Tag: Press Release

PRESS RELEASE : Royal Military Academy Sandhurst leads cultural change across the Army [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 30 March 2023.

Changes have been made to policies on alcohol, as well as the creation of the sexual harassment task force and a new code of conduct.

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) is paving the way for culture change across the Army through its transformation programme, which began back in September 2022 under Commandant Major-General Zac Stenning. This transformation, part of wider changes taking place across Defence, has seen changes to the policies on alcohol, the creation of the sexual harassment task force and a new code of conduct.

As part of the drive by Defence to stamp out unacceptable behaviours and improve the experience for women in the Armed Forces, the Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, visited the prestigious academy today (30 March), which trains officers for the British Army. Over a 44-week course RMAS provides a unique environment for future officers to learn and grow as leaders, with an emphasis on developing leadership skills, fostering teamwork and collaboration, and promoting a strong sense of duty and service to the country.

Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, said:

Vital work has been done to create a more diverse, inclusive and supportive culture at Sandhurst and across our Armed Forces.

From the creation of the Defence Serious Crime Unit, to zero tolerance policies for sexual misconduct, attitudes are changing and so is our response – transforming the experience and opportunities for all our personnel.

One of the key areas of focus during the visit was the improvement of the experience for women across defence. The wider changes taking place across Defence include the introduction of improved uniform for women, free childcare for service families and the creation of the Defence Serious Crime Unit, an independent serious crime investigation capability for Defence.

Other changes in Defence include allowing serving personnel to give evidence to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, the introduction of last summer’s zero tolerance policies and a clampdown on sexual relationships between instructors and trainees across all training establishments.

Commandant Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Major General Zac Stenning, said:

I am resetting the culture and transforming the training at Sandhurst to deliver the highest quality leaders who can fight and win wars on the Land. Sandhurst will be an inclusive, empowered and learning organisation, staffed by outstanding role models who exemplify the British Army’s Values and Standards.

Servicewomen’s Network representative Lieutenant Colonel Elisabeth Roberts said:

Having served in the Army for 25 years I can honestly say that I have witnessed more progress in the last two years than any time before it. There’s still plenty to do but I am confident we are moving in the right direction and that this will not just benefit women, but the whole of Defence. I also see servicemen now having the confidence to share their vulnerabilities.

This can only be a positive thing, building trust and mutual understanding across teams and enhancing operational effectiveness and I genuinely believe that we have a leadership at the top who are committed to positive change.

These changes recognise that our Servicewomen are an integral part of the Armed Forces and play a vital role in protecting the nation. Following the opening up of all roles in the military to women in 2018 the priority now is to ensure that all personnel feel valued and are supported to be able to have long fulfilling careers.

March 31, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Five appointments made to the National Museums Liverpool Board [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 30 March 2023.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has appointed John Belchem, Dinah Birch, Lynn Collins, Anna Farthing and Philip Lloyd as Trustees of National Museums Liverpool for terms of four years.

John Belchem

Appointed from 1st March 2023 until 28th February 2027

After completing his doctorate at the University of Sussex, John emigrated to New Zealand to lecture in history at Massey University. In January 1980. He took up a lectureship at the University of Liverpool, remaining for 33 years, serving as Head of History, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and finally as Pro-Vice Chancellor. John edited Liverpool 800: culture, character and history, commissioned to mark the 800th anniversary in 2007. In extensive publications and broadcasting, John continues to explore Liverpool’s complex history, purported ‘otherness’ and exceptionalism, external misperception and misrepresentation. Working at the interface of academic history, public history and heritage, he has become acutely aware of the richness and fragility of the city’s remarkable urban historical framework. Alongside my involvement in securing the inscription of the World Heritage Site, now alas lost, he has assisted in various conservation and repurposing projects. In a recent publication, he traced the complex but ultimately successful process of conservation and cultural regeneration of the Bluecoat, the city centre’s oldest building. Presently, he is Emeritus Professor of History, Vice-President of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, a Trustee of the Merseyside Buildings Preservation Trust and Chair of Merseyside Civic Society.

