Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as our joint statement with the EU on World Day Against the Death Penalty made clear. The Saudi authorities are well aware of our opposition. As the Minister for the Middle East, I raised Saudi human rights during my recent visit to the Kingdom.

The UK Government has profound sympathy for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism and indeed for all victims of the Troubles. The Shawcross Report was commissioned by the previous government as an internal report drawing on a series of private and confidential conversations. We will keep decisions on publication regarding the Shawcross Report under review.

We respect the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern. We remain focused on pushing for an immediate ceasefire, to bring an end to the devastating violence in Gaza. This is essential to protect civilians, ensure the release of hostages and to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all in Iran, and beyond. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We condemn Iran's restrictions against FoRB and we are committed to holding Iran to account for its attacks against religious minorities, including at the UN Third Committee.

We maintain sanctions on senior Iranian decision makers responsible for human rights violations and will continue to respond to Iran's repression of fundamental rights, including through the potential use of further sanctions.

In 2024/25, the FCDO will provide the British Council with £162.5 million Grant-in-Aid funding. The British Council is projected to generate £885 million from other sources over the same period, according to its Corporate Plan 2024-25. This self-generated income is largely derived from the British Council's teaching and exams businesses.

The Government is committed to a successful British Council that is financially stable. Our funding to the British Council underlines our support.

The UK supports Colombian efforts to achieve a sustainable and long-lasting peace, including through implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement and support from the UN Verification Mission. We welcome the renewal of the UN's mandate, which included willingness to consider future monitoring and verification of the ceasefire with Estado Mayor Central. Through our role as penholder at the UN Security Council the UK works with the Government, civil society, and international partners to support peace in Colombia. We regularly discuss the peace process with the Colombian Government at the highest levels. The PM met President Petro in the margins of the G20 and Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Murillo at COP29 and reiterated the UK's support for peace. Baroness Chapman also reiterated the UK's support for peace in Colombia during her visit to Bogota in November, including during her discussion with Vice Foreign Minister Jorge Rojas.

Minister West met with Regina Ip on 31 October in an official capacity. Human rights were raised as part of the discussion.

The UK will continue to speak often and candidly with Hong Kong authorities across both areas of contention as well as areas for cooperation. Engagement with representatives of Hong Kong and China is pragmatic and necessary to support UK interests.

The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and has restated its importance alongside G7 partners. We consider the Taiwan issue to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo. This includes increased Chinese assertiveness towards Taiwan.

Minister West met with Regina Ip on 31 October in an official capacity. Human rights were raised as part of the discussion.

The UK will continue to speak often and candidly with Hong Kong authorities across both areas of contention as well as areas for cooperation. Engagement with representatives of Hong Kong and China is pragmatic and necessary to support UK interests.

The Minister for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West MP visited Hong Kong for a two-day programme of engagements. Minister West met with stakeholders across the Hong Kong Government, the business community and the public to discuss areas of co-operation and challenge on areas of contention.

In her engagements with Hong Kong Government officials, the Minister flagged concerns over the erosion of Hong Kong's rights and freedoms, including under the National Security Law.

This Government stands firm on human rights, including over Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary both raised human rights recently with their Chinese counterparts President Xi and Foreign Minister Wang. We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account: we joined a statement led by Australia at the UN General Assembly last month, and joined a statement led by the USA at the Human Rights Council in September. Both statements noted evidence of torture in Xinjiang, among other human rights violations. The UK is committed to upholding the principle of non-refoulement and has repeatedly called on other countries to respect their obligations under international human rights law, including under the Convention Against Torture.

This Government stands firm on human rights, including over Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary both raised human rights recently with their Chinese counterparts President Xi and Foreign Minister Wang. We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account: we joined a statement led by Australia at the UN General Assembly last month, and joined a statement led by the USA at the Human Rights Council in September. Both statements noted evidence of torture in Xinjiang, among other human rights violations. The UK is committed to upholding the principle of non-refoulement and has repeatedly called on other countries to respect their obligations under international human rights law, including under the Convention Against Torture.

We have a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo. This includes increased Chinese assertiveness towards Taiwan.

The UK believes the people of Taiwan have a valuable contribution to make on issues of global concern, and the UK supports Taiwanese participation at international organisations as a member where statehood is not a prerequisite, or as an observer or guest where it is.

