PRESS RELEASE : Report by OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities – UK response [July 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 July 2023.
Ambassador Neil Holland voices UK support for the work of the OSCE High Commissioner and calls for the protection of national minorities in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Thank you Mr Chair, Welcome, Ambassador, back to the Permanent Council. Thank you for your comprehensive report and your address today.
The UK is a strong supporter of your mandate: we welcome your institution’s work in promoting human rights for all, particularly national minorities. This is integral to ensuring collective security and stability, and to preventing conflict. High Commissioner, we recall your previous remarks that diversity is strength – the UK is a great believer in this principle.
Your report rightly highlights the terrible effect that Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion is having on people in Ukraine. We echo your call for the protection of civilians and for humanitarian access in Ukraine, including for national minorities. The Russian government has cynically used minority issues as a false pretext for its unjustifiable aggression. The swiftest and most effective way to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all people in Ukraine is for Russia to withdraw its troops from the whole of Ukraine. Russia must respect international law, and that includes minority rights.
Once again, we encourage all participating States to fully cooperate with you and your team to enable you to fulfil your mandate without impediment throughout the whole of Ukraine. This includes areas temporarily under Russian control. We welcome your continued dialogue with national minorities in Ukraine, as well as Ukrainian authorities.
The UK also welcomes the Commission on National Minorities contribution to strengthening Georgia in the face of continued Russian hybrid aggression, including supporting the roll-out of Georgia’s Strategy for Civic Equality and Integration to promote national minority communities.
We commend your work across the OSCE region, including in Albania, Moldova, and in Central Asia, which has made use of legislation, education, language, and dialogue to improve cohesion and representation for different national minorities. We are pleased to hear that there remains close cooperation between those participating States and your Office.
As we have emphasised before, the UK greatly values your Office’s research into the intersectionality of gender and national minorities. We fully support women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in all aspects of public life, including in peace and security. It is heartening to know that your Office also recognises the importance of this. We would be in favour of further initiatives which promote gender mainstreaming, and look forward to reports of future progress in this important area.
To conclude, Ambassador, we thank you and your dedicated team for all your endeavours, and wish you all the best in your future work.
