Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 April 2025.

Lord Khan underscored the UK’s commitment to minority groups on a 3-day visit to Islamabad, including on visits to Faisal Mosque and St Joseph’s Cathedral.

He highlighted the UK’s work to establish over 1,000 community-led village forums, where communities come together to provide support to the most marginalised. These forums provide early interventions to resolve tensions before they escalate.

During his visit, Lord Khan met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Minister for Law and Human Rights Azam Tarar, Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf and Government of Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs, Ramesh Singh Arora.

UK Minister for Faith, Communities and Resettlement, Lord Khan, said:

“This visit has been a wonderful reminder of the diversity across Pakistan, and the white in the flag representing religious minorities. Our close partnership is helping to keep both of our countries safe, tackling shared threats including climate change, serious crime and irregular migration.”

The Minister also spoke at the first Overseas Pakistanis Convention, an initiative by the Government of Pakistan to connect with overseas Pakistanis from nearly 60 countries. He reflected on his own personal deep connection with Pakistan, with heritage from Gujrat, and spoke about the importance of the 1.6 million Pakistani diaspora in the UK. He also noted the rich trading partnership, with over 200 British businesses operating in Pakistan.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 April 2025.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

President, this month we commemorate 31 years since the genocide against the Tutsi.

During this time, we honour the memory of those who lost their lives, and recognise the remarkable resilience shown by the people of Rwanda.

I will make three points.

First, the United Kingdom remains deeply concerned at the situation in eastern DRC.

We regret that despite the unanimous adoption by this Council of resolution 2773 almost two months ago, it remains far from being implemented.

While the withdrawal of M23 and Rwandan Defence Forces from Walikale is a positive step, much more needs to be done.

We reiterate this Council’s call for the M23 to cease hostilities and withdraw from all controlled areas, and for the Rwandan Defence Forces to cease support for the M23 and withdraw from Congolese territory.

We call on the parties, in line with resolution 2773, to agree an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, and to seriously engage with regional peace processes.

Second, the United Kingdom welcomes regional leadership towards a durable resolution of the conflict.

We welcome the nomination of President Gnassingbé of Togo as the African Union’s mediator for the peace process for eastern DRC.

We hope this will support coordination between regional and international efforts to deliver peace.

And we urge the parties to engage with his efforts and urgently implement the EAC-SADC roadmap to attain sustainable peace and security.

Third, the United Kingdom is deeply concerned by the scale of human suffering from the conflict in eastern DRC, as set out by our briefers, and its impact on the region.

More than one million people have been displaced since the start of the year.

We repeat our calls for all parties to respect international humanitarian and human rights law and to allow safe and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance by lake, road and through the reopening of key airports including Goma and Kavumu.

We also support greater UN and donor co-ordination to ensure assistance reaches those most in need.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 April 2025.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on South Sudan.

I will make three points.

First, the United Kingdom is deeply concerned at recent political tensions and increased fighting across South Sudan between parties to the 2018 peace agreement and other opposition forces. This includes the ongoing conflict in Upper Nile State.

We are appalled by the attack on a UN helicopter in Nasir which resulted in the death of an UNMISS contractor.

The current escalation risks South Sudan’s hard-won peace.

A return to widespread conflict would devastate the country and have damaging consequences for the broader region, especially in the context of the ongoing crisis in Sudan.

The escalation of violence in the Upper Nile State has already caused dozens of civilian casualties and displaced at least 120,000 people.

So we urge the parties to ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access to civilian populations in Nasir and Ulang who are in need of emergency assistance and protection.

Second, we are concerned by the arrest and ongoing detention of First Vice President Machar.

This action undermines the core principles of the 2018 peace agreement.

Alongside the AU and other international partners, we call for this action to be reversed to enable both parties to return to dialogue.

We welcome efforts by regional partners, including the African Union and IGAD, to work with the South Sudanese leadership to de-escalate tensions.

And we call on South Sudan’s collective leadership to cease hostilities, release political detainees, including First Vice President Machar, and to engage seriously with regional mediation efforts.

