Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 January 2023.

Statement by Fergus Eckersley, UK Political Coordinator at the UN, at the UN Security Council briefing on Chemical Weapons in Syria.

Thank you Mr President.

The UK joins others in welcoming you to the Council and assuring you of our full support during your Presidency.

We would also like to extend a warm welcome to colleagues from Ecuador, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland.

I’d like to thank Mr Ebo for her briefing and the OPCW Director-General for his monthly report.

Last year we marked the 25th anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention’s entry into force. Each of us has a responsibility to ensure that it is upheld.

Prior to the start of the conflict in 2011, Syria had an extensive chemical weapons programme. In 2013, after multiple chemical weapons attacks this Council unanimously adopted resolution 2118.

But it became clear that Syria had retained a chemical weapons capability in contravention of resolution 2118 and the Chemical Weapons Convention – and worse than that, further attacks took place.

OPCW and joint UN-OPCW investigations confirmed that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons, including chlorine and sarin, on at least 8 occasions.

These were shocking attacks by the Syrian regime, designed to inflict mass casualties and extreme suffering on its own people.

Syria has since done everything possible to deflect and deny OPCW efforts to resolve the many serious gaps and omissions in its chemical weapons declaration.  As we’ve heard, Syria still today shows its contempt for its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and UNSCR 2118.

Sadly, over the last 9 years, accountability and effective Council action to uphold resolution 2118 has also been consistently blocked in the Council. There has also been a consistent disinformation campaign designed to undermine the OPCW and protect the Syrian regime from accountability for its crimes.

It is not too late to turn this around. We welcome the Technical Secretariat’s latest initiative to send a reduced team to Syria in January. This is an opportunity, finally, for the Syrian regime to come into compliance with their obligations. The responsibility rests with them.

President, we are approaching 10 years since the adoption of UNSCR 2118. As a Council we must insist on its full implementation. This means the complete destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile and accountability for their use.

As Mr Ebo said today, the absence of accountability is a threat to international peace and security and a danger to us all.

As a Council we cannot turn a blind eye. We too must uphold our responsibilities.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 January 2023.

• Foreign Secretary hosts German counterpart for high level talks on joint priorities
• support for Ukraine, energy security and combatting climate change on top of the agenda
• boost for cultural cooperation with the UK-Germany Cultural Commission set to meet for the first time since 1993

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly hosted German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in London today (Thursday 5 January) for the first annual UK-Germany Strategic Dialogue, in a sign of the deep partnership between the 2 countries. This is a major new forum for the two countries to agree cooperation on a range of priority issues.

The 2 ministers committed to increase cooperation on a range of joint priorities from further support for Ukraine to action on climate change.

UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly said:

The UK and Germany are the closest of partners and we are using the strength of our relationship to tackle the shared challenges we face today.

As Europe’s leading economies we’ve agreed to work closer on our unwavering support for Ukraine and combatting climate change.

There was a significant focus on global security in today’s talks. Both foreign ministers made clear their steadfast support for Ukraine in their fight against Russia’s illegal invasion and made a commitment to holding Russia accountable for atrocities, including conflict-related sexual violence.

The UK and Germany have already worked in tandem to respond to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, working with the G7 and NATO to isolate Russia and support Ukraine. Today’s talks have deepened the UK-Germany partnership to enable even closer cooperation.

In a further sign of the current strength of the relationship, the UK-Germany Cultural Commission is set to be reinstated. It was originally set up in 1958 and will meet for the first time since 1993. It will agree priorities for how the UK and Germany can support people-to-people links over the coming year.

The UK-Germany Strategic Dialogue was set up in 2021, with the aim of agreeing areas for cooperation across foreign and security policy for the year ahead. Today is the inaugural meeting of the annual event.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 January 2023.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has issued a statement after North Korea launched a ballistic missile. A spokesperson said:

“North Korea has once again violated UN Security Council Resolutions by launching a short-range ballistic missile on 1 January.

The UK, alongside our international partners, continues to call on North Korea to return to dialogue and prioritise the well-being of its people instead of the unlawful pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.”

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 December 2022.

The New Years Overseas Honours list recognises the outstanding contribution of British nationals for their service abroad.

• UK Ambassadors in Kyiv and Moscow among the 141 people to receive honours for their exceptional service to the UK overseas or internationally
• awards recognise extraordinary people across a range of fields including foreign policy, health and development
• Dr David Nabarro and Masood Ahmed are recognised with Knighthoods for their outstanding contributions to global health and international development respectively

Senior diplomats at the forefront of the UK’s response to the war in Ukraine will be recognised alongside 141 others for their service to the UK overseas and internationally on the King’s New Year honours list.

