Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 February 2025.

A three-year project will provide tools for families in climate sensitive areas to better plan the management of their landscapes and improve well-being of indigenous and ladino communities.

The British Ambassador to Guatemala, Juliana Correa, and the Vice Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Edwin Castellanos, attended on 6 February in Chiquimula the launch of workshop for the project “Nature-based solutions for climate resilience of indigenous and local communities in Guatemala”, a UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme funded through the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC) by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in the United Kingdom.

The project has a duration of three years and will invest more than US$1million (£847,784) in communities in the Departments of Alta Verapaz and Chiquimula.  Activities on the ground will be implemented by the University of Greenwich, the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre (CATIE), the University of Valle of Guatemala (UVG), and the Federation of Cooperatives of the Verapaces R.L. (FEDECOVERA).

The project aims to facilitate the integration of traditional and scientific knowledge about nature to plan a more climate-resilient landscape through the implementation of nature-based solutions. It will assess the effectiveness of different reforestation systems and their contribution to climate resilience; support indigenous and local communities to document their understanding of nature’s contribution to their livelihoods; and develop guidelines and tools for the co-design of nature-based solutions for climate resilience and justice at a multi-stakeholder level.

In Alta Verapaz activities will focus on a high rainfall montane region populated by Q’eqchi’ communities whose main income sources come from cardamom, coffee and timber production. FEDECOVERA represents some 40,000 Q’eqchi’ families supporting their access to Fairtrade, Organic, and Forest Stewardship Council certified markets.

Interventions in Chiquimula will cover the “dry corridor” populated with Maya Chorti and ladino communities near the border with Honduras and El Salvador. The project will identify with local communities how to improve environmental resilience to flooding and drought that affects traditional and commercial cropping systems.

The evidence collected will contribute to building capacity in local and national environmental planning processes, and environmental regulations and incentives adapted to the needs of local communities in Guatemala. Lessons from the application of these processes will be shared to inform climate change planning processes in the country and Central America.

Juliana Correa, British Ambassador to Guatemala, said:

A top priority of our Foreign Secretary is to support indigenous peoples’ rights and their role in protecting forests. The UK is committed to provide funding for nature, forests, and forest communities, particularly their livelihoods and their rights to protect that nature.  I’m looking forward to seeing the wider impact of this project in Guatemala.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 February 2025.

Ambassador Holland thanks Minister Bettel for outlining Luxembourg’s priorities at the Council of Europe, and for the close collaboration with the OSCE.

Thank you Chair. And may I express my condolences – and those of my delegation and country – to our Swedish colleagues for the tragic school attack this week. Our thoughts are with you and the families and friends of the victims.

Minister Bettel welcome to the Permanent Council. Thank you for your presentation and for your commitment to the work of the Council of Europe as Chair of the Committee of Ministers. The Council of Europe has been, and will continue to be, hugely important to the UK’s human rights and foreign policy agenda.

The longstanding relationship between the OSCE and the Council of Europe is rooted in the promotion of human rights, democracy and rule of law – values that the UK is firmly committed to uphold. Respect for these common principles defines our shared endeavours in Vienna and in Strasbourg. Values such as the rule of law not only provide the freedoms which allow people to interact with each other in their day-to-day lives but also matter for growth, jobs and people’s livelihoods.

We meet today at a particularly challenging time for European Security, with Russia‘s unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine about to enter a fourth year. We call on all OSCE participating States to uphold our common commitments to shared security on our continent.  We must strengthen Ukraine’s position to keep fighting through 2025 and beyond – for the sake of Ukraine itself, and Euro-Atlantic security.

The UK is proud to be Chair of the Conference of Participants for the Register of Damage for Ukraine. The Register, now with over 14,000 claims, serves as a significant step towards securing justice for the Ukrainian people.

The Council of Europe and the OSCE share much common ground – tackling serious organised crime and human trafficking, counter-terrorism, as well as promoting free and fair elections, media freedom, and gender rights. As both the OSCE and the Council of Europe face up to a series of common challenges this year, including a difficult security environment and – as you rightly say – the challenges of democratic backsliding, it is important that we continue to recognise each organisation’s individual merits and distinctiveness. We need to work in a coordinated way to employ the unique set of instruments and tools which each organisation offers to its States.