Third, President, the recent instability is a reminder of the importance of UNMISS as a peace partner for South Sudan.

The United Kingdom commends UNMISS’ work to de-escalate tensions and protect civilians.

In this challenging context, their work to monitor human rights violations and support the provision of humanitarian assistance is critical.

And we call on the South Sudanese leadership to ensure the mission has freedom of movement, without political interference, so that it can effectively carry out its mandate from this Council.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 April 2025.

Joint statement from the United Kingdom and France on Haiti.

The UK and France are concerned by reports of criminal gangs coordinating to further destabilise Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council (TPC). We reiterate our collective support for CARICOM and the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support mission in assisting the TPC and the Haitian National Police to tackle the gangs who continue to cause daily suffering to the Haitian people and in their efforts to bring about the stability required to restore democratic institutions and the rule of law in Haiti. We are committed to maintaining pressure on those who seek to destabilise Haiti via the implementation of sanctions, and we call on authorities to fully implement the sanctions regime in Haiti.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 April 2025.

Lord Pickles attends meeting in The Hague to discuss progress and challenges relating to the restitution of Holocaust-era assets.

On 2 April, UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues Lord Pickles attended a meeting of the Special Envoys Network on Holocaust-era Restitution in The Hague. The meeting was hosted by the Netherlands’ National Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism, Eddo Verdoner, alongside the World Jewish Restitution Organisation and the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security.

The US Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Ellen Germain updated that 32 countries had now signed up to the Best Practices for the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art. She made a special plea to those countries who had signed the original Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art 25 years ago to sign up to the best practices document.

Lord Pickles made the point that no country is immune from restitution claims. He reported that the Tate Britain art museum was set to reunite the great-grandchildren of a Belgian Jewish art collector with a painting looted from his home by the Nazis.

The oil painting ‘Aeneas and his Family Fleeing Burning Troy’ by English painter Henry Gibbs was stolen from the home of Samuel Hartveld after he fled Antwerp with his wife in May 1940. The piece, dating from 1654, was one of hundreds of thousands the Nazis plundered from Jewish families during World War II.

Its restitution has been a slow process, often involving legal battles and complex international searches. The return of the painting will mark the latest triumph for a special panel set up by the UK Government to investigate such works that have ended up in Britain’s public collections.

The UK Spoliation Advisory Panel ruled the Aeneas painting was “looted as an act of racial persecution”, and has arranged for it to be returned to Hartveld’s heirs in the coming months.

Lord Pickles welcomed the success of the Special Envoys Network on Holocaust Era Restitution in developing the best practices document, and in firstly tackling restitution of movable property.

However, he acknowledged that there were still many Holocaust survivors and their families who had waited 80 years for justice and recognition of their loss of property.  He added that bureaucratic inertia had delayed the resolution of too many restitution claims for too long.

Lord Pickles reflected that in some countries, the regulations were so stringent that it was very difficult for survivors who no longer live in the country of their birth to receive any restitution. This is a particular obstacle for survivor communities living in the US and Israel, as well as those in the UK. He stressed that it was time to focus on getting individual property back to their rightful owners, before it is too late.

Lord Pickles said,

Eighty years after the Holocaust, we have undoubtedly made progress, but there is still so much more to be done, and so little time left to do it. Meetings like this are essential for moving from principles to action. We owe it to survivors, their families, and future generations to ensure that justice is not only promised but delivered.

On 3 April, the special envoys travelled to Amsterdam to visit the recently opened Dutch National Holocaust Museum. This is the first museum to tell the entire story of the persecution of the Jews in the Netherlands.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 April 2025.

The UK has announced new support to Sudan ahead of the Sudan conference which will bring together international representatives.

• the UK will commit further life-saving aid for over 650,000 people affected by the ongoing violence as Sudan faces the worst humanitarian crisis on record
• a one-day conference will unite foreign ministers and leading humanitarian leaders at a conference in London to mark the 2-year anniversary of the brutal conflict in Sudan
• international representatives will discuss how to achieve a peaceful end to the conflict and address the issues preventing aid reaching those most in need

Today (15 April) the UK will co-host a conference in London alongside the African Union, EU, France and Germany to mark the 2-year anniversary of the conflict in Sudan with attendees including major donors and multilateral institutions.

Bringing together foreign ministers from across the globe, the Foreign Secretary will step up international efforts to protect civilians and work towards an end to the conflict.

During a one-day conference, he will announce new life-saving aid to support over 650,000 Sudanese people. Alongside international counterparts, he will also identify steps to improve humanitarian access and find a long-term political solution.

Sudan is facing the worst humanitarian crisis on record, with over 30 million people in desperate need of aid, over 12 million people are displaced, and famine is spreading throughout Sudan. Over 12 million women and girls are also at risk of gender-based violence.

The new £120 million funding announced today will deliver lifesaving food and nutrition supplies, including for vulnerable children and will provide emergency support to survivors of sexual violence.

The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy said:

Two years is far too long – the brutal war in Sudan has devastated the lives of millions – and yet much of the world continues to look away.  We need to act now to stop the crisis from becoming an all-out catastrophe, ensuring aid gets to those who need it the most.

As I saw earlier this year on a visit to Chad’s border with Sudan, the warring parties have shown an appalling disregard for the civilian population of Sudan. This conference will bring together the international community to agree a pathway to end the suffering.

Instability must not spread – it drives migration from Sudan and the wider region, and a safe and stable Sudan is vital for our national security. The UK will not let Sudan be forgotten.

African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, HE Ambassador Bankole Adeoye said:

Achieving peace in Sudan depends on valuing every voice and everyone playing a role in building a prosperous Sudan. The African Union is committed to assisting all the people of Sudan build a brighter democratic future by working to silence the guns.

The ongoing conflict and instability risks spilling over into the wider region, driving Sudanese people away from their homes, with some taking dangerous onward journeys to the UK and Europe. Instability in Sudan also directly impacts the UK’s national security.

The UK wants to help tackle instability in Sudan and reduce the level of irregular migration from the region to Europe and the UK as part of its Plan for Change.

In January 2025, the Foreign Secretary visited the Chad-Sudan border at Adré to see first-hand the impact of the conflict on refugees.

Background

• countries and organisations attending the Sudan conference include the United Kingdom, the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), France, Germany, Canada, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Norway, Qatar, South Sudan, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, United States of America, alongside high-level Representatives including the League of Arab States (LAS) and the United Nations (UN)
• on 17 November 2024, the Foreign Secretary announced a £113 million aid package, which will support over a million people affected by violence in Sudan
• the new £120 million funding announced today is for the 2025 to 2026 financial year and will deliver food including pulses, oils, salts and cereals
• the UK welcomes the 13 February decision to keep the critical Chad-Sudan Adré border crossing open for 3 more months. But the Sudanese Armed Forces must keep it open permanently, and without restrictions
• the parties to the conflict continue to obstruct the work of humanitarian agencies, through delaying visas for aid workers and limiting their movements throughout Sudan
• funding announced today aims to reach over 600,000 people including:
  • 670,000 people reached with food assistance for 3 months
  • 205,000 people reached through a cash-based response
  • 600,000 people reached through nutrition and water and sanitation

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 April 2025.

The UK Government has issued a response after a UK MP was refused entry to Hong Kong.

A Government spokesperson said:

During his visit to mainland China and Hong Kong Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security the Rt Hon Douglas Alexander relayed our immediate and deep concern regarding MP Wera Hobhouse denial of entry into Hong Kong. Minister Alexander raised our concerns and demanded an explanation with senior Chinese and Hong Kong interlocutors including Hong Kong’s Chief Secretary for Administration, to understand why the Hong Kong authorities refused access to a British MP.

It is deeply concerning that a UK MP was refused permission to enter Hong Kong last week. Unjustified restrictions on the freedom of movement for UK citizens into Hong Kong only serves to further undermine Hong Kong’s international reputation and the important people-people connections between the UK and Hong Kong.

As the Foreign Secretary has made clear, and Minister Alexander relayed in person, it would be unacceptable for any MP to be denied entry for simply expressing their views.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 April 2025.

Sir Thomas Drew KCMG has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the French Republic in succession to Dame Menna Rawlings DCMG CVO.  Sir Tom will take up his appointment in August 2025.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Thomas Drew

Year	Role
2020 to 2024	FCDO, Director General, Defence and Intelligence
2020 to 2024	Trustee, British Council
2016 to 2019	Islamabad, British High Commissioner
2015	McKinsey and Company, Visiting Fellow (on secondment)
2012 to 2014	FCO, Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary
2010 to 2012	FCO, Director, National Security
2008 to 2010	Home Office, Director, Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism
2006 to 2008	Islamabad, Political Counsellor
2004 to 2006	FCO, Europe Directorate, Head of Enlargement and South-East Europe Group
2002 to 2004	FCO, Europe Directorate, Head of Intergovernmental Conference Unit
1998 to 2002	Moscow, Second/First Secretary
1997 to 1998	Full time Russian language training
1995	Joined FCO
1993 to 1995	McKinsey and Company

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 April 2025.

Explanation of position by Tara Soomro, UK Ambassador to ECOSOC, at CPD58.

Thank you, Chair. The UK aligns itself with the statement delivered by South Africa.

We extend our appreciation to you and the co-facilitators for your commitment and steadfast efforts to progress this important agenda.

Despite the broad cross-regional commitment and goodwill demonstrated by many in this room, we are disappointed to have not achieved a consensus outcome that upholds and advances the mutually reinforcing principles and ambitions of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and Agenda 2030.

Neisha, the UK’s youth delegate to the CPD, came before this Commission and spoke with passion and conviction about the realities young people face, the unmet sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescent girls, the devastating impacts of humanitarian crises on their futures and the urgent need for policies that reflect their lived experience.

The inability to achieve consensus on this year’s CPD resolution is not just a procedural failure, it is a failure to uphold the commitments we have made to people around the world.

The ICPD Programme of Action recognises that investing in human rights, gender equality, and sexual and reproductive health and rights is central to sustainable development.

That truth has not changed.

Yet today, we stand at a crossroads where previously agreed principles are being questioned and hard-won rights are being chipped away.

Let us be clear, universal access to sexual and reproductive health services and reproductive rights are not an abstract debate.

This is about whether women and girls can make decisions over their own bodies, whether young people have access to comprehensive information that can save their lives, and whether those most at risk, especially in humanitarian crises, receive the care, justice and services they need.

Over 700 women a day die from preventable causes.

This is the reality of the issues we debate here in this room.

We are letting these women and girls down.

A text that weakens these commitments does not reflect progress, it signals retreat.

Ignoring the links between health, climate change, and inequality does not make them disappear.

The world’s most vulnerable populations, women and girls, migrants, those facing humanitarian crises continue to bear the brunt of these overlapping global challenges.

The UK and our many cross-regional partners, remain steadfast in our commitment to gender equality, human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals.

These are not just words on a page, they are promises we have made to future generations and to each other.

We recognise the progress made at all levels by grassroots organisations, civil society, national governments and also commend UNFPA’s leadership and remain committed to supporting this, making real change for women and girls around the world.

As we reflect on this outcome, we must ask ourselves, what kind of world are we building? One that advances dignity, equality, and progress? Or one that turns its back on those most in need?

The UK chooses to stand on the side of ambition, rights and the future we all committed to in 2015 when we pledged to leave no one behind.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 April 2025.

UK and other OSCE participating States express concern over the deteriorating human rights situation and call on Georgia to open an inclusive dialogue with political parties, civil society and the OSCE institutions.

Thank you, Madam Chair,

I am delivering this statement on behalf of  Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and my own country, Germany.

As OSCE participating States, we have committed to upholding and defending fundamental human rights, democracy, and the rule of law—not only within our own borders, but across our shared OSCE region. This commitment carries a responsibility: to hold each other accountable when we witness signs of democratic backsliding.

It is in this spirit that we express again our deep concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Georgia. Since our last discussion in February, we have regretfully witnessed Georgian authorities taking further steps away from their democratic and human rights commitments.

Madam Chair,

Our main concerns are threefold: the legislative restriction of civic space, the targeting of independent media, and the continued lack of accountability for excessive use of force by police, the use of indiscriminate violence by unidentified groups against peaceful protesters as well as unnecessarily long pre-trial detention periods and the reported ill-treatment of those in pre-trial detention.

The Foreign Agents Registration Act requires all individuals and organisations receiving foreign funding to register as so-called “Foreign Agents,” with financial sanctions and criminal penalties imposed on those who refuse. We share ODIHR’s concern that “this law, along with other recent legislative initiatives, could further curtail the activities of civil society organizations and human rights defenders by removing the safeguards needed for them to carry out their work”. This law lacks the legal safeguards that prevent civil society, media and private individuals from being branded as instruments of foreign influence based solely on funding sources, which strongly suggests that this law is not about transparency, but about suppressing dissent and tightening the grip on civil society. This is of particular concern in view of the upcoming local elections.

We are also closely monitoring recent amendments to Georgia’s electoral legislation. It is essential that any changes to the electoral framework enhance transparency and public trust, and that reforms are developed through inclusive dialogue and in line with OSCE commitments. Relatedly, we are concerned about legislative amendments undermining freedom of peaceful assembly, including the amendments to the Criminal and Administrative Offences Codes and the Law on Assemblies and Manifestations. The amendments undermine the principle of equal suffrage and restrict freedom of assembly, as stated in relevant ODIHR’s and Venice Commission latest opinions. We urge the Georgian authorities to implement their recommendations.

Madam Chair,

We are alarmed by the escalating threats and intimidation faced by journalists in Georgia. The Public Defender’s 2024 Human Rights Report highlights a significant decline in media freedom, exacerbated by restrictive laws—such as the recent amendments to the Law on Broadcasting—and growing hostility toward journalists.

Notably, there have been incidents where journalists were being targeted by police while covering protests, including physical assaults and equipment seizures. Furthermore, reports of targeting journalists in exile and negative rhetoric from high-ranking officials and politicians have further eroded media freedom and increased risks for journalists.

We call for the immediate cessation of these practices and the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained journalists, including Mzia Amaghlobeli, who remains in detention on charges of up to 7 years in prison.

Finally, we remain deeply troubled by the persistent lack of accountability for police violence. We have seen no evidence of credible efforts by the Georgian authorities to investigate reports of disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters, arbitrary detentions, excessive over-reliance on long pre-trial detention periods, and mistreatment of detainees.

We call on the Georgian authorities to take immediate action to protect the rights of those exercising their fundamental freedoms and to conduct a thorough investigation of the use of police force during peaceful protests since 28 November 2024 in order to hold those responsible for human rights violations to account. Failure to do so further undermines public trust in Georgia’s institutions.

Madam Chair,

Despite repeated statements by Georgia reaffirming their commitment to dialogue and the OSCE principles and commitments, we have yet to see any concrete and genuine steps toward meaningful engagement. Instead, recent actions by the Georgian authorities have moved Georgia further away from democracy. We call on the Georgian authorities to open an inclusive dialogue with all political parties and civil society organisations in order to find peaceful and democratic solutions to the ongoing crisis.

We welcome recent statements by ODIHR and RFoM and strongly urge Georgia to continue to constructively engage with OSCE institutions and make use of their expertise. As fellow OSCE participating States, we will explore all available tools and mechanisms within the OSCE context going forward. In this spirit, we call on Georgian authorities to implement recommendations by ODIHR with regard to the upcoming elections.

Our unwavering commitment to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity remains unchanged. We stand steadfast in our support for the Georgian people and their pursuit of a democratic, stable and European future, and we remain ready to work with Georgia to ensure it upholds its international obligations and ensures that human rights and fundamental freedoms are fully respected.​