legislative steps, such as progress on the Constitution-Making Process Bill and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority, are welcome.

The key is now to implement such laws. We also call on the Government to take immediate steps to reconstitute the Political Parties Council and adopt The National Elections Act, among other urgent tasks. We echo SRSG Haysom’s message that 2023 needs to be the year that the South Sudanese Government delivers for its people.

Second, I would like to note our concerns about the escalation of subnational conflict across South Sudan.

The Church leaders were clear that failure to implement the peace agreement is driving subnational conflict and humanitarian suffering.

Violence has caused significant loss of life, displaced thousands of civilians, and led to large-scale abductions of women and children.

The United Kingdom commends UNMISS’s continued efforts to protect civilians under such challenging circumstances.

We are therefore deeply concerned by reports of intimidation of UN peacekeepers and UNMISS personnel by armed groups across the country.

We call upon the South Sudanese authorities to respect the SOFA and where necessary ensure thorough investigations take place to ensure accountability.

Third, we reiterate our call for the South Sudanese Government to remove all constraints on humanitarian access, and to act urgently to address ongoing theft of humanitarian resources. It is imperative that safe, unimpeded help can reach the most vulnerable, including those along the River Nile.

In closing, President, the United Kingdom remains committed to the South Sudanese people’s quest for peace, prosperity and democracy.  The leadership must now deliver real change to that end.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 March 2023.

The UK’s Ambassador to the WTO and UN in Geneva, Simon Manley, delivered this statement on Afghanistan at the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 March 2023.

During the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UK delivered a statement on Eritrea on 6 March 2023.

Thank You, Mr Vice-President, and thank you to the panellists for their presentations.

The UK continues to be deeply concerned about the dire state of human rights in Eritrea, which shows no signs of improving. We recall that Eritrea’s policy of indefinite national service violates the human rights of its people, affecting the lives of thousands and as the Deputy High Commissioner has said is the primary reason so many of Eritrea’s young people seek to leave the country. We also call yet again for all those in Eritrea who have been arbitrarily detained and held incommunicado, including thousands detained solely based on their religion or belief, to be released at once.

Mr Vice-President, we must also mention the conflict in Ethiopia, and the grave conclusions by the Joint Investigation of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, that Eritrean troops had likely committed human rights abuses and violations, as well as violations of international humanitarian law and international refugee law while in Ethiopia, including against Eritrean refugees living in camps just across the border.
We call on the Eritrean Government to cooperate with any inquiry into these serious allegations, including any accountability or transitional justice processes arising from the Pretoria Peace Agreement.

Mr Vice President, we would like to ask the Panel what, if any, further steps this Council could be taking to encourage Eritrea to abide by its human rights obligations, including to cooperate fully with this Council, and with the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for Eritrea.

Thank you.

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

A joint statement with France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs).

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

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

During the 52nd UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UK co-sponsored a Joint Statement relating to human rights in Nicaragua. This was delivered 3 March 2023.

Mr. President,

On behalf of 53 countries, Canada thanks the High Commissioner for his update, which sheds light on concerning developments in Nicaragua and evidences the importance of renewing the OHCHR’s monitoring mandate.

Whilst we welcome the recent release of 222 political prisoners, and thank the facilitating States, we condemn the Government of Nicaragua’s decision to strip these individuals and 94 other Nicaraguans of their citizenship and political rights. Nationality is a right, which cannot be revoked without due process.

We are troubled by the testimonies of mistreatment of released political prisoners. We urge the authorities to cease arbitrary detention and release all remaining political prisoners, including leaders of the Catholic Church.

We are further alarmed by the deteriorating human rights situation of Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendants in Nicaragua, who face increasing repression, persecution and discrimination.

We reiterate our concern over Nicaragua’s refusal to cooperate with international human rights mechanisms. We call on the authorities to grant them access in order to address and investigate allegations of human rights violations and torture, and to renew cooperation with the OHCHR.

The trend to bar and expel foreign representatives from the country only isolates Nicaragua. We call on Nicaragua to open a dialogue in good faith with the international community.

Mr. High Commissioner, what more can this Council do to bring accountability for egregious human rights violations in Nicaragua?

The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 3 March 2023.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) today confirmed it will support proposals to expand Automatic Enrolment, enabling millions of people to save more and to start saving earlier.

Jonathan Gullis MP’s Private Members Bill, backed today by the government, grants two extensions to Automatic Enrolment – abolishing the Lower Earnings Limit for contributions and reducing the age for being automatically enrolled to 18 years old.

Minister for Pensions, Laura Trott, said:

We know that these widely supported measures will make a meaningful difference to people’s pension saving over the years ahead.

Doing this will see the government deliver on our commitment to help grow the economy and support the hard-working people of this country, particularly groups such as women, young people and lower earners who have historically found it harder to save for retirement.

Jonathan Gullis MP, said:

Auto-enrolment of pensions will benefit scores of young people in all four corners of the country, which is why I am delighted that Minister for Pensions Laura Trott is supportive of the bill.

With all the evidence of the huge positive impact it can have, it is a no-brainer that we now need to extend auto-enrolment to those aged 18 and above. I am confident this Bill will make a huge difference to people from Kidsgrove to Consett.

Lowering the age at which eligible workers must be automatically enrolled into a pension scheme by their employers from 22 to 18 will make saving the norm for young adults and enable them to begin to save from the start of their working lives.

In addition, the bill provides for the removal of the Lower Earnings Limit, supporting those with low earnings and multiple jobs by ensuring they are saving from the first pound earned.

Following the success of the Automatic Enrolment, the government intends to continue its work with thousands of employers and pension providers to further boost the amount of people in a workplace pension and the amount they save for retirement.

It will also continue its work on empowering savers to know their pension options by introducing revolutionary products such as Pensions Dashboards and Mid-life MOTs, providing accessibility and innovation in how people save for their retirement.

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

The UK’s Ambassador to the WTO and UN in Geneva, Simon Manley, delivered this statement on Sudan at the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Thank you, Mr President, and welcome to the Minister of Justice of Sudan

The UK continues to stand in solidarity with the Sudanese people and their demands for democracy, freedom and justice. We therefore welcome the signing of the political framework agreement in December by different Sudanese parties – an important step for Sudan’s transition to civilian-led government.

Let me congratulate Mr Nouicer on his appointment as the High Commissioner’s new Designated Expert, and thank him and the High Commissioner for their early visits to Sudan. We appreciate the continued cooperation of the Sudanese authorities with his mandate.

While these developments are encouraging, there is still much to be done in addressing the overall human rights situation. The death of a protestor from live ammunition on 28 February was unacceptable and deeply concerning. We continue to urge security and military forces to fulfil their obligation to protect civilians and respect their right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression, without fear of violence or arbitrary detention. And to ensure that those responsible for human rights violations are held to account.

High Commissioner,

What opportunities do you and Mr Nouicer see for encouraging constructive participation in the dialogues launched to address issues central to the framework agreement?

Thank you.