Melinda Simmons, HMA Kyiv, and Deborah Bronnert, HMA Moscow will both receive Damehoods for their services to foreign policy, including their work supporting Ukraine and countering Russia’s aggression this year.

Extraordinary achievements by British nationals, both officials and non-officials, who worked on the UK’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are also recognised. These include 2 awards at OBE [Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire] to Lt Col (Rt’d) Andrew Kent and Dr Paul Ransom for their outstanding contributions to UK health support overseas, including on the ground in Ukraine.

Former Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill receives a Knighthood for his career in public service spanning domestic and international policy across 7 prime ministers.

Alok Sharma receives a Knighthood for his contribution to combatting climate change through his leadership at COP26 and driving the UK to agree a historic agreement from individual countries that will have a major impact in addressing climate change in the future.

Distinguished international public servant Dr David Nabarro who receives a Knighthood for his outstanding contribution to global health, most recently as the WHO Special Envoy for Covid-19 Prevention and Response.

Also recognised with a Knighthood is Masood Ahmed, President of the Center for Global Development. One of the most strategic thinkers and leaders in the international development system, Mr Ahmed has led successful initiatives that have advanced the economic development of countries around the world for over 3 decades.

Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service, said:

I congratulate everyone receiving an honour and thank them for their hard work and years of service. The UK’s impact around the world depends on exceptional people like those recognised in His Majesty The King’s New Year Honours list. I am grateful for their outstanding contribution.

The New Year Honours list also recognises a number of non-official contributions including:

David Wightwick

Chief Executive Officer, UK-Med, receives a CMG [Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George] for services to UK humanitarian support.

David Wightwick is recognised for an exceptional and sustained contribution to UK humanitarian support overseas. His career began as an aid worker in Kosovo for the International Medical Corps and has now spanned 3 decades of leading and managing complex humanitarian crises for Save the Children, the World Health Organisation, Merlin, GOAL and, for the last five years, as Chief Executive Officer of the UK charity UK-Med. Considered amongst his peers as one of the most outstanding emergency operational leaders in the sector, his distinguished career has enhanced the reputation of the UK in international humanitarian work, reflecting his personal involvement in most major international crises over recent times. Mr Wightwick’s operational leadership and bravery, including in Ukraine, has ensured emergency medical aid has been rapidly delivered when oversea crises hit, saving thousands of lives.

On learning of his award, David Wightwick said:

I feel exceptionally honoured and delighted to receive this award. I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in humanitarian response alongside many outstanding individuals and teams over the years and to have enjoyed the steadfast support of my family throughout.

Professor Lesley Lokko

Founder and Director, Africa Futures Institute, Accra, Ghana, receives an OBE [Officer of the Order of the British Empire] for services to architecture and education.

Professor Lesley Lokko is recognised for an outstanding and sustained contribution to architecture and education. As an architect, academic, author and curator, Lesley Lokko has radically changed the global conversation around race, identity, and architecture. Born in Dundee to a Ghanaian father and a Scottish mother and raised in Ghana, when she first began exploring these issues thirty years ago, architectural production, education and criticism were essentially the preserve of men. Her 2000 book, White Papers, Black Marks: Race, Space and Architecture, pioneered the study of race within architecture and remains one of the most important pieces of work in the field. Professor Lokko’s ongoing research culminated in her recent appointment as the first ever Black Curator of the Venice Architecture Biennale, the most important cultural event in architecture worldwide. Her Biennale, the 18th in the series, will be held in 2023 as only the third to be curated by a woman. She is also only the second Briton to curate the event, following Sir David Chipperfield in 2012.

On learning of her award, Professor Lesley Lokko said:

I am deeply touched and honoured by this unexpected recognition, not just for me personally, but for the wider field of architectural education, which is so richly expanded by the ongoing inclusion of different voices.

Sylvia Goodall

Founder and Patron, The Mud House Children’s Foundation, Tanzania, receives an MBE [Member of the Order of the British Empire] for services to education in Tanzania.

Sylvia Goodall, a Founding Member and Patron of the Mud House, Children’s Foundation, is recognised for her exceptional contribution to education in Tanzania. Since falling in love with the Ngorongoro region and the Maasai people following a safari holiday to Tanzania 2006, Mrs Goodall has embarked on various charitable projects in the country. The Mud House Children’s Foundation formed in 2014 supports vulnerable and underprivileged children in Wasso, Tanzania. Mrs Goodall working alongside her son, daughter and others has personally helped deliver various projects on the ground such as sponsorship of children, playgrounds, libraries and classrooms, which have made a significant and positive impact on the local population. Her commitment and dedication is such that she has undertaken many visits to Wasso over a sustained period, at her own expense, to support her charitable works.