Minister Bettel – like your country, the UK is, and will remain, a steadfast supporter of the work of both the Council of Europe and the OSCE. We offer you, and your team, our best wishes for your work throughout your Presidency.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 February 2025.

The Russian Ambassador was summoned for a meeting to revoke the accreditation of a Russian diplomat.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said:

We have summoned the Russian Ambassador for a meeting with a senior British official to revoke the accreditation of a Russian diplomat.

This is in response to Russia’s unprovoked and baseless decision to strip the accreditation of a British diplomat in Moscow in November.

The UK will not stand for intimidation of our staff in this way, and so we are taking reciprocal action.

Any further action taken by Russia will be considered an escalation and responded to accordingly.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 February 2025.

Paul Turner was appointed British High Commissioner to Solomon Islands and Nauru in July 2024.

His Majesty’s new High Commissioner to Solomon Islands and non-resident High Commissioner to the Republic of Nauru, His Excellency Paul Robert Turner presented his credentials this week to the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Hon. Jeremiah Manele.

Paul Turner was appointed British High Commissioner to Solomon Islands and Nauru in July 2024. Paul’s experience covers the UK Government and international organisations, including the World Bank, African Development Bank and the European Union.

With the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Paul oversaw economic and trade portfolios in East and Southern Africa as well as in China. More recently, he worked for the World Bank in Uganda.

Paul has also led development teams in a range of fragile states including Afghanistan and the Western Balkans. Earlier in his career, he was private secretary to Ministers in DFID and the Home Office.

Acknowledging the bilateral relations between the two countries, Prime Minister Manele said UK is one of the first countries to forge ties with Solomon Islands since 1978. He also provided an overview of his government’s priorities including education, health, climate change and trade.

In response, High Commissioner Paul Turner said that his mission was to expand bilateral relations between the two countries and be a key partner of the Government of Solomon Islands in addressing the impact of climate change.

The High Commissioner said he was keen to explore opportunities in a number of economic sectors, especially the local cocoa industry and affirmed that one of his personal goals is to produce tangible outcomes in the sector during his time in office.

The High Commissioner is the UK Government’s representative in a Commonwealth nation. They are responsible for the direction and work of the High Commission and its Deputy High Commissions and/or Consulates, including political work, trade and investment, press and cultural relations, and visa and consular services.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 February 2025.

Deputy Ambassador Brown condemns the Russian state’s reported systematic torture, abuse, and execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Thank you, Madam Chair and good afternoon colleagues.  On behalf of the UK Delegation I would like to offer a warm welcome to the new Ukraine ambassador.  Please be assured of our continued support to you, Viktoria and to your exceptional team.

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, overwhelming evidence from international bodies, human rights organisations, and independent investigations demonstrates that Russia continues to disregard international law. The UK unequivocally condemns the Russian state’s reported systematic torture, abuse, and execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The UN Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Russia’s use of torture against POWs and civilian detainees amounts to crimes against humanity. Their reports outline how Russian forces have subjected Ukrainian POWs to brutal beatings, burns and electric shocks amplified by water. Additionally, they detail how Ukrainian POWs are forced to endure sexual violence, including rape, attacks on genitals, and threats of mutilation, castration, and sterilisation. In ODIHR’s latest report on Ukraine, all the Ukrainian former POWs interviewed reported severe and routine torture during their internment, supporting ODIHR’s analysis that the torture of both POWs and civilians by the Russian state is widespread and systematic.

Furthermore, ODIHR documented that Ukrainian POWs are held in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, and deprived of adequate food, water, and medical care. Such neglect, aimed at breaking the spirit of those already disarmed and vulnerable, is a direct affront to human dignity.

Additionally, the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General’s Office reports that 147 Ukrainian POWs have been executed by Russian forces since the start of the full-scale invasion.

And this week the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine raised serious concerns over a sharp increase in executions of captured Ukrainian soldiers by Russian forces. Since August 2024, the Mission documented 79 executions across 24 incidents, with many cases involving soldiers who had surrendered or were otherwise in Russian custody, including instances where unarmed and injured personnel were shot dead on the spot.

