Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 October 2025.

The UK national statement was given at a signing ceremony for the UN Convention against Cybercrime in Hanoi on 25 and 26 October 2025.

Thank you, Your Excellency, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

 We thank Vietnam for their hospitality and for hosting us here in Hà Nội.

The agreement by consensus, of the text of the of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, just under a year ago, signalled a landmark moment for international cooperation on this critical and complex issue.

I am proud that the United Kingdom has signed the Convention here in Hà Nội, in line with our international efforts to combat cybercrime.

Cybercrime poses a serious and growing threat to every part of society, from private citizens to public institutions. It often targets our most vulnerable.

The UK’s vision is clear: by 2030, we aim to significantly reduce the risk posed by cybercrime to our citizens and national interests.

In a globalised and interconnected world, we cannot do it alone. Tackling cybercrime globally requires a joined-up response, that brings together governments, law enforcement, civil society organisations, the tech industry and private sector partners. Together they play a critical role in effectively addressing the complex, transnational, and rapidly evolving challenges posed by cybercrime, and are often at the frontline of detecting and responding to cyberattacks.

The UK stands ready to engage with States who respect the letter and the spirit of the Convention. Let us be clear, any attempt to misuse the Convention would undermine its viability. The human rights safeguards sit at the heart of this Convention and are vital for building trust and unlocking a greater level of international cooperation.

The UK will play close attention to the implementation of, and adherence to, the safeguards and we will not cooperate with any country that does not comply with the safeguards required by this Convention.

The UK has already seen the practical benefits of cooperation on this area under the Budapest Convention. The UN Convention against Cybercrime complements existing international instruments and includes much needed provisions on online fraud, a global scourge, which urgently needs our focus and attention.

The Global Fraud Summit hosted by UNODC and Interpol will add valuable momentum to States efforts to tackle online scams. We invite you all to join these discussions in Vienna in March 2026.

We also welcome the opportunity to work together to fight the heinous proliferation of child sexual abuse material online, and for the first time, this Convention facilitates international action to tackle the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images. This is a historic achievement and opportunity for the multilateral system to be a powerful force for the rights of our most vulnerable citizens.

But States cannot do this alone. The UK is indebted to civil society experts for their significant contributions including the Southwest Grid for Learning, who have joined us here in Hanoi.

We continue to harness and share the expertise of tried and tested methods to protect the most vulnerable, and the UK is heartened by the wide level of participation and the active discussions underway.

The UK stands ready to work with international partners to build resilience, share intelligence, and uphold a secure and open digital environment for all. We will support the effective establishment of the Conference of State Parties, working with Member States and expanding our close work with global stakeholders.

Cybercrime is a global challenge. We can only tackle these crimes if we work together. We look forward to making a start today. Thank you.

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

UK Explanation of Vote delivered by Jennifer MacNaughtan, UK Minister Counsellor, following the UN Security Council vote on the Haiti sanctions regime.

I welcome the participation of the Permanent Representative of Haiti today.

The UK condemns, without reservation, the violence that continues to undermine efforts to restore democratic rule in Haiti. We remain committed to using UN sanctions to maintain pressure on those who seek to destabilise Haiti. We welcome this mandate renewal, and thank the United States and Panama for their efforts.

It is vital that the Council remains fully informed of the scale and nature of violence being perpetrated in Haiti, including the alarming reports of widespread sexual and gender-based violence. The targeting of women and girls in Haiti because of their gender is unacceptable. This includes forced marriage, harassment, assault, forced labour, and forms of trafficking, kidnapping and sexual violence.

Sanctions remain an essential tool to address insecurity in Haiti and to alleviate the suffering of the Haitian people. We will continue to work with all Council members to this end.

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

Sonia Farrey has been appointed UK Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency and Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation.

Ms Farrey will take up her appointment during January 2026.