On learning of her award, Sylvia Goodall said:

I felt overwhelmed and couldn’t believe it. Its so exciting, a huge honour for me and all my family and friends both here and in Tanzania. I’ve met so many wonderful people, it’s been a joy. The Charity has worked tirelessly alongside the Maasai community to provide meaningful and long lasting improvements to education.

John Lawton BEM (Mil)

Manager, the Episkopi Station Running and Walking Club, Cyprus, receives a civilian BEM [British Empire Medal] for services to charity and the community in Cyprus.

John Lawton is recognised for an outstanding contribution to charity and the community in Cyprus as Manager of the Episkopi Station Running and Walking Club. Following a long army career in which he was recognised with a military British Empire Medal, for the past twenty years, Mr Lawton has voluntarily run and managed the Episkopi Station Running and Walking Clubs, British Forces Cyprus. Despite turning 80 earlier this year, he continues to do so with great enthusiasm, devotion and discipline. Members of the club consist of British service personnel, their families as well as members of the local community and are offered a wide variety of activities to suit all ages and abilities. All the sessions are personally delivered by Mr Lawton throughout the year, in all conditions, and include walks, park runs, track, and build-up training for specific race events, and have had a significant impact on the health and well-being of the community.

On learning of his award, John Lawton said:

I feel very honoured with the award of a second BEM. The award also recognises the contribution made by the running/walking club to all communities. The club has been involved with raising funds for many charities over the years including for the church in Anoyira Village, The Soldier’s Charity, and many others.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 29 December 2022.

Joint statement from Foreign Ministers on the Taliban’s ban on Afghan women working for NGOs.

The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States and the High Representative of the European Union are gravely concerned that the Taliban’s reckless and dangerous order barring female employees of national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the workplace puts at risk millions of Afghans who depend on humanitarian assistance for their survival.  We call on the Taliban to urgently reverse this decision.

Women are absolutely central to humanitarian and basic needs operations.  Unless they participate in aid delivery in Afghanistan, NGOs will be unable to reach the country’s most vulnerable people to provide food, medicine, winterization, and other materials and services they need to live.  This would also affect the humanitarian assistance provided by international organizations, as international organizations utilize NGOs to deliver such materials and services.

The Taliban continue to demonstrate their contempt for the rights, freedoms, and welfare of the Afghan people, particularly women and girls, and their disinterest in normal relations with the international community.

We support the Afghan people’s calls for girls and women to return to work, school, and university, and for women to continue to play essential roles in humanitarian and basic needs assistance delivery, and we urge the Taliban to respect the political, economic, social, and cultural rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

To this end, we are in close contact with the United Nations, who are urging, also on behalf of all international donors, that the Taliban reverse this decision immediately.  This would avoid any disruption and allow the continuation of all humanitarian operations of international and national NGOs.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 December 2022.

Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom have issued a joint statement on Iran’s shooting down of Flight PS752 in January 2020, killing 176 civilians.

The International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752 today issued the following joint statement:

We, Ministers representing Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, have taken concrete action to ensure that our efforts to hold Iran to account for the unlawful downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (Flight PS752) can progress to the dispute settlement phase.

In particular, we have requested that Iran submits to binding arbitration of the dispute related to the downing of Flight PS752 by 2 surface-to-air missiles launched unlawfully and intentionally by members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air defence unit pursuant to Article 14 of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation of 1971.

The Coordination Group remains committed to pursuing efforts to hold Iran accountable for its multiple breaches of its international legal obligations pursuant to several treaties.  This action is part of our broader approach to ensuring there is transparency, justice and accountability the victims and their families.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 December 2022.

The statement made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, on 24 December 2022.

Congratulations to Sitiveni Rabuka on his appointment as Fiji’s Prime Minister and all Fijian people on their democratic process.

As a Commonwealth partner, I look forward to working closely with Prime Minister Rabuka and his government on shared priorities, including green growth, security and justice.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 23 December 2022.