Madam Chair, these are not isolated incidents. The testimonies gathered by the UN Commission of Inquiry highlight deliberate and systematic practices; and find a coordinated state policy of cruelty and impunity that underscores the Russian state’s complete disregard for international norms. The Geneva Conventions are clear: POWs must be treated humanely. Reporting from the UN and ODIHR outlines how Russia has not only failed in this obligation—it has systematically violated it.

The UK demands an immediate end to all atrocities and calls for independent investigations to hold all perpetrators accountable; from those carrying out abuses to those ordering them. Alongside our international partners, we will ensure that those responsible—at all levels of the Russian state—face justice.

The protection of prisoners of war is not optional; it is an absolute and binding requirement of international law.  The UK demands that the Russian state ensures the humane treatment of all those in detention and grants the ICRC unimpeded access to places of detention, in line with the Geneva Conventions.

The UK welcomes the latest prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia facilitated by the United Arab Emirates. We continue to call on Russia to comply with International Humanitarian Law and not exploit prisoners of war and civilian detainees for political purposes. All those arbitrarily detained must be released, including our colleagues: the three Special Monitoring Mission members. We continue to call for their release.

The UK stands in full solidarity with Ukraine and reaffirms our commitment to ensuring justice for victims and survivors. The evidence is overwhelming. The time for accountability is now. Thank you, Madam Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 February 2025.

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

Let me start by expressing concern regarding the attacks on civilians, including South Sudanese, in Wad Madani in Sudan between 11 and 15 January and the subsequent unrest in South Sudan on 16-17 January.

Second, as we’ve heard today, the humanitarian situation in South Sudan is desperate.

Over one million displaced people have now arrived from Sudan into South Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict.

The United Kingdom recognises the significant impact of the Sudan crisis on the region and welcomes South Sudan’s commitment to welcoming and supporting those fleeing the conflict.

We commend UNMISS’s facilitation of humanitarian efforts, noting that significant challenges lie ahead in 2025.

The UK will continue to support South Sudan and we have increased our humanitarian support to Sudan’s neighbours.

Third, President, as we have heard today, the political situation in South Sudan remains precarious.

The United Kingdom is concerned by continued restrictions to political and civic space in the country and by the lack of progress towards unification of the security forces.

Progress on this is critical to create the conditions for sustainable peace and elections.

The Transitional Government of South Sudan has not yet produced their promised work plan to deliver elections in 2026.

Without renewed efforts, progress towards peaceful, inclusive and credible elections risks falling further behind schedule.

We welcome UNMISS’s work to build capacity and capability for South Sudan’s electoral institutions.

And we repeat our call on the Transitional Government to match these efforts to provide adequate funding for elections and to pay the salaries of public servants including the security forces.

In conclusion, President, we call on the Transitional Government of South Sudan to publish a credible elections preparations work plan and then take the necessary steps towards holding peaceful, inclusive and credible elections in line with the new 2026 timeline.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 February 2025.

Additional £17m will foster UK-Ukraine collaboration in the clean energy field.

The UK will invest £17 million in innovative energy projects to support the recovery and future sustainability of Ukraine’s energy system. The funding announced during the visit of Foreign Secretary David Lammy to Kyiv will support the second round of the InnovateUkraine competition, a challenge fund to pilot low-carbon solutions tailored to Ukraine’s energy needs.

The second round of InnovateUkraine will spur innovative collaborations between British, Ukrainian and international businesses and research institutions, to develop the scalable and sustainable energy innovations of the future.

InnovateUkraine 2 will focus on the following technologies:

• Smart green grids
• Renewable generation
• Renewable heat
• Green fuels
• Low-carbon buildings and homes
• Industrial decarbonisation
• Repurposing existing energy infrastructure

The British Ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Harris said:

I am proud that the UK is further increasing its funding to the Ukrainian energy sector. This latest contribution underpins our commitments under the 100-Year Partnership, signed by the Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy in January.

These projects, led jointly by British and Ukrainian business, universities, and civil society, will help both our countries develop clean and sustainable energy solutions for the future.

