Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 September 2024.

UK Statement for the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Burundi. Delivered at the 57th HRC in Geneva.

Thank you, Mr. President.

We thank the Special Rapporteur for his important update, and for his valuable reporting throughout his mandate. We are concerned that Burundi continues to deny full access to the Special Rapporteur.

Mr President, conditions for human rights defenders and civil society in Burundi remain difficult.  An active civil society where journalists can work safely and independently is essential to support democracy, and we call on the government of Burundi to strengthen protections for media workers. Ahead of next year’s elections it is important that progress is made towards ending impunity for all perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses. It is essential that Burundi engage meaningfully with this Council’s mechanisms, in line with its public commitments to continue engaging constructively with the international community. We again call upon Burundi to co-operate with all UN bodies working to improve the human rights situation, including by reopening the OHCHR country office.

Special Rapporteur,

Your reporting shows that this Council’s ongoing scrutiny remains necessary. How can this Council further support Burundi to engage constructively with international human rights mechanisms?

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 September 2024.

UK Statement for the Interactive dialogue on the Secretary General’s analytical study on the impact of climate change on human rights. Delivered at the 57th HRC in Geneva.

The UK takes note of the Secretary General’s report and recognises that the impacts of climate change can lead to loss and damage.

In many cases, those disproportionately impacted by climate change are women and girls, indigenous peoples, those with disabilities and those in vulnerable and marginalised situations.

It is clear that more needs to be done at a global, regional and local level to help avert, minimise and address loss and damage.

The UK welcomes the agreement made at COP28 on the operationalisation of funding arrangements, including a fund that responds to loss and damage and assists those countries particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

The UK is using its seat on the Fund’s Board to work with all stakeholders to:

• ensure timely implementation of an effective Fund
• ensure that the Fund supports countries vulnerable to climate change, particularly the least developed countries and Small Island Developing States, and
• diversify sources of funding.

The UK encourages collaboration, including via the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), on shared solutions and ambitious approaches to address the impacts of climate change and to protect the most vulnerable.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 September 2024.

UK Statement for the Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on arbitrary detention. Delivered at the 57th HRC in Geneva.

The UK would like to thank the Working Group for its work and for the recommendations in its latest report.

Arbitrary detention is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes, and its use a means of political intimidation. Arbitrary detention not only violates human rights, but also undermines the trust in institutions that keeps societies safe and open.

The UK government works publicly and privately to condemn the use of arbitrary detention, to support those who have been arbitrarily detained, and to demand accountability.

The UK supports the Working Group and we call on all states to respect their international obligations and commitments. We welcome the report’s urgency on the protection of victims of arbitrary detention and call for all states to engage on this matter.

The UK welcomes the initiative of our Canadian colleagues to combat the use of arbitrary detention in state-to-state relations.

Working Group,

What further steps can states take to work together to end the practice of arbitrary detention?

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 September 2024.

The governments of Australia, Chile, Denmark, France, Iceland, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, New Zealand, the UK and the USA gave this joint statement.

Joint statement from the governments of Australia, Chile, Denmark, France, Iceland, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America:

The undersigned country members of the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse (Global Partnership) call attention to the urgent need to counter the spread of gendered disinformation and address all forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) against women in political and public life.

Gendered disinformation is a threat to societies defending peaceful, democratic values. False or misleading gender and sex-based narratives are being used in campaigns by malign actors to deter and discredit the participation of women, girls and LGBTQI+ persons in political and public life. This not only causes deep harm to the individuals targeted, but also threatens electoral integrity, access to information and the exercise of freedom of expression. At the same time, new and emerging technologies are being used to enable harmful, violent rhetoric and attacks against women, girls and LGBTQI+ public figures across borders at a scale and speed previously unseen.

In our 2023 Road Map, the Global Partnership committed to promoting the meaningful participation in public life for women and girls, in all their diversity, by countering TFGBV and gendered disinformation.