We are committed to international law, the primacy of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and to freedom of navigation and overflight. We oppose any action that raises tensions or the risk of miscalculation. We do not take sides in the South China Sea sovereignty disputes. We encourage all parties to settle their disputes peacefully through the existing legal mechanisms, particularly UNCLOS.

The UK-Singapore Cyber Dialogue held on 13 June 2023 in London was followed by a second iteration in Singapore from 12-13 June 2024. The Dialogues strengthen our close ties on cyber collaboration and align our approaches in cyber governance and tackling cyber threats.

The UK's longstanding position on Taiwan has not changed. We do not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong, unofficial relationship with deep and growing ties in a range of areas, underpinned by shared democratic values. We support Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organisations as a member where statehood is not a prerequisite, and as an observer or guest where it is.

The UK is a leading donor to the humanitarian response in Bangladesh and has provided £401 million to support the Rohingya refugees and host communities since 2017. During Minister West's recent visit to Bangladesh, she announced a further £10.3 million of UK funding. This will provide additional support to Rohingya refugees with clean water, hygiene and sanitation services, primary healthcare, protection services and shelter materials. UK funding will also provide assistance to those impacted by natural disasters in Bangladesh earlier this year. The UK remains at the forefront of international efforts to support Rohingya refugees.

The base on Diego Garcia is critical to national and international security. It has enabled the UK, the US, and our allies and partners to combat some of the most challenging threats to global peace and security, including those from terrorism, organised crime, and wider instability.

Following this agreement, for the first time in over 50 years, the base will be undisputed and legally secure, able to operate to its full strategic capability without risk of challenge. The Agreement will mean that the UK and US will continue to operate the base well into the next century with strong protections from malign influence.

There are a large number of Chagossian groups with a spectrum of views. Ministers and officials have sought to engage a range of Chagossian groups or representatives with an interest on a range of issues, including implementation of the agreement. We will continue to do so. We recognise the importance of the islands to Chagossians and have worked to ensure this agreement reflects their interests.

The Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with Secretary Blinken on a range of issues, including the British Indian Ocean Territory / Chagos Archipelago.

We look forward to continuing to engage with the current and incoming US Administrations in the usual way to protect and enhance our shared security interests.

The UK, together with our humanitarian partners, is closely monitoring the impacts of recent Turkish airstrikes in North East Syria and continues to provide life-saving humanitarian support there. UK officials regularly engage with Turkey on the situation in North East Syria, most recently on 26 November. The UK recognises Turkey's legitimate security interests in Syria but also the need to protect civilian lives and infrastructure, and to avoid destabilising activity. Stability in the region is essential to prevent the worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in northern Syria and enable the Global Coalition and its partners to continue the fight against Daesh.

Where allegations of criminality are made on BIOT, they are investigated by the authorities there and criminal charges brought and prosecuted where appropriate.  

The UK consistently draws attention to Russia's abhorrent actions in Ukraine, including arbitrary detentions of civilians. In the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, alongside other participating states, we have invoked the Moscow Mechanism four times since Russia's full-scale invasion. The most recent of these reports, published in April, exposed Russia's arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Ukrainian civilians. We call again on Russia to uphold its obligations under International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, and to release all arbitrarily detained civilians.

The Government stands in solidarity with Russian independent journalists, human rights defenders and civil society activists who continue their work, including online, at great personal risk. We condemn the Russian authorities' use of repressive legislation to severely curtail the freedom of expression and recognise the importance of the limited online platforms still available in Russia. The Government has regular engagement with Google, which owns YouTube, on a variety of matters.

I fully endorse the findings of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights report. I made this clear in my statement of 27 October, and our Embassy in Tbilisi reiterated our concerns regarding the need to transparently and thoroughly investigate allegations of electoral violations in a further public statement on 25 November. The new Georgian Government must ensure that these concerns are addressed, and return to a trajectory inline with the democratic values expected of an aspirant NATO member.