Dinah Birch

Appointed from 1st March 2023 until 28th February 2027

Dinah Birch is Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Liverpool. As Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Cultural Engagement at the University she was responsible for the wide-ranging programme of cultural activities developed in association with the University’s first Heritage Strategy, in local regional and national contexts. She has published widely on Victorian fiction and poetry, and on the work of the artist and critic John Ruskin. Her books include Ruskin’s Myths (1988) and Our Victorian Education (2008), and she is the General Editor of the Oxford Companion to English Literature (2009). She has published editions of Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford (2011), Anthony

Trollope’s Can You Forgive Her? (2012) and The Small House at Allington (2014) with Oxford University Press, together with recent essays on George Eliot, Anthony Trollope, and John Ruskin. She writes regularly for the Times Literary Supplement, contributes to Melvyn Bragg’s In Our Time and Sky Arts documentary broadcasts, and has served as a judge on the Booker Prize panel.

Lynn Collins

Appointed from 1st March 2023 until 28th February 2027

Lynn Collins is currently Director of Field Services at the Royal College of Midwives. Lynn took up post in March 2022 having served as TUC Regional Secretary North West for the past 9 years. In her TUC role Lynn established a North West Labour History group and in 2018 organised the events programme to commemorate 150 years of the TUC. She also worked with women in Liverpool to commemorate the role that women have played in the city’s labour history including installing a blue plaque to Jeannie Mole a woman union organiser. She has been active in trades unions, social justice and equality movements all her working life and has held public office as a School Governor, an Employment Tribunal member and as Chair of HealthWatch Liverpool until 2023

In 2017 Lynn was appointed by Steve Rotheram, the Metro Mayor of Liverpool City Region, as Mayoral Advisor on Equalities, and as Chair of his Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board, a position she held until 2021. Lynn is a trustee at the Working-Class Movement Library in Salford, and is a member of the ‘Hall of Fame’ of the Anti Racism Charity Show Racism the Red Card.

Anna Farthing

Appointed from 1st March 2023 until 28th February 2027

Anna Farthing is a creative producer and cultural consultant working across programming and strategy. She frequently works on launch and regeneration projects. Her doctoral research at Manchester University explored creative public engagement with challenging subjects. It has since been applied to histories of conflict and slavery, climate change, public health and placemaking. Anna is currently Director of Civic and Cultural Engagement at Arts University Bournemouth with responsibility for cultural assets, research, and innovation. She was previously Arts Programme Director for University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, where she founded a systemic arts and culture programme for ten hospitals, and the Weston Arts and Health Festival. As a creative director, Anna led the Philip Larkin programme for Hull UK City of Culture and the International Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay. Heritage clients include National Maritime Museum, National Museum of the Royal Navy, International Slavery Museum, British Empire and Commonwealth Museum, Bristol Museums, Thackray Medical Museum, Manx National Heritage, English Heritage, Chatsworth and the National Trust. Having begun her career as a director of theatre and opera, she continues to support young artists and the development of new work. Anna is currently a trustee of St George’s Music Trust.

Philip Lloyd

Appointed from 1st March 2023 until 28th February 2027

Phil has worked with schools in Liverpool since 2013 having relocated from the West Midlands. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience from a 30-year career in the education sector in schools, local authorities and colleges. He currently works as an Executive Principal and Ofsted Inspector. He graduated as an engineer from the University of Nottingham before embarking on a career as a science teacher, becoming a Master of Education (Leadership) and Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. With a passion for education as an important vehicle supporting social mobility and an absolute commitment to world-class education for all pupils regardless of background he is enthusiastic about the role of the cultural sector in equipping young people with a wider knowledge and understanding of the world encouraging them to be curious, innovative, inventive and well-informed. Phil has demonstrable success in leadings teams and challenging underperformance in different settings, effectively translating national policy frameworks to meet local needs. As a board member in different organisations over the last 15 years he has developed an excellent understanding of business functions, including finance, human resources, marketing and recruitment.

Remuneration and Governance Code

Trustees of National Museums Liverpool are not remunerated. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. John Belchem, Dinah Birch, Lynn Collins, Anna Farthing and Philip Lloyd have not declared any significant political activity.

March 31, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Forcible transfer and Deportation of Children: invocation of OSCE Moscow Mechanism [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 March 2023.

German Ambassador to the OSCE gives a statement on behalf of 45 OSCE participating States on the deportation of children amidst Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Mr. Chairperson, I am delivering this statement on behalf of Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union Member States.

Today, our delegations will send the following letter to Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Director Matteo Mecacci, invoking the Moscow Mechanism, with the support of Ukraine, as we continue to have concerns regarding violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law following Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, particularly with regard to the forced transfer and deportation of children by the Russian Federation.

On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation, with the support of Belarus, launched a full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. This expanded invasion took place against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine that has, since 2014, violated Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.

In 2022, 45 OSCE Delegations, following bilateral consultations with Ukraine under the Vienna (Human Dimension) Mechanism, twice invoked Paragraph 8 of the Moscow (Human Dimension) Mechanism “to address the human rights and humanitarian impacts of the Russian Federation’s invasion and acts of war, supported by Belarus, on the people of Ukraine, within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders and territorial waters.”

As a result of these two invocations, OSCE participating States received the independent expert missions’ reports of 12 April and 11 July 2022. Alongside the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Second Interim Report of 14 December 2022, these confirmed our shared concerns about the impact of the Russian Federation’s invasion and acts of war, its violations and abuses of human rights, and violations of international humanitarian law in Ukraine, and, in particular, credible reports of forced transfer and deportation of Ukrainian civilians, including unaccompanied children.

We are particularly alarmed by the findings of both expert missions that some of the violations may amount to crimes against humanity or war crimes.

For instance, in the 12 April 2022 report, the mission of experts stated, inter alia, that “Equally alarming are the reports about the alleged detention of large numbers of Ukrainian civilians and their massive displacement to the areas under the effective control of Russia or, even, to Russia’s own territory. The Mission recalls that deportation and forcible transfer of population, when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population with the knowledge of this attack, constitutes a crime against humanity”.

Furthermore, in the 11 July 2022 report, the expert mission noted evidence of deportations, inter alia, that “since 1 April 2022, the number of Ukrainian civilians deported from the occupied territories to Russia has continued to rise.” It was stated that “Mass forcible transfers of civilians during a conflict to the territory of the occupying party are prohibited under the 1949 Geneva Conventions. The practice is considered a war crime.”

Additionally, on 14 December 2022, in its Second Interim Report on reported violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in Ukraine, ODIHR stated, in particular, that “Various reports collected throughout the reporting period provide evidence that the Russian Federation has adopted a policy with regard to unaccompanied children that may be contrary to applicable international law. Numerous credible allegations of forced transfer and deportation of unaccompanied children within the occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as to the Russian Federation’s own territory, have been documented in recent months.”

We acknowledge that children are among the most vulnerable in times of war and require special attention and protection. As OSCE participating States have committed “to actively promote children’s rights and interests, especially in conflict and post-conflict situations” (Istanbul 1999 Summit Declaration), we are appalled by the reports that many children are among those Ukrainian civilians forcibly transferred within parts of Ukraine’s territory temporarily controlled or occupied by Russia and/or deported from Ukraine to the Russian Federation, and by reports that Russian authorities undertake to re-educate and assimilate them. We also are concerned about reports of so-called “summer camps”, where allegedly children have been barred from contacting or returning to their parents or guardians. We are concerned that the forcible transfer and/or deportation of these children may also expose them to numerous human rights violations and abuses, in particular those relating to a change of the child’s personal status, including citizenship, separation from parents or guardians, adoption, and other violations or abuses leading to forced assimilation. We note that some of the reported cases date back before 24 February 2022.

Gravely concerned by the continuing impacts of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, in particular on the civilian population, including children, the delegations of Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America), following bilateral consultations with Ukraine under the Vienna Mechanism, invoke the Moscow (Human Dimension) Mechanism under Paragraph 8 of that document.

We request that ODIHR inquire of Ukraine whether it would invite a mission of experts to build upon previous findings and establish the facts and circumstances surrounding possible contraventions of relevant OSCE commitments, violations and abuses of human rights, and violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as well as possible cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity, associated with or resulting from the forcible transfer of children within parts of Ukraine’s territory temporarily controlled or occupied by Russia and/or their deportation to the Russian Federation; and to collect, consolidate, and analyze this information with a view to offer recommendations, as well as provide the information to relevant accountability mechanisms, as well as national, regional, or international courts or tribunals that have, or may in future have, jurisdiction.

We also invite ODIHR to provide any relevant information or documentation derived from any new expert mission to other appropriate accountability mechanisms, as well as national, regional, or international courts or tribunals that have, or may in future have, jurisdiction.

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.

March 31, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : First NATO defence innovation HQ opens in London [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 30 March 2023.

The first Regional Office of NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) was opened in London today.
London hosts NATO Defence Innovation HQ in partnership with Estonia.

Opened by UK Defence Minister and NATO Deputy Secretary General.

Leading innovation across the NATO Alliance to deter and defend against future threats.

The first Regional Office of NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) was opened in London today, with a further hub in Tallinn due to open later this year.

Located at the Imperial College London Innovation Hub (I-HUB) in the White City Innovation District, the regional office was opened by the UK Minister for Defence Procurement, Alex Chalk KC and the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoană on a visit to the site.

Delivering on the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy, the DIANA programme aims to support the foundation, growth and success of start-ups working to drive innovation and forward-thinking in Defence. Bringing together industry, government and academia from across the Alliance, DIANA will help enable NATO Allies to develop and integrate advanced dual-use technologies to address critical defence and security challenges, at pace.

Essential to delivering the NATO 2030 vision, the programme will ensure the Alliance develops the defence capabilities needed to deter and defend against existing and future threats, enhancing security within the Alliance and beyond.

Minister for Defence Procurement, Alex Chalk KC, said:

Combining the brightest and best from our thriving tech industries, government and academia, the UK’s first DIANA office will be a world-leading innovation hub to support future military technologies.

DIANA will operate to unite the best and brightest innovators across the Alliance to ensure that we are well-prepared to protect all Allied nations and nearly one billion citizens.

Mircea Geoană, NATO Deputy Secretary General, said:

DIANA is a game-changer for driving NATO’s innovation agenda forward. I am delighted that Imperial College’s White City Campus will host the first of DIANA’s regional offices. Imperial’s Innovation Hub already co-locates major defence contractors, innovators and researchers alongside UK and US government defence innovation accelerators, making it the ideal place to start this exciting new initiative.

The programme will support all nine of the key emerging and disruptive technologies that NATO has identified as priorities: artificial intelligence, data, autonomy, quantum-enabled technologies, biotechnology, hypersonics, space, novel materials and manufacturing, and energy and propulsion.

David van Weel, Interim DIANA Managing Director said:

Technology has never been as prominent on the NATO agenda as it is today. This location here in London on the Imperial College campus is a fantastic marker of our ambition. We want to bring NATO closer to the best and brightest of our innovators. Leading the establishment of DIANA has been a great pleasure over the past months. Now it is an honour to hand over to Professor Chana, who will be taking DIANA to new heights and launch DIANA’s first pilot activities in June.

Ranked in the world’s top ten innovative universities, Imperial College London will bring together academia, industry and government to host the HQ in a space shared with the UK’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), Major Defence Contractors and the US Department of Defense’s Tri-Service Office.
March 31, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Green growth for Scotland with multi billion pound investment [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 31 March 2023.

UK Government invites bids for next Carbon Capture and Storage clusters and commits to projects that will boost UK energy independence.
New jobs and investment are set to come to Scotland as the UK Government today unveils ambitious plans to scale up affordable, clean, homegrown power and build thriving green industries in Britain.

After decades of reliance on importing expensive, foreign fossil fuels, the UK Government is delivering a radical shift in our energy system towards cleaner, more affordable energy sources to power more of Britain from Britain.

New green technologies, set to be developed and deployed here in Scotland, including carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) and hydrogen, will spearhead the government’s new Energy Security Plan.

Today, the UK Government is launching Track-2 of the CCUS cluster sequencing process to identify the next two CCUS clusters that will contribute to our ambition to capture 20-30 megatonnes of CO2 per year across the economy by 2030. At this stage, we consider the Acorn Transport and Storage System in Aberdeenshire one of the two best placed to deliver our objectives.

This announcement follows the confirmation in the Spring Budget of £20 billion for CCUS, future-proofing jobs in the industrial heartlands, including the North Sea, contributing to a half a million new green jobs set to be created and supported across the country.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps is also launching the £160 million fund for projects to build the port infrastructure needed to support further floating offshore wind, through the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme, with Scottish ports well placed to bid for funding. This scheme will support investment in the infrastructure needed to meet the UK’s ambition of up to 5GW of floating offshore wind by 2030, supported by a substantial pipeline of potential projects off Scotland and in the Celtic Sea.

The UK Government has set an ambition for 10GW of hydrogen production by 2030 – which could generate enough clean electricity to power all of London for a year.

Scotland will be central to these plans, with four of the first fifteen projects announced today to be given a share of the £240 million Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF) to develop new low carbon hydrogen production plants. Hydrogen will play an important role in helping intensive industries such as chemicals, steel and cement convert to using clean energy.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

Thanks to our unique geography and strong expertise in clean technology, the UK is well placed to create thriving new industries in carbon capture, hydrogen and floating offshore wind across the country.

By investing in new ways to power Britain from Britain, we will not only strengthen our long-term energy security, but also deliver on our promise to grow the economy with well-paid jobs and opportunities for businesses to export their expertise around the world.

Energy Security and Net Zero Minister Graham Stuart said:

Scotland will be at the heart of our plans to power up Britain, as we support its development of new home-grown technologies of the future.

Today’s announcement will create opportunities for Scottish businesses to export their expertise around the world and set the standard for a clean, secure and prosperous future.

UK Government Minister for Scotland John Lamont said:

Scotland’s green energy potential is at the heart of the UK Government’s plans to deliver energy security, drive investment and grow the economy by developing clean domestic power sources.

Every household in Scotland and across the UK have felt the impact of energy prices and that’s why the UK Government has already taken significant action to ease cost of living pressures. This new, extensive package of measures will help reduce bills in the long term.

From the carbon capture sector where we are progressing at pace and investing up to £20 billion to help decarbonise our industries, to offshore wind, funding for low carbon hydrogen projects, and making the Contracts for Difference round an annual event, Scotland is a key part of the UK’s net zero plans and helping to boost economic growth through green jobs.

Scotland’s winning Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF) projects are:

Statera, based in Kintore, plan to develop a 3GW, grid connected, electrolytic hydrogen project that aims to use excess wind power in Scotland to produce low-carbon, green hydrogen and supply it to the UK’s most carbon intensive industrial clusters through existing gas transmission pipelines.

Octopus Energy’s Lanarkshire Green Hydrogen project plans to deploy 15MW of electrolysis directly connected to an onshore wind farm, to produce over 3.5 tonnes per day of green hydrogen.

Falck Renewables plans to develop their Knockshinnock Green Hydrogen Hub Project which will deliver one of the first fully off-grid renewable hydrogen supply systems on the mainland UK, and once operational, will supply over 160 tonnes of low-carbon hydrogen per year.

Getech aims to build a major green hydrogen hub in Inverness that will produce, store and dispense green hydrogen, upwards of 10 tonnes a day over time.

Alongside this, five Scottish companies have been shortlisted to proceed to the next stage of the process for the first electrolytic hydrogen allocation round (HAR1) to kick start the low carbon hydrogen economy across the UK and help meet the country’s wider net zero target. These are:

ERM Dolphyn

Pale Blue Dot Energy

SSE Renewables

RES and Octopus Green Hydrogen

Scottish Power

Today’s plans will help deliver on the Prime Minister’s promise to grow the economy across Scotland, supporting new green jobs, creating a strategic advantage in new clean industries, and generating opportunities for Scottish businesses to export their expertise around the world.
March 31, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Report of the Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 March 2023.

Deputy Ambassador Deirdre Brown responds to the report presentation by Ambassador Brian Aggeler, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

Firstly, I would like to welcome Ambassador Aggeler to the Permanent Council – thank you to you and your team for your work over the past 12 months, and for this comprehensive report.

The United Kingdom highly appreciates the work and added value of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. I was delighted to be able to visit Sarajevo earlier in March and witness first-hand some of the excellent work the Mission is supporting on the ground.

Mr Chair, the UK remains committed to supporting a stable, secure, and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina. We will continue to work with the authorities to tackle threats to its democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity. We condemn the continued polarisation and inter-party confrontation, which heightens the risks of destabilisation. Dangerous and divisive nationalistic rhetoric and hate speech only serves to hurt the country and its citizens.

We urge the authorities to pass key legislation on rule of law as part of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU path, including laws on the Prevention of Conflict of Interest and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council.

The UK welcomed the peaceful conduct of the October 2022 general elections, and was pleased to note the International Election Observation Mission’s (EOM) findings that elections were well-organised and competitive, and that fundamental freedoms were respected. However, we share the concerns expressed by the EOM around segmentation of the vote along ethnic lines, and divisive rhetoric during the election campaign. We are concerned about apparent impunity for electoral fraud, an issue which undermines trust in the democratic process. The UK also regrets that it was necessary for the High Representative to use his Executive ‘Bonn’ Powers in support of political functionality. The UK is committed to supporting the OSCE and Bosnia and Herzegovina in continuing the necessary reforms ahead of local elections in 2024.

The UK supports the OSCE Mission’s continuous efforts on reconciliation, and its assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina in building a stable, democratic and peaceful state. In particular, the UK welcomes the OSCE Mission’s commitment to tackling corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As highlighted in the Report, there has been progress – particularly in the establishment of three cantonal anti-corruption offices. The UK will continue to act in support of civil society and the general public to hold authorities to account, on issues ranging from corruption to the legacy of conflict.

Reform of law enforcement legislation is another important area in which we welcome the Mission’s efforts. We urge the Mission to continue to speak out against proposed laws which limit citizens’ human rights and free speech. The series of retrograde legislative moves in the Republika Srpska entity – which, if enacted, would restrict fundamental freedoms for media, civil society, and LGBT+ individuals – are a backwards step. These actions are a shift away from European values and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU path.

The UK warmly welcomes the Mission’s strong engagement in peace- and trust-building initiatives, connecting neighbouring communities and strengthening inter-ethnic relations. We highly value the insight and information provided by the nine Field Offices across the country. I was particularly pleased to visit earlier this month the OSCE Mission-supported programme in the Majevica region, engaging with five municipal administrations working together towards common interests in ecology and tourism.

Finally, I want to focus on gender, which is essential in all areas of the Mission’s work. We highly appreciate the Mission’s engagement in gender equality through education, gender equality in political life, and your strengthening of gender mainstreaming across all aspects of the Mission’s work. Achieving gender equality is essential to more informed thinking and policies that benefit all of our populations.

Mr Chair, at this critical and dangerous time for European security, it is more important than ever to focus our efforts on building a peaceful, prosperous and thriving Bosnia and Herzegovina, working in the interests of its people. Further economic, social and political progress must build on the many years of reforms. It is vital at this time that all institutions and entities work together with the international community to improve the lives of the country’s citizens. There is no time to waste on threats and barriers to engagement – the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina deserve far more. The UK will remain a friend to all citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and will continue to work across the entire country for the good for all.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

March 31, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Greater support for farmers to calculate and reduce their emissions [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 30 March 2023.

Announcements form part of the Net Zero Growth Plan and Nature Markets Framework.

The government has today (Thursday 30 March) responded to calls from the farming sector for more support to open up multi-billion pound opportunities for farmers and landowners in the carbon market through a commitment to develop a new harmonised approach for measuring on farm emissions.

The announcement, from the government’s Net Zero Growth Plan and Nature Markets Framework, follows on from a call for evidence on the role of robust monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions on farms.

Whilst there are already numerous tools on the market for farmers to assess their emissions, inconsistency in the results has led to low confidence from industry and low uptake.

By developing a harmonised methodology and setting out by 2024 how farmers will be supported to measure their emissions, the government can help the agricultural sector reduce emissions across the supply chain – including from livestock, nutrient management, and farm equipment.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

As well as producing food for our tables, farmers and land managers can play a key role in helping the UK achieve net zero.

We’ve been listening to the farming sector, and the measures announced today will not only help them to calculate their carbon footprint, but also open up new financial opportunities, such as combining private commercial opportunities with our new farming schemes support.

There is also a huge opportunity for farmers to access private sector funding for delivering positive outcomes for nature, which is why the government is also accelerating the growth of these nature markets through the Nature Markets Framework.

The framework will support nature markets to grow in a way that makes them fair, effective and accessible to farmers. Alongside this, the Green Finance Institute will develop an online toolkit to help farmers identify and access private payments for environmental benefits.

The government is also looking at how farmers can be given better advice to access nature markets, by supporting farmers to access advice through the Landscape Recovery development phase and are looking at how we facilitate collaboration through Countryside Stewardship.

This will help farmers to access the more than £1 billion per year that the government is seeking to raise in private finance for nature’s recovery by 2030, and build on the projects which are already in place

The measures will complement the existing support that the government has in place to help the agricultural sector reach net zero. This includes support through Environmental Land Management schemes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farms.

March 31, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Report by the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities – UK response [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 March 2023.

Deputy Ambassador Brown praises OSCE efforts to mitigate the economic and environmental impacts of Russia’s devastating war in Ukraine.

Thank you, Ambassador Hasani, for your presentation on your recent work and proposed future activities.

When you last addressed this Council in November, we lamented the humanitarian catastrophe stemming from Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, as well as the wide-ranging impacts on Ukraine’s economy and environment. Now in the second year of Russia’s full scale invasion, Russia’s actions continue to have a devastating effect both in Ukraine and globally – with direct impacts on food and energy security. We welcome your office’s on-going efforts to mitigate these effects.

That is why we are pleased to support your work in helping the Ukrainian authorities respond to these environmental challenges through the project “Assessment of environmental impacts of the war against Ukraine and options for remediation”. This project is important for helping the international community understand the true extent of damage caused, and for efforts to ensure those responsible are held accountable for their actions in Ukraine. We look forward to receiving this project’s first annual assessment in the coming weeks.

We also welcome your specific focus on energy security in Ukraine. In response to failures on the battlefield, we have seen increased Russian attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure since October – a desperate and futile attempt to break the will of Ukrainian people.

More broadly, your proposed work to help participating States diversify their energy supplies can help bolster energy security and build resilience against those seeking to weaponise energy supplies. In this regard, we welcome the specific focus in Central Asia, and look forward to receiving lessons learned from the scoping mission on energy security and geothermal resources in Kyrgyzstan.

The work you are doing to address the use of cryptocurrencies and virtual assets as tools to launder criminals’ proceeds is vital. We agree that serious and organised crime, as well as corruption, represent the biggest threats for law enforcement authorities in South-Eastern Europe. This is why the UK is pleased to be able to support the extra-budgetary project on strengthening the fight against transnational organised crime in South-Eastern Europe that provides support to the entire asset cycle.

Finally, we welcome your work to integrate a gender perspective in key projects, including building the capacity of Central Asian women and realising their full potential as leaders and agents of change in the energy transition. As we have said many times in this forum, outcomes will always be limited if only half the talent is included in solving problems. And as our Foreign Secretary said at the recent launch of our new Women and Girls Strategy, we can only build a safer and greener world if we put women and girls at the heart of our efforts. The diverse voices, knowledge and leadership of women and girls are essential to local, national and international decision-making.

Before closing, I would like to add that we too share your regret that consensus on the Permanent Council Decision on the theme, agenda and modalities of the 31st EEF of the OSCE was unable to be reached. At the Prep Comm earlier today Russia again stood alone in opposing the draft decision. This, despite the CiO’s hard work to meet the unjustified concerns of the Russian delegation. We are forced to conclude that – as with so much of the organisation’s work – Russia simply wants to attempt to frustrate the OSCE’s ability to operate.

Ambassador Hasani, thank you again for your report, and we look forward to supporting you in the year ahead.

March 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : British Army experiments with Dstl study on urban combat [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 30 March 2023.

The British Army’s Experimentation and Trials Group (ETG) have been testing improving future urban operations using a new experimental force concept.

The study called Urban Phalanx, involves a number of concepts for achieving small unit dominance in future urban combat for dismounted light forces. The specific focus was on ways to improve urban combat effectiveness through changes in structures and lethality. These areas were developed in collaboration with Army and Royal Marines urban combat experts, as well as the US Marine Corps’ Warfighting Laboratory, and they performed very well during Dstl-led testing and simulation. The results then fed into British Army decision making.

The Army’s new experimentation battalion, 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, have now been restructured around this concept and were deployed as the Next Generation Combat Team (NGCT) on both Project CONVERGENCE 22 and Exercise CERBERUS 22 to further develop it. The next step in this evolution is deployment onto Exercise WESSEX STORM 1/23 to test a new company Order of Battle (ORBAT) and increased lethality at the company level.

Dstl’s urban operations research lead and designer of the Urban Phalanx, Stuart Lyle, said:

Due to the complexity of urban terrain, urban combat quickly devolves into multiple, dislocated small unit battles fought at very close quarters, sometimes even between parts of the same building. The short engagement ranges and urban clutter also reduce the ability to employ supporting firepower assets, like mortars and artillery. This puts much greater emphasis on the performance of junior leaders and individual soldiers in deciding the outcome of an urban operation than in more rural combat.

The complexity of the terrain and the proximity of the enemy also places a greater burden on junior commanders to act as information sources for higher commanders, adding greater demands on these individuals.

Therefore, the key aims of the Phalanx Platoon concept are to reduce cognitive load on junior commanders while enhancing their ability to defeat threats with their own assets.

The NGCT that ETG are experimenting with is based around 2 Phalanx Platoons and a Manoeuvre Support Group. The Phalanx Platoon is built of 3 sections of 10 personnel, an anti-armour/anti-structure capability, a platoon systems operator, a platoon commander and a platoon sergeant.

The new section consists of 2 4-person fire teams and an independent command element comprising section commander and a section systems operator. This command element was shown to increase the situational awareness of the section, through the employment of drones and intelligence kit, while reducing the cognitive burden on the section commander.