The Foreign Ministers of the G7 had a call on 22 December 2022 to discuss a range of issues including Afghanistan and Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine

1. Today, in their 12th meeting this year, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, again condemned in the strongest possible terms Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine and expressed their full solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes. They underscored their steadfast commitment to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, within its internationally recognised borders.
2. Recalling previous G7 Foreign Ministers’ statements, they reiterated their strong condemnation of Russia’s illegal attempted annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory, which will never be recognized; atrocities committed by Russian armed forces, including those involving the killing of civilians, torture, reported executions, sexual violence, and deportations, including of children, to Russia. G7 members underlined there can be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities. They will hold President Putin and those responsible to account in accordance with international law. G7 members reiterated that Russia’s weaponization of energy and food especially impacts the world’s most vulnerable and that Russia’s spreading of disinformation and false accusations, Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and Russia’s seizure and militarization of Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) are unacceptable. G7 members again underlined their full support for the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency to establish a nuclear safety and security zone at the ZNPP.
3. G7 members continue to call on Belarusian authorities to stop enabling the Russian war of aggression by permitting Russian armed forces to use Belarusian territory and by providing support to the Russian military. Any further active participation in the Russian illegal war of aggression would run counter to the will and aspirations of the Belarusian people. If the Belarusian authorities more directly involve Belarus in Russia’s war, the G7 will impose overwhelming additional costs on the regime.
4. Russia’s massive and deliberate attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, in particular energy, heating and water facilities, using missiles and Iranian drones, have left millions of Ukrainians in the dark and cold of winter. Through these barbaric attacks, Russia is trying to terrorize the civilian population. G7 members recalled that indiscriminate attacks, as well as attacks on the civilian population or civilian objects constitute a war crime. They underscored increased efforts to assist the Ukrainian people throughout this winter, including following the international conference held in Paris on 13 December, which furthered G7+ efforts to respond to the humanitarian emergency. Resolved to support Ukraine’s repair, recovery and reconstruction, G7 members recalled the importance of coordinating on further international support, including in the fields of critical infrastructure and of Ukraine’s recovery, and welcomed the recent agreement by G7 Leaders to establish a multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform.
5. G7 members committed to enhance and closely coordinate efforts to meet Ukraine’s urgent requirements for military and defense equipment, especially air defense. They underlined this is essential to save lives and prevent additional civilian suffering.
6. The G7 members also reiterated their full resolve to continue coordinating financial, material, humanitarian, defense, political, technical and legal assistance to support Ukraine’s defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. They remained committed to the unprecedented coordinated sanctions measures in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. G7 members will maintain and intensify economic pressure on Russia and those who evade and undermine the restrictive measures. They encouraged third countries to join G7 efforts, including the coordinated action to reduce Russian revenues from the export of oil by leveraging the maximum price per barrel for seaborne Russian-origin crude oil set by the Price Cap Coalition. They reiterated their commitment to shielding vulnerable countries that are severely impacted by the repercussions of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and Russia’s weaponization of energy and food.
7. G7 members commended the bravery of the Ukrainian people in their fight for their country. The G7 firmly supported efforts to secure Ukraine’s immediate financial stability and support its recovery and reconstruction towards a sustainable, prosperous future, and encouraged Ukraine’s reform agenda. They remained committed to fully supporting Ukraine in securing its free and democratic future in line with its European path. They highlighted shared values of freedom and democracy, and are committed to upholding the rules-based multilateral order and international cooperation.
8. G7 members welcomed and supported President Zelenskyy’s efforts to promote a just and lasting peace. Russia can end this war immediately by ceasing its attacks against Ukraine and completely and unconditionally withdrawing its forces and equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders. G7 members again called on Russia to do so immediately.

Afghanistan

1. The G7 members strongly condemned the Taliban’s recent decision to ban women from universities, to continue to bar girls from secondary schools, and to impose other harsh restrictions on the ability of women and girls in Afghanistan to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms. They urged the Taliban to abandon the ban on university education for women and to reverse without delay the existing decision to prohibit girls’ access to secondary school. The recent measures by the Taliban, in conjunction with previous cumulative measures restricting the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan, are extremely concerning and seem to be a systematic policy. Gender persecution may amount to a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute, to which Afghanistan is a State Party. The G7 members stand with all Afghans in their demand to exercise their human rights consistent with Afghanistan’s obligations under international law. Taliban policies designed to erase women from public life will have consequences for how our countries engage with the Taliban.

Handover of the G7 Presidency to Japan

1. Under the German Presidency in 2022, G7 members, together with their international partners, have demonstrated unity and resolve in supporting Ukraine, building on their shared values and commitment to the rules-based international order, with the UN Charter at its core. G7 members will continue to work with others to mitigate the global consequences of the war that Russia has unleashed on Ukraine, harming Ukraine and the world’s most vulnerable. The G7 stands ready to continue and further strengthen this commitment under the upcoming Japanese G7 Presidency in 2023.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 23 December 2022.

North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles from its capital Pyongyang’s Sunan area on Friday, according to reports by the South Korean military.