Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 November 2022.

One year on from hosting COP26 in Glasgow, the UK has handed over the Presidency of the United Nations Climate Change Conference to Egypt as world leaders, including the UK’s PM, Rishi Sunak, meet at Sharm el Sheikh for COP27.

The UK’s Presidency of COP26 made progress on each of its four goals of: mitigation (reducing emissions), adaptation (helping those already impacted by climate change), finance (enabling countries to deliver on their climate goals) and collaboration (working together to deliver even greater action). Most importantly, if countries which agreed the Glasgow Climate Pact deliver on their commitments to phase down coal power, halt or reverse deforestation and speed up the switch to electric vehicles, limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees is still possible. This will be critical for preventing devastating climate impacts and protecting vulnerable countries like Pakistan.

At COP26 the UK pledged £55m in financial support to Pakistan to assist with building climate resilience and tackling climate change. This support is in addition to £26.5m provided by the UK Government and £30m donated by UK citizens to provide relief following this year’s devastating floods.

Having handed over the Presidency, the UK is maintaining its ambitious goals on climate change. This year the UK is launching the ‘Accelerating to Zero Coalition’ which will promote the use of more electric cars worldwide. The UK is also initiating the ‘Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership’ to halt and reverse forest loss and will be working with developed countries to increase the availability of climate finance to countries such as Pakistan.

Development Director at the British High Commission, Islamabad Jo Moir, said the following:

This year’s floods are a stark reminder of impact climate change is having on our lives. Globally, we will face more climate catastrophes, and climate-vulnerable countries like Pakistan face enormous challenges. Business as usual is not enough. At COP27 we need to make further progress on ensuring countries which have been affected by climate related disasters have the necessary tools to build-back smarter. The UK will be a leading voice on this.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 November 2022.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 4 November 2022.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the Security Council open briefing on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Ballistic Missile Test.

Thank you President, and thank you to ASG Khiari for your briefing.

President, this week’s salvo of missile launches by the DPRK, including an intercontinental ballistic missile, is further serious escalation. I join the Secretary-General in condemning these launches unequivocally.

I propose the Council respond by taking three steps:

First, we should condemn these actions clearly for what they are – an unacceptable threat to international peace and security – and reinforce the importance of implementing the Council’s sanctions in full.

Secondly, we should recall that the cost of these illicit launches is being borne directly by the North Korean people. The millions of dollars expended on this week’s launches alone could feed DPRK’s entire population for weeks. We echo calls on DPRK to allow aid to flow freely into the country and we note that sanctions exemptions remain in place to support expedited humanitarian assistance to the North Korean people.

Thirdly, we should renew our call for North Korea to engage meaningfully with offers from the United States and the Republic of Korea for dialogue. Diplomacy is the only route to sustained peace on the peninsula.

President, we may hear one or two members of this Council seek to equate lawful defensive military exercises with DPRK’s escalatory actions this week.

Defensive exercises are safe when they are notified to other states in advance, and when they operate within defined areas, as South Korean and US exercises have done.

What is not safe, is the launch of missiles that all members of this Council have agreed many times that DPRK must not possess.

It is not safe when those missiles threaten to overfly other states, causing alerts and alarm in those countries.

And it is not safe when missiles land only 60 kilometres from the Republic of Korea’s coastline.

We urge DPRK to end these provocations.

Thank you.