The systems operator is also removed from the fire teams to focus on controlling the small uncrewed air systems (UAS) and updating the Dismounted Situational Awareness (DSA) system, providing greater situational awareness to both the section commander and platoon headquarters.

Each Phalanx Platoon has a shoulder-launched rocket team, armed with a Carl-Gustaf weapon system. This enables a rapid, multi-shot capability that can utilise different warheads dependent on the mission and does not require a specialist user to operate in the same way that Javelin does. By having this capability independent of the sections, it allows a more effective employment of these capabilities while reducing the load on the sections in both weight and cognitive burden.

The Manoeuvre Support Group consists of assets that would traditionally be found in a support company, increasing the lethality options immediately available to a company commander. The entire company will be mounted in light mobility vehicles, to offer enhanced mobility but not a platform to fight from.

ETG Lead, Col Toby Till, said:

Dstl’s science has enabled us to look at increasing the size of the sections, which increases their survivability and enables them to remain effective, even whilst sustaining casualties. This increase also enables the section commander to be removed from a fire team, allowing a better focus on commanding the section and digesting the increased levels of information being generated by the systems operator.

The Manoeuvre Support Group also has 3 Javelin detachments to provide specialist anti-tank capability at the company level, with a greater range than that offered by the Carl-Gustaf Sensor Decider Effector (SDE) Teams and Indirect Fires. The Manoeuvre Support Group has 2 SDE Teams consisting of a Patrol Commander, Systems Operator/Mortar Fire Controller and a driver who also provides security. The company is assigned 2 81mm mortar barrels as integral indirect fires assets.

The SDE Teams will operate in the same way as a Fire Planning Cell at Battlegroup HQ level but is focussed on the assets integral to the company. The company also benefits from a MEP WOLFRAM, a Coyote vehicle fitted with a modular Brimstone missile launcher, to enable precision long range fires, as well as simulated Loitering Munitions, at Platoon and Company level.

Lessons learnt on Ex WESSEX STORM 1/23 will be taken forward and further refined on the ETG Live Firing Exercise (LIVEX), as well as the next Project CONVERGENCE event.

March 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government completes review of airport ground operations to increase sector’s resilience [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 30 March 2023.

Areas set out for the aviation industry to focus on to avoid a repeat of the travel disruption seen last summer.
- ministers have agreed 10 areas for the aviation industry to focus on to address the issues with ground handling at airports seen last summer
- aim to help the aviation industry to rebuild its strength and resilience, so they can deliver for passengers for years to come
- follows an in-depth review of how the ground handling industry works and wide-ranging consultation with industry
The government has today (30 March 2023) set out 10 areas for the aviation industry to focus on to ensure airport ground operations get back to full capacity and avoid a repeat of the travel disruption seen last summer.

It concludes its review of the ground handling market, which the government committed to as part of its wider 22-point plan for tackling aviation disruption last June.

The report finds that staffing shortages were a major factor in last summer’s disruption, with ground handlers struggling to recruit enough staff in time for the peak travel season after coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions were lifted and facing issues with onboarding processes.

Aviation Minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton said:

The misery passengers faced last year when their flights were severely delayed or cancelled at the last minute was simply unacceptable.

We’ve made it clear that improvements can and must be made, so the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are working closely with the industry to build a resilient ground handler market for years to come.

Since then, the aviation industry has made significant progress to improve its resilience. To ensure this progress continues, the government has also proposed:
- further exploration of how to improve how ground handlers’ performance is measured and monitored
- better engagement between ground handlers and the government, including through the new Aviation Services UK trade association
- continued support from the government and industry’s flagship Generation Aviation programme for recruitment, retention, upskilling and outreach
- establishing a series of working groups involving airports, airlines and ground handlers to address areas including airport ID processes and performance standards
Ground handlers undertake several activities including baggage handling, check in, catering and refuelling. But last year as the industry began its recovery, companies were unable to meet demand.

Shortages of staff at airports, including drops in ground handler performance, had a domino effect on the rest of airport operations, causing delays and last-minute cancellations for passengers around the country.

While the aviation industry operates in the private sector, and is responsible for managing demand and resourcing, passengers should have confidence the government is doing everything it can to help ahead of this summer season. With Baroness Vere meeting industry representatives to discuss Easter preparedness last week, it’s important that both the private sector and the government move in lockstep.

By focusing on these areas, the aviation industry, the government and CAA can build a sector that provides a world-leading service for passengers long into the future.
March 30, 2023