Curriculum vitae

Year	Role
2022 to 2025	FCDO, Deputy Director, Gender and Children in Conflict Department
2020 to 2021	New York, Political Counsellor, UK Mission to the UN
2018 to 2019	UNICEF UK, Director of Advocacy / Head of Policy
2017 to 2018	Brussels, Head of the Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Extremism Network (CTEN) in Europe
2015 to 2016	FCO, Head of Department, Middle East Directorate
2013 to 2014	FCO, Deputy Head of Security Policy Department
2012 to 2013	FCO, Deputy Head of Somalia Unit
2010 to 2012	FCO, Middle East Directorate
2009 to 2010	FCO, Counter-Terrorism Department
2008 to 2009	Baghdad, Reconciliation Advisor
2007 to 2008	Baghdad, DFID Office
2006 to 2007	Khartoum, Second Secretary
2004 to 2006	Arabic language training
2001 to 2004	FCO, Middle East Directorate
2001	Joined FCO

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

His Majesty King Charles III has approved the award of Honorary OBE to Mr. Atsushi Horiba in recognition of his services to the UK automotive sector.

As Chairman & Group CEO of HORIBA Group, headquartered in Japan, Mr. Horiba has contributed to the development of new technologies in critical sectors for the future of the UK automotive industry through the company’s measuring instruments and testing technologies. In his role, Mr. Horiba oversaw significant investments into HORIBA’s subsidiary HORIBA MIRA, in Nuneaton, West Midlands, enhancing its research and development facilities, delivering for its customers and partners, and supporting the UK government priorities of automotive electrification, next-generation mobility, and the decarbonisation of automobiles. HORIBA MIRA was recognized for its activities and received the King’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development in 2024.

Under Mr. Horiba’s leadership, HORIBA has also made significant contributions to education and skills development in the UK. In addition to nurturing young engineers at the MIRA Technology Institute established in HORIBA MIRA, providing apprenticeships and running schools outreach to inspire future students, the company provides funding to University College London to support researchers in obtaining doctoral degrees. Through this investment in the next generation, Mr. Horiba has not only contributed to the development of the UK economy, but has also played an important role in laying the foundations for a sustainable future for the UK and Japan.

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

Following his appointment in December 2024 to succeed Dr Martin Longden CMG OBE as His Majesty’s Ambassador to the State of Libya, Mr Martin Reynolds CB CMG will now take up his new post during October 2025.

Curriculum Vitae           

Full name                                Martin Alexander Baillie Reynolds

Year	Role
2023 to 2025	Crisis response work and Arabic language training
2019 to 2022	No 10 Downing Street, Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
2019	Tripoli, Her Majesty’s Ambassador
2014 to 2018	FCO, Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary
2011 to 2014	Pretoria, Deputy High Commissioner
2008 to 2011	Brussels, Counsellor – Trade, Development and Wider World
2006 to 2008	Brussels, First Secretary – Enlargement and Western Balkans
2003 to 2005	FCO, Head of EU Enlargement Team
2001 to 2003	FCO, Strategic Policy Adviser
1999 to 2001	Singapore, Second Secretary (Economic/Commercial/Inward Investment)
1997 to 1999	FCO, Overseas Territories Department
1997	Joined FCO

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

His Majesty King Charles III has approved the award of Honorary OBE to Mr Masayoshi Matsumoto, recognising of his contribution to UK-Japan trade and investment.

His Majesty King Charles III has approved the award of Honorary OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) to Mr Masayoshi Matsumoto, in recognition of his contribution to UK-Japan trade and investment.

As Chairman and CEO of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (SEI), Mr Matsumoto has demonstrated visionary leadership in committing to major investment in the UK in support of the government’s clean energy agenda. In establishing SEI’s green field investment to create the UK’s first High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) subsea cable factory at the Port of Nigg in Scotland, he has sent a signal of confidence in the UK as a strategic partner for Japan in building a low-carbon future. The investment is also helping to transform the Cromarty Firth Green Freeport area into a hub for innovation and green jobs.

Under Mr Matsumoto’s leadership, SEI’s investment is helping deliver critical infrastructure for the UK’s offshore wind industry, underscoring the strong economic partnership between Japan and the UK, and highlighting the UK’s strengths as a destination for sustainable investment.

As Chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren) and in his role as Commissioner General for Japan & Vice Chairman of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, Mr Matsumoto has been a leading supporter of the UK’s proponent of the UK’s profile in one of Japan’s most economically dynamic regions.

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

Statement by Simon Thomas, UK Ambassador to the General Assembly, at the UN’s Special Political and Decolonisation Fourth Committee.

Let me start by reiterating that the United Kingdom has a modern relationship with all its Overseas Territories based on partnership; on shared values; and on the right of the people of each Territory to choose to remain British or not.

The UK Overseas Territories are self-governing, subject only to the UK retaining powers to carry out its obligations under international law.

We have a close bilateral relationship with each Territory, and the UK and Overseas Territory Governments hold a Joint Ministerial Council each year to monitor and drive forward collective priorities for action in the spirit of partnership.

We are committed to supporting the Territories on their priorities, including environmental protection, and carrying out our constitutional responsibilities, including guaranteeing security. 

Across the Territories, we provide financial and practical support to build local capacity and resilience, and have projects underway to build new infrastructure, including a new hospital, ports and much more.

I will address specific points relating to two of the UK’s Overseas Territories.

Firstly, Gibraltar. 

Last week, the Committee heard directly from the Chief Minister of Gibraltar as the elected representative of its people. 

We welcome their participation and restate that the UK’s longstanding commitment to the people of Gibraltar remains unchanged.

The UK will not enter arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes.

The United Kingdom also reaffirms that it will not enter a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content.

In December 2020, the UK, with Gibraltar, agreed a Political Framework with Spain for how a future agreement between the UK and the EU in respect of Gibraltar would function in the interests of all parties. 

UK-EU negotiations began in October 2021. The UK, working side-by-side with the Government of Gibraltar, reached a political agreement with the EU on the core aspects of a Treaty in June 2025. 

All parties are committed to finalising the text of the UK-EU Treaty in respect to Gibraltar as soon as possible.

The second specific issue I wish to address is the Falkland Islands.

The United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over both the Falkland Islands, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and their surrounding maritime areas.

Nor do we have any doubt about the Falkland Islanders’ right of self-determination. 

This is enshrined in the UN Charter and in Article One of both UN covenants on human rights, by virtue of which they are free to determine their political status and pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

In the 2013 referendum, which was conducted in line with international standards and was observed by independent, international observers, 99.8 per cent of those who voted wanted to remain their current status as a British Overseas Territory.

This result sent a clear message of self-determination, and that the people of the Islands do not want dialogue on sovereignty. 

These wishes, expressed freely, should be respected.

The people of the Falkland Islands are an established and diverse community, with families being able to trace their South Atlantic ancestry back ten generations, and with over 60 different nationalities represented across the population. 

The Falkland Islanders are proud of their autonomy and the prosperous modern democracy they have built, in which they have been able to offer universal health care and education and have shown how small island states can be prosperous with green sustainable growth.

The UK continues to look towards a stronger, more productive relationship with Argentina on matters of mutual interest, including practical cooperation in the South Atlantic.

Chair, in conclusion, the United Kingdom remains committed to respecting and defending the right of the people of each Territory to determine their own future, in line with the UN Charter.

And let me also reassure you that the United Kingdom will continue to carry out our responsibilities as part of our modern partnership with each of the territories.

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

Ambassador Holland welcomes the work of the OSCE Mission over the last six months, and the positive assessment of municipal elections on 12 October – while underlining concerns over security and political developments.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

Firstly, I would like to welcome Ambassador McGurk – dear Gerard – back to the Permanent Council. Thank you for the comprehensive written report on the recent work of the Mission, and for your informative presentation this morning.

The United Kingdom welcomes last weekend’s municipal elections in Kosovo, and the positive assessment by international observers. The return of Kosovo-Serb mayors to the northern municipalities is a vital first-step in ensuring representative local governance. We encourage all parties to ensure that the transitions of the newly elected mayors are made with full respect to Kosovo’s rule of law and ensure a calm and safe environment for all communities.

The UK particularly welcomes the convening of the new Kosovo Assembly and sees this as an important step towards the formation of a new government.

Mr Chair, the United Kingdom shares the concerns highlighted in the Mission report around security and political developments which have impacted on intercommunity relations in Kosovo, including the closures of institutions and facilities which provide vital services to Kosovo-Serbs and other non-majority communities. We echo the comments in the Report that sustainable peace and legitimacy flow from institutions that deliver fairly and equitably for all people of Kosovo. The UK will continue to encourage the Government of Kosovo to uphold Kosovo’s constitutional obligations as a multi-ethnic society, to engage with the international community and consult constructively with the Kosovo-Serb community ahead of any actions that impact their community.

We urge both Kosovo and Serbia to engage constructively in the EU-facilitated Dialogue and to deliver on their respective obligations, including the establishment of the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities. Failure by either side to meet existing commitments has negative implications for the daily lives of ordinary citizens and for wider stability in the Western Balkans.

The UK also underlines the importance of ensuring justice and accountability for the 2023 attacks on KFOR troops and in Banjska, and calls on Serbia to fully cooperate in bringing those responsible to account, and to fulfil its pledge to cooperate in the investigation of the attack on the Ibar-Lepenc Canal. 

The UK particularly appreciates the unique role of the Mission in monitoring and early warning functions, through its extensive network of regional centres. We continue to value the Mission’s support on human rights and inter-community relations, including on interfaith dialogue and assistance to non-majority communities on language rights and the preservation of cultural heritage. We also appreciate the Mission’s ongoing support to the UK and Swiss funded diploma verification process.

We welcome the continued focus on gender equality, including work of the Dialogue Academy and support to implementation of the 2024 Action Plan. We share the Mission’s concerns around the lack of women’s participation in elections, and welcome the work of the EmPOWER programme to increase numbers of women candidates.

Mr Chair, the United Kingdom is a longstanding and strong supporter of Kosovo as an independent, sovereign and multiethnic state. The UK will continue to support stability, security and economic cooperation in the Western Balkans, including through our hosting of the Berlin Process Leaders’ Summit in London on 22 October and the work of our Special Envoy, Dame Karen Pierce.

Finally, I wanted to again thank you, Gerard, for your leadership of the Mission at this critical time. We sincerely appreciate the hard work of your team under challenging circumstances, and will continue to make the case in this Council for field operations to receive the funding necessary to effectively deliver the mandates tasked to them by participating States.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

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

Ambassador Holland condemns Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure, highlighting the severe impact on the civilian population. The UK calls on Russia to respect international law.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

Russia has once again weaponised winter, launching a series of coordinated attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure in recent weeks. These strikes have severely disrupted gas production and hit critical storage facilities in western Ukraine.  Strikes on thermal power stations on 10th October left half of Kyiv without power and many without access to water.

The UK strongly condemns Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, particularly its domestic gas production capacity. Restoring this capacity is both challenging and expensive, often taking many months to repair and increasing the need for gas imports over winter.  As the country enters winter and heating demand rises, such attacks have an even greater impact.

These attacks are morally indefensible, and the UK is not alone in having this assessment. The UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine reported that Russia’s systematic targeting of energy infrastructure may amount to war crimes and, in some cases, crimes against humanity. The Commission concluded that such strikes, particularly during winter, show a “disregard for civilian harm and suffering” and violate international humanitarian law. Similarly, reporting by ODIHR has stated that Russia’s large-scale attacks on Ukrainian cities reflect a general disregard for the laws of war and may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.

Russia argues that these sites are legitimate military targets, justifying their actions by stating they are weakening facilities that assist Ukraine’s military industrial complex. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine found that Russia’s attacks on these sites likely violated the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution to protect civilians and civilian objects.

So far this year Russia has launched around 40,000 drones—a fourfold increase from 2024. In September alone, at least 214 civilians were killed and nearly 1,000 injured, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission. And just this month, Russia carried out its largest coordinated assault of the war on Ukraine’s gas infrastructure, deploying 35 missiles and 60 drones in a single offensive, which resulted in the tragic death of a child. Each round of peace talks has coincided with further escalations in Russian attacks.

Mr Chair, the UK stands resolutely with Ukraine.  We urge continued support for Ukraine’s air defences and energy resilience.  And we call on Russia to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and the OSCE Decalogue. Russia must not deliberately target civilian infrastructure that provides essential needs for Ukraine’s population; and must withdraw from the internationally recognised territory of Ukraine.

Thank you.