Thank you, Mr Chair.
Congratulations to the Director, Representative and High Commissioner on the work they have done in their first few months in office. Please rest assured of the UK’s continued support for – and commitment to – the success of the OSCE, including the autonomous institutions.
But since we are in Warsaw, allow me to extend particular thanks for ODIHR’s support, and assistance to participating States in the last twelve months.
And finally, thank you to the Chair in Office, and Poland, our hosts, for their efforts and perseverance in arranging this Conference.
By holding States to account for implementation of our shared commitments on human rights and democratic institutions, these Conferences sit at the centre of the human dimension and the OSCE’s concept of comprehensive security.
The UK condemns Russia’s decision to block the mandated Human Dimension Implementation Meeting again this year. This is a further, pointless attempt to undermine scrutiny of Russia’s record by its fellow OSCE countries, civil society and the wider international community, as mandated by Ministers.
For the UK the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference symbolises our shared commitment to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. Last week’s horrific and abhorrent attack on a synagogue on Manchester was a tragic reminder that we should never take human rights or fundamental freedoms for granted. Those values are as relevant and vital as ever and need constant defence.
At the forefront of our minds during this conference are the ongoing atrocities being committed by Russia in Ukraine. ODIHR’s seventh Interim Report showed stark evidence of ongoing grave violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law by Russia.
That pattern of widespread and systematic violations has also been demonstrated in the independent and expert Moscow Mechanism reports published in 2022, 2023, 2024 and earlier this autumn.
In this fiftieth anniversary year, I can only reiterate that the United Kingdom stands by the Decalogue and the OSCE principles and commitments developed since 1975. We will therefore continue to call on Russia, Belarus and other OSCE participating States to cease repression, release political prisoners and to safeguard space for independent media and civil society.
Finally, I wish to pay tribute to human rights defenders and other brave members of civil society, many of whom operