Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 10 October 2022.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Ukraine.

Mr President, Excellencies,

In February, the General Assembly met in an Emergency Special Session to condemn Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

And today, we meet again to condemn Russia’s sham referenda and attempted illegal annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhyzhya, Luhansk and Donetsk: the largest forcible annexation attempt since the Second World War.

Putin is trying to take Ukraine’s land, its resources, its identity. In so doing, he is overturning the most sacred principle in the international system: that borders cannot be redrawn by force.

Over seven months into the war, the whole world understands the terrible cost of Russia’s invasion.

In Ukraine, families count that cost in the bodies exhumed from mass graves, in the rubble of flattened towns and the lost education for millions of innocent children, and in the growing list of friends and relatives detained or forcibly deported through Russia’s filtration process. Even this morning, millions across Ukraine awoke to the sound of air raid sirens as Russia carried out one of the largest bombardments of civilian areas and infrastructure of the war.

Around the world, people and governments are suffering from the unaffordable cost of higher food and energy prices. As a result of Russia’s invasion, everyone’s lives have been made more difficult – and more insecure.
Here in New York, we also see the cost in terms of damage to the UN Charter. The UN Charter enshrines the principle that no threat or use of force shall be made against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

We have no way to resolve disputes or achieve the fundamental goals of the UN if we concede this principle – if any rogue head of state can by force or fiat change the borders of another UN member.

This Assembly’s call on Russia since the start of its illegal invasion has been simple: end this war and withdraw from Ukraine.

For the sake of Ukraine, Russia and the entire UN membership, we reiterate this call today. We call on Russia to end the war and honour the UN Charter.

Colleagues, at the end of this debate, we will have an opportunity to vote on a resolution to condemn Russia’s so-called referenda and illegal annexation. We urge everyone here to vote in support of international law, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states and the UN Charter.

We urge all members to vote “yes” on the resolution.

I thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 10 October 2022.

Statement by Richard Croker, UK Ambassador to the General Assembly, at the Third Committee meeting on the Rights of the Child.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The UK is committed to the promotion, protection and realisation of the rights of all children. Disparities between children continue to grow, and we must ensure that our efforts to promote and protect the rights of children leave no child behind.

Following the COVID pandemic, this work is now more urgent than ever. As the Special Representative for the Secretary-General on Violence against Children noted in her annual report, violence against children increased during the pandemic while also becoming less visible. We also know that normal prevention and response mechanisms were disrupted – leaving many children without vital support networks. These challenges illustrate the critical importance of strong, pre-existing child-sensitive and gender-sensitive systems as a basis for effective responses.

In the recent Secretary General’s report on the issue of Child, Early and Forced Marriage highlights how COVID is likely to lead to an additional 10 million child brides ahead of 2030, particularly those from poor households and rural areas. To help protect our collective hard-won gains, the UK pledged £18 million of funding to accelerate efforts through the UN Global Programme to End Child Marriage, last year.

But it is not just the impacts of COVID. We are also deeply concerned by the impact of conflict and humanitarian crisis on children’s rights, safety and wellbeing. According to the Secretary General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict, cases of sexual violence and abduction have increased significantly, by over 20%. The abduction of girls has also increased by 41%. We recognise that protecting children from the effects of armed conflict is a moral, legal and strategic imperative and an essential element to break the cycle of violence.

As I’ve said in other sessions, tackling sexual violence in conflict remains a top priority for the UK. We will host an international Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Conference next month. And in November last year, the UK launched the Call to Action to Ensure the Rights and Wellbeing of Children Born of Sexual Violence in Conflict. This call was a first step in galvanising international action to support tens of thousands of children who are marginalised and stigmatised by families and communities. Since then, we have also been collaborating with experts and children born of conflict-related sexual violence to develop a detailed framework, called the Platform for Action. We are calling upon Governments to formally endorse the Call to Action and develop their own concrete commitments under the platform to support this vulnerable group.

Finally, threats to children online continue to grow and evolve at a horrifying rate. At any given moment 750,000 people are looking to connect online with children across the globe for sexual purposes. The UK is proud to have recently been identified as a global leader in tackling all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse and to have led a UN resolution recognising the role of the private sector and robust, coherent regulation in protecting children from sexual abuse online.

Mr. Chair, protecting the rights of children is a central part of the UK’s work at home and overseas. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting children everywhere, hearing their voices, and ensuring that no child is left behind. Thank you.

The statement made by the Foreign Office on 10 October 2022.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 10 October 2022.

The UK has imposed sanctions on senior security and political figures in Iran and the so-called ‘Morality Police’.

Mahsa Amini’s death, following her arrest by the Morality Police, has sparked protests across Iran and shocked the world. For decades the Morality Police have used the threat of detention and violence to control what Iranian women wear and how they behave in public.

In response, the UK has today sanctioned the Morality Police in its entirety, as well as both its chief Mohammed Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi and the Head of the Tehran Division Haj Ahmed Mirzaei.

The UK is also imposing sanctions today on 5 leading political and security officials in Iran for committing serious human rights violations, including:

• Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Basij force, responsible for internal security in Iran
• Hassan Karami. the Commander of the NAJA Special Forces Unit of the Iranian police
• Hossein Ashtari, the Commander-in-chief of the Iranian police

The Basij force, NAJA Special Forces Unit and the wider Iranian police have played a central role in the crackdown on protests across Iran in recent weeks, as well as the fuel-related protests in 2019.

There have been reports of live ammunition being used against protestors, including when students were blockaded by security forces at the Sharif University earlier this week, and the bodies of protestors killed by security services buried without the families’ knowledge.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

The UK stands with the people of Iran who are bravely calling for accountability from their government and for their fundamental human rights to be respected.

These sanctions send a clear message to the Iranian authorities – we will hold you to account for your repression of women and girls and for the shocking violence you have inflicted on your own people.

These sanctions will ensure that the individuals on the list cannot travel to the UK and any of their assets held in the UK, or by UK persons anywhere, will be frozen.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 October 2022.

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said:

North Korea’s decision to conduct another ballistic missile test on 8 October is a violation of UN Security Council Resolutions. The UK continues to work closely with our partners to urge North Korea to return to dialogue and take credible steps towards denuclearisation in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

We call on North Korea to prioritise the well-being of their people instead of the illegal pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 October 2022.

Ambassador Kariuki’s speech at the adoption of a resolution on solidarity with Pakistan and strengthening the humanitarian system after the devastating floods.

Thank you Mr President,

To the people of Pakistan, the victims, and their families we send our deepest and most heartfelt condolences.

As the Secretary-General and Ambassador Akram have said, the floods demonstrate the catastrophic effect of climate change. It has hit some of the most vulnerable people in one of the world’s most at-risk countries. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Pakistani friends.

The UK welcomes the adoption of this resolution today. It is vital that the international community continues to support the people of Pakistan, as they look to recover and rebuild, following this disaster.

In September, the UK announced $18.4m to provide shelter and essential supplies to people across the country. This represents 10% of the initial UN flash appeal.

We are committed to working with the Government of Pakistan, international agencies and civil society to best support those in need.

We welcome the work of the UN and the World Bank to respond fast to their urgent needs. We encourage these organisations to work together with the Government of Pakistan and the international community in a coordinated, collaborative, and open manner, so that support to the response and reconstruction efforts are both effective and impactful.

It is important also to ensure a longer term response to improving climate resilience, with the support of the IFIs. At COP26, the UK pledged over $61m to partner with Pakistan to fight climate change, manage water more sustainably and unlock climate investment at COP26 last year.

Mr President,

This is a tragedy of unprecedented proportions: it demonstrates the human impact of climate change, and the need for us all to maintain momentum, as we advance towards COP27.

This catastrophe also emphasises why the world must work hard to build a greater climate resilience, this includes greater commitment to adaptation and adaptation finance as well as the transition to clean energy sources as quickly as possible, committing to and delivering on an ambitious set of NDCs.

Thank you Mr President.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 October 2022.

Ambassador Simon Manley explained the UK’s position on the resolution entitled ‘Technical assistance and capacity building to address the human rights implications of the nuclear legacy in the Marshall Islands’.

Thank you, Mr President.

Let me start by thanking the core group for presenting the resolution before us to this Council. We commend the core group and particularly the Republic of the Marshall Islands itself, for the constructive approach they have taken during the negotiations on this text. I am sure all of us in this room were moved by what the Chargé d’Affairs from the Marshall Islands said just a moment ago. And I am sure we are not alone in expressing our condolences to him and his Permanent Representative for her loss.

Mr President,

The UK would like to stress that we fully recognise the seriousness of the challenges that the Republic of the Marshall Islands has faced following nuclear testing between 1946 and 1958. We commend the efforts made by both the Government of the Marshall Islands and the Government of the United States to address these challenges and welcome the ongoing bilateral discussions between the two governments on these issues.

It is with deep regret, however, that the UK must disassociate itself from Operative Paragraphs 4, 5 and 11 of this Draft Resolution. As set out in our Explanation of Vote in respect of Human Rights Council Resolution 48/13 last year, and our Explanation of Vote in respect of UN General Assembly Resolution A/76/L.75 this year, we don’t consider that there is international consensus on the legal basis of the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. By extension, we do not accept the connection made in the Resolution before us to the testing of nuclear weapons and its impact on such a right. Joining consensus on this text should therefore not be misinterpreted as the UK agreeing to any expansion of the recognition of this right. Furthermore, we are not persuaded that the OHCHR is the appropriate body to advise the National Nuclear Commission on these matters, as set out in Operative Paragraph 11 of this resolution.

Notwithstanding those concerns, we do however join consensus on this initiative.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 October 2022.

UK Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French, delivered a statement ahead of the vote on the resolution ‘From rhetoric to reality: a global call for concrete action against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance’.

Mr. President, we remain resolute in our commitment to combating all forms of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia and related intolerance whether that be at home or abroad. Discrimination of any kind has no place in society, and we will continue to treat all forms of discrimination with equal seriousness.

Nonetheless, we have a number of concerns with this text. We do not agree with the multiple references to the Durban Conference, given the historic concerns over antisemitism. And we cannot accept the references to the Durban Review Conference or the positive language regarding last year’s commemorative event in New York and its political declaration.

We do not agree with claims made in this resolution that states are required to make reparations for the slave trade and colonialism, which caused great suffering to many but were not, at that time, violations of international law. Moreover, these claims divert focus from the pressing challenges of tackling contemporary racism and global inequality – which are global challenges affecting all regions. We believe that the most effective way for us all today to respond to the cruelty of the past is to ensure that current and future generations do not forget what happened.

Mr. President, we stressed last year that the importance of the fight against racism requires that we move forward together on a common path. For that to happen, we must come together to find a new approach, one that focuses on what we are all individually and collectively going to do to combat the scourge that is modern-day racism. This draft resolution, however, does not offer the sort of new approach around which we can achieve consensus and for that reason we will vote against it.

We are committed to continuing a dialogue with the sponsors of this resolution and hope that we might be able to reach a different outcome in the future.

Thank you Mr. President.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 October 2022.

Ambassador Simon Manley delivered a general remark after a vote on the situation of human rights in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China.

Thank you, Mr President

Permit me to make a few remarks after the vote in relation to the Draft Decision to hold a debate on the Human Rights Situation in Xinjiang.

Members of the core group that proposed the Decision align themselves with this statement.

Let me begin by thanking every member of this Council who voted in favour of the Draft Decision, as well as every nation which co-sponsored the draft. We welcome the support of each and every one of you.

Our aim in proposing this Draft Decision was to bring before the Council an issue, which clearly warrants this Council’s attention. No state should be free to avoid scrutiny over allegations of possible crimes against humanity, whatever their region, whatever their size, or whatever their influence. And to be clear, that includes the UK.

It has been clear from talking to colleagues over recent weeks, that almost everybody in this room acknowledges that there are serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang. The recent OHCHR assessment confirms these concerns with meticulous rigour, drawing extensively on first-hand testimonies and information published by Chinese authorities.

While the Decision was not adopted, the many discussions around the draft decision in Geneva and in Human Rights Council member capitals, have served to highlight the scale, and the nature, of the terrible violations being faced by Uyghur and other Muslims in Xinjiang.

It was therefore correct for the Core Group to seek a debate at the Council. To have done otherwise would have been to ignore the plight of those subjected to arbitrary detention, torture or ill-treatment, forced labour, sexual and gender-based violence, forced sterilisations and enforced disappearance. It would have been to disregard the testimony of those who have experienced these violations first hand and helped to bring them to light, despite huge personal risk. It would have been to look the other way, when faced with allegations of possible crimes against humanity, committed against huge numbers of people from minority groups based on their ethnicity and religion.

Mr President, dear colleagues,

Problems don’t go away by ignoring them. So, we will continue to raise our concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, in international fora. We will continue to urge China to change course, and to cease the practices which the OHCHR assessment has described to us, in such clear and disturbing detail. And we will not forget the plight of the Uyghurs in China.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 October 2022.

Ambassador Simon Manley, Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, delivered an explanation of vote on the resolution to renew the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Venezuela.

Thank you, Mr President,

Let me thank, first of all, the core group for presenting this draft resolution. We fully support the renewal of the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Both have done a remarkable job in revealing the extent of human rights violations committed in Venezuela and providing recommendations for the steps that need to be taken.

The Fact-Finding Mission’s findings show why it is so important that it should continue its work. These include evidence of grave human rights violations taking place as part of a widespread and systematic attack by the authorities on the civilian population. In the absence of official data from Venezuela, the Fact-Finding Mission’s independent and evidence-based reports provide crucial documentation of events that deserve the attention of all of us on this Council.

We also welcome the renewal of OHCHR’s mandate. Its presence and the protection services it offers have been critical for victims and detainees. The Office plays a key role in indicating the extent of cooperation from the Venezuelan authorities and in tracking developments in the human rights situation in the country. We are in no doubt that its work in Venezuela greatly helps all of us in the international community to monitor continuing violations as well as positive developments.

We do urge Venezuela to comply with the OHCHR’s previous recommendations in full; to continue technical cooperation in good faith; and to provide the OHCHR with unfettered access to the whole country.

Mr President, we call on this Council to stand up for freedom and in solidarity with the people of Venezuela. Renewal of the Fact-Finding Mission and the Office of the High Commissioner’s mandates will provide continuity, scrutiny and accountability, and a path towards a freer future for the people of Venezuela.

We will therefore vote in favour of the draft resolution before this Council and we urge our fellow members of this Council to do the same.