We welcome the work being done to shine a light on how and why gendered disinformation is conceived, who it targets and how it is spread. Last year, in a groundbreaking study, Canada, the European External Action Service, Germany, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, and the United States jointly assessed the tactics used by foreign state and non-state actors to sow gendered and other identity-based disinformation across the world.

In March 2024 the Global Partnership and members of its Advisory Group co-hosted a multi-stakeholder conference convened by the National Democratic Institute on possible responses (PDF, 2.1 MB) to countering the spread of gendered disinformation in the context of electoral processes. Stakeholders affirmed the need for a comprehensive response to disrupt the spread of gendered disinformation and to support victims and survivors.

The world is at a critical moment for upholding democracy. More than 100 countries have held, or are soon to be holding elections, many of them taking place under democratically challenging circumstances. The active participation of all people, including women, girls and LGBTQI+ persons, is essential for secure, healthy and prosperous democracies.

We call upon states to join us in recognising and taking action to counter the threat of gendered disinformation to democracies globally. We urge technology and other private companies to take appropriate action to respond to this threat, including a commitment to a Safety-by-Design approach to the development and deployment of platforms and technologies. We ask states and all stakeholders to defend and protect the ability of women, girls and LGBTQI+ persons to participate in public life freely, safely and without fear.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 September 2024.

Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Myanmar. Delivered by the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders.

Thank you Deputy High Commissioner for your update. And we thank the High Commissioner for his report.

The humanitarian and human rights crisis in Myanmar continues to deepen. In August, more than 42,000 people were displaced, and the Myanmar military conducted more airstrikes than in any other month since the coup, targeting villages, schools and hospitals. At the same time, the military continues to obstruct aid, preventing vital supplies from reaching those in need.

We call on the Myanmar military, and all other actors, to allow safe, unimpeded humanitarian access to vulnerable communities. This is crucial as people suffer from the impacts of flooding, growing food insecurity and shortages of health and sanitation supplies. The UK will provide more than £40 million in assistance this financial year. We encourage other Member States to also consider what more they can do.

20,000 people remain arbitrarily detained, including journalists, healthcare workers and political prisoners. The IIMM (Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar) has found credible reports of widespread torture and deaths in detention, including physical abuse and sexual and gender-based violence of the most horrific kind, including against children. The military must release all those arbitrarily detained. We also call on Myanmar to comply with the UN Convention against Torture and respect the rights of detainees.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 September 2024.

British nationals should leave Lebanon immediately, ministers have warned, as the government bolsters its presence in the region.

• Brits warned to act now, and leave Lebanon as soon as possible
• military teams move to Cyprus as contingency planning is rolled out to support British nationals in Lebanon and the region
• ministers continue to call for a ceasefire immediately to end the cycle of violence, as more than 500 people killed in Lebanon in the past 24 hours

British nationals should leave Lebanon immediately, ministers have warned, as the government bolsters its presence in the region.

Around 700 UK troops will move to Cyprus in the coming hours, as the government continues to prepare its contingency plans following significant escalation between Israel and Lebanon in recent days.

The military teams will be supported by Border Force and FCDO officials.

The government continues to advise against all travel to Lebanon, as the situation continues to deteriorate rapidly, with devastating consequences.

Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:

Events in the past hours and days have demonstrated how volatile this situation is, which is why our message is clear, British nationals should leave now.

We continue to urge all sides to step back from conflict to prevent further tragic loss of life. Our government is ensuring all preparations are in place to support British nationals should the situation deteriorate. I want to thank the British personnel who are deploying in the region for their commitment and professionalism.

The UK already has a significant diplomatic and military footprint in the region, including RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and Royal Navy ships RFA Mounts Bay and HMS Duncan, which have remained in the eastern Mediterranean to support British nationals and allies over the summer.

The Royal Air Force also have aircraft and transport helicopters on standby to provide support if necessary.

The call comes after the Defence Secretary held a meeting with ministers, intelligence chiefs and diplomats on Tuesday afternoon to test government planning.