As the Foreign Secretary made clear during his visit to Moldova on 20 November, the UK is committed to supporting Moldova's democratic resilience in the face of Russian hybrid aggression. During my visit to Chisinau on 16-17 September, I met President Sandu, Deputy Prime Minister Popsoi and Defence Minister Nosatii to reaffirm the UK's steadfast support. This year alone, the UK is providing £34 million of humanitarian, development and defence support to Moldova, including £6.3 million through the Good Governance Fund to strengthen Moldova's capacity to respond to internal and external threats including information threats.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is providing consular support to Alexei Zimin's family following his death in Belgrade. Local authorities decide whether to conduct postmortems and investigations following deaths. Not all deaths are investigated, for example if it is clear the death was of natural causes. The results of investigations may take months. Families can request information via local authorities. If families wish us to do so, FCDO officials can formally register interest in an investigation on the family's behalf which may result in local authorities sharing information with families directly or via FCDO. If a British national's body is repatriated to England and Wales, HM Coroners may ask for information from overseas authorities. The FCDO can place a request on their behalf. HM Coroners cannot hold inquests in cases of burials or cremations overseas.

The UK Government condemns the Russian authorities' use of censorship to punish political opposition, repress anti-war sentiment and clamp down on freedom of expression online. The UK has raised Russia's use of repressive legislation to maintain a climate of fear in multilateral fora, most recently at the UN on 29 October. The UK Government stands in solidarity with Russian independent journalists, human rights defenders and civil society activists who continue their work, including online, at great personal risk. The UK Government has regular engagement with Apple on a variety of matters.

We are finalising FCDO ODA allocations for 2024/25 and will publish them shortly. Over the coming months, we will also decide how to allocate our 2025/26 ODA allocations; these will be published in due course. We are determined to deliver our international development mission, lay the foundations for our ODA spending in the years to come and avoid the turbulence of recent years. The FCDO's ODA programme budget, including the Integrated Security Fund, is planned to be £9.24 billion in 2025/26 - the highest level in recent years and an increase of around £450 million from 2024/25.

Following the meeting, Minister West visited Hong Kong for a two-day programme of engagements. Minister West met with stakeholders across the Hong Kong Government to discuss areas of co-operation and challenge on areas of contention.

Minister West met with Regina Ip on 31 October in an official capacity. Human rights were raised as part of the discussion.

The UK will continue to speak often and candidly with Hong Kong authorities across both areas of contention as well as areas for cooperation. Engagement with representatives of Hong Kong and China is pragmatic and necessary to support UK interests.

Maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is a matter of global concern. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. The UK also opposes any actions which increase the risk of miscalculation in the South China Sea.

We keep potential sanctions under close review, but it would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions as to do so could reduce their impact.

Iran's human rights record is unacceptable. We condemn the continued repression of women and girls by the Iranian authorities. We maintain 94 human rights sanctions on senior Iranian decision makers, including those responsible for Iran's oppressive hijab law. We continue to support the UN Special Procedures of the Special Rapporteur and Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, mandates which are essential for spotlighting Iran's human rights violations, including against women and girls. We will continue to work alongside international partners to hold the Iranian regime accountable, including at the UN Third Committee this month.

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Act 1996 provides the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office with certain privileges and immunities in line with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations for the purposes of furthering economic and trade interests. There are no current plans to replace this legislation.

We have considered the report. The Government has been clear since day one that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) must be upheld, and civilians protected. The UK supports Israel’s right to self-defence, but it must do this in accordance with international humanitarian law. The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable. Too many civilians have been killed and we need to prevent further bloodshed now. What is urgently needed is an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law, protection of civilians including a rapid increase in aid getting into Gaza, and a pathway to a two-state solution.

The UK strongly condemns any instances of enforced disappearances. We urge states to fully investigate any allegations, prosecute those responsible and provide justice to victims and their families.  We continue to encourage progress towards the criminalisation of enforced disappearances in Pakistan. The British High Commission regularly raises these issues with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. The UK will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people as laid down in Pakistan's Constitution and in accordance with international standards.

The FCDO's International Humanitarian Law Cell undertakes regular assessments of Israel's commitment and capability to comply with International Humanitarian Law in relation to the conflict in Gaza, in order to meet our legal obligations under the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria (SELC). Since 4 July 2024 assessments were submitted on 24 July 2024 and 1 October 2024. Assessments continue to take place.

UK technical and diplomatic support has been instrumental in the establishment of the anti-war, pro-democracy Taqaddum coalition, led by former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. I have recently met Hamdok and the UK will continue to support civil society groups seeking to alleviate suffering, protect civilians and end the conflict in Sudan.

The death and destruction in Gaza are intolerable. The UK is pushing for an immediate ceasefire. The fighting must stop, the hostages must be released and much more aid must enter Gaza. A deal is on the table and we are urging both sides to show flexibility. The civil society organisations we work with are valuable partners of the government and we welcome the opportunity to continue to work with them closely.

Civil society organisations in Burkina Faso also play an important role in conflict resolution and peacekeeping, despite facing significant challenges. We are supporting efforts by civil society organisations to facilitate land conflict resolution, promote gender and social inclusion, and support survivors of gender-based violence.

The UK is aware of reports of massacres of civilians by Burkinabe military forces in late February in the villages of Nondin and Soro in Burkina Faso's Yatenga province. On 29 April, the UK and USA issued a joint statement condemning the alleged violence against civilians and the subsequent media suspensions by the Burkinabe authorities. We have called on the Burkina Faso authorities to thoroughly investigate reports of these massacres and hold those responsible to account.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern and prosecuting their perpetrators. The UK respects the independence of the ICC in its extant investigation of the situation in Israel and the OPTs. As we have consistently made clear, all parties must comply with International Humanitarian Law and take every possible step to minimise harm to civilians.

It is the UK's long-standing policy that any determination of genocide should be based upon the judgement of a competent national or international court, and this is not for governments or non-judicial bodies to determine. This approach ensures that any determination is above politics, lobbying, and individual or national interest. The government fully respects the independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ is currently considering the application and interpretation of the Genocide Convention in the South Africa v Israel case, and we await its decision.

On 5 November, I raised our grave concerns that Kamal Adwan continues to come under fire with the Israeli Ambassador. We remain deeply concerned by reports that many medical facilities are no longer in use or are inaccessible to humanitarian actors. Israel must comply with international law. As the Foreign Secretary said in his statement on 16 October, we, alongside our partners, continue to press Israel to take all possible steps to avoid civilian casualties, allow aid into Gaza and enable the UN and its humanitarian partners to operate effectively. With our French and Algerian counterparts, we called an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on this issue on 16 October.

The Government has been clear since day one that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) must be upheld, and civilians protected. The UK supports Israel's right to self-defence, but it must do so in accordance with IHL. On his first day in office, the Foreign Secretary instigated a review of Israel's compliance with international law, and updated the House on 2 September 2024 on its conclusions and the actions the UK was taking in response. The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable. Too many civilians have been killed and we need to prevent further bloodshed. What is urgently needed is an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law, protection of civilians including a rapid increase of aid into Gaza and a pathway to a two-state solution. The UK received the Report of the Special Committee upon its publication, alongside other UN Member States.

The Government has been clear since day one that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) must be upheld, and civilians protected. The UK supports Israel's right to self-defence, but it must do so in accordance with IHL. On his first day in office, the Foreign Secretary instigated a review of Israel's compliance with international law, and updated the House on 2 September 2024 on its conclusions and the actions the UK was taking in response. The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable. Too many civilians have been killed and we need to prevent further bloodshed. What is urgently needed is an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law, protection of civilians including a rapid increase of aid into Gaza and a pathway to a two-state solution. The UK received the Report of the Special Committee upon its publication, alongside other UN Member States.

The UK recognises the important role that African Union (AU) peace support operations play in delivering peace and security in Africa. The UK has voluntarily contributed £70 million to the AU mission in Somalia since 2022, in addition to providing £68.7 million through UN Assessed Contributions due to the mission's UN mandated support. The UK has also long provided technical advice on peacekeeping to the AU and helped train peacekeepers for the AU Mission in Somalia through the British Peace Support Team (Africa).

The UK congratulates Somalilanders for peacefully exercising their right to vote on 13 November. We commend the National Electoral Commission for conducting a transparent voter registration and candidate nomination process and note that the preliminary assessment from observers has been that the election process was largely credible, transparent and inclusive. We stand ready to work alongside Somaliland to further strengthen democracy and accountability in the future.

The UK, alongside others in the international community, does not recognise Somaliland's unilateral declaration of independence. It is for authorities in Mogadishu and Hargeisa to resolve Somaliland's status through dialogue and broad consultation.