InnovateUkraine is a showcase for the forward-looking partnership between our countries. The UK is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for the next century.

Applications for InnovateUkraine Round 2 will open in mid-March 2025. Once they have undergone screening, successful projects will run for 24 months from late 2025. The teams will receive support and guidance from an accelerator programme, to help with attracting further investment.

InnovateUkraine’s first cohort of projects is already transforming the lives of the Ukrainian people by creating reliable and novel methods of heating and powering buildings, as well as fuelling the imagination of the next generation of scientists and innovators.

These projects include: a new, locally manufacturable battery storage technology which potentially undercuts and outperforms existing technologies; a technology which allows the upcycling of waste concrete to dramatically reduce the embodied emissions of new buildings and structures; and a new tool to make production of geothermal energy in Ukraine more efficient and ripe for investment.

To find out more about the scope and eligibility requirements, please visit: www.innovateukraine.io

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 February 2025.

UK Military Advisor, Joby Rimmer, says Russia’s war of aggression has achieved little except the catastrophic loss of life, the loss of Russia’s military credibility, and the loss of Russia’s international reputation.

Thank you, Mr Chair. Sadly, we have started this year like the last, and the overwhelming concern of this forum remains: Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. The UK remains resolutely committed to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend their homeland. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the UK has provided over £3 billion per year in military, humanitarian and financial assistance, and this support will continue for as long as necessary to ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are fully restored.

What has Russia accomplished so far? Russia’s full-scale invasion has been nothing short of a disaster. The Russian state’s bold assertion that the subjugation of Ukraine would be accomplished within a matter of days was made almost three years ago. Having failed in pursuit of its own strategic aims, the campaign has achieved little except the catastrophic loss of life on both sides, the loss of Russia’s military credibility, and the loss of Russia’s international reputation.

The UN estimates that more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians and some 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed as a direct result of Russian aggression. Independent reports suggest approximately 830,000 Russian casualties, a number that demonstrates President Putin’s disregard for his own countrymen sent to fight in a war they did not choose. On 29th January alone, the Russian military lost 1,670 men with Russian casualties for January averaging over 1,500 per day. At the current rate of loss, Russia will have suffered over 1 million casualties by June 2025. As Russian casualties mount, Russian recruitment in Moscow has reduced, with military recruitment currently at 40 personnel a day, five times lower than the Summer-Autumn 2024 average of 200 recruits a day. Half of these recruits are reportedly indebted Russians and foreign nationals. The direct participation of DPRK troops in combat operations is another dangerous expansion of Putin’s illegal war. Of the 11,000 DPRK troops deployed in Kursk, reporting indicates that 4,000 are already casualties, including 1,000 fatalities.

What has Russia accomplished militarily? Reports from the region paint a stark image of Russian military mediocrity. Russia has reportedly now lost over 3,700 Main Battle Tanks, over 8,000 armoured vehicles and 1,800 pieces of artillery. Any marginal Russian gains around Donetsk, Toretsk and Pokrovsk have been extremely costly, with progress augmented through the cynical use of glide bombs, drone and missile attacks, causing widespread damage to local housing, medical facilities and critical infrastructure. Independent reports state that Russia launched over 1,250 aerial bombs and over 1,000 attack drones into Ukraine in the last week of January. Nearly all resulted in civilian casualties.

Last week, the Ukrainian army’s general staff reported that Russian forces bombed a boarding school in an area of Kursk under Ukrainian control, where civilians were sheltering and preparing to evacuate. Four people were killed and dozens injured. Russia’s continued disregard for human life cannot, and will not, be overlooked.

Russia is also suffering the cost to its international reputation. The war in Ukraine clearly violates the UN Charter and contravenes our shared commitments of the Helsinki Final Act – respecting sovereignty, territorial integrity and the non-use of force. This full-scale invasion is not just an illegal act that contravenes international law; it is a serious miscalculation and one that fundamentally represents loss; most appallingly, the loss of human life, the loss of Russia’s international reputation, and the loss of Russia’s military credibility.

Finally, the UK remains firm in its belief that any path to peace must be grounded in a position of strength for Ukraine. Ukraine must not be coerced into peace talks under duress or pressure from the aggressor. Ukraine has every right to determine its future, and its right to self-determination must be upheld. The UK is proud to be a steadfast friend of Ukraine and will not rest until Ukraine achieves peace on its own terms – Russia must cease hostilities in Ukraine and remove its forces from Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders. Thank you, Mr Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 4 February 2025.

On 4 February 2025, the second EU-UK Counter-Terrorism Dialogue, established by the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), took place in London.

The United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) discussed a wide range of counter-terrorism issues, including assessments of the evolving terrorist threat landscape, and an exchange of best practice on the UK and EU response, in order to protect our citizens. This included continued cooperation through multilateral fora and with other third countries.

The UK and EU also discussed strategic approaches to countering terrorism and a range of topics related to the identification of travellers of Counter-Terrorism concern, and technology, including responses to terrorist content online and emerging technologies.

The UK and EU jointly welcomed the productive discussions and agreed to continue these important exchanges. Both sides underlined the strategic importance of the unique relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom in addressing these challenges.

They reaffirmed their mutual commitment to continue to strengthen cooperation on Counter-Terrorism, in line with our shared values and the agreement between the President of the European Commission and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to strengthen the relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

The UK delegation was chaired by Chloe Squires, Director General for Homeland Security and Jonathan Emmett, Director of Counter-Terrorism & Homeland Security Strategy in the Home Office, who were accompanied by officials from the Home Office, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

On the EU side, the Dialogue was chaired by Maciej Stadejek, Deputy Managing Director for Security and Defence Policy, of the European External Action Service (EEAS). Representatives from the European Commission, including the Director Internal Security from the Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs, Floriana Sipala, and the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, Bartjan Wegter, also joined. The delegation included a representative from the Polish Presidency on behalf of EU Member States.

The next Counter-Terrorism Dialogue will be held in Brussels.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 4 February 2025.

Bangladeshi women entrepreneurs representing eight businesses are set to lead a trade mission to the UK.

A group of diverse and inspirational Bangladeshi women entrepreneurs representing eight businesses are set to lead a trade mission to the United Kingdom in February 2025, with support from the UK Government SheTrades Programme. During the visit, they will be showcasing their businesses, meeting investors and exploring new opportunities.

Their visit will involve high-level discussions with investors, legislators and corporate executives in the UK and promote cross-border trade between the two countries including under the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS). The DCTS is the UK’s generous preferential trading scheme which provides duty-free, quota-free trade to Bangladesh on everything but arms. The DCTS gives Bangladesh the opportunity to potentially save £317m in tariffs annually on the country’s exports to the UK, the highest among all countries eligible for DCTS.

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke hosted a send-off reception at her residence on 3 February to congratulate the entrepreneurs ahead of their departure to the UK.

The International Trade Centre is implementing this initiative to bring 50 women-led businesses from four Asian countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Mongolia) and six African countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Mozambique) to Manchester on 11 February to hold business-to-business (B2B) meetings with UK companies. Women-led companies in the fresh and processed food, textiles and clothing, handicrafts, beauty, information technology and business process outsourcing sectors will have one-on-one meetings with British buyers who want to diversify their supply chains and increase the competitiveness of their products.

The businesses chosen from Bangladesh are TMSS ICT and Handicrafts, SuperTel, Opus Technology, Tarango Bangladesh, Parijat Bangladesh, TANIS Bangladesh and Leatherina. Five of these companies already possess the certification needed to enter the UK market and the remaining three are currently being supported by the British Standard Institute (BSI) with necessary accreditation.

This Mission is hosted in partnership with the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and financed by UK International Development as part of the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme. The London Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and the West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce are also supporting the event.

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke said:

The UK government is incredibly proud to support this remarkable group of Bangladeshi women entrepreneurs to develop new markets in the UK. Their inventiveness, tenacity and spirit of entrepreneurship serve as evidence of the enormous potential of Bangladeshi women-led enterprises.

As Bangladesh and the UK continue to expand our bilateral trade through the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), the UK will remain a steadfast partner. This trade mission will further solidify our trade and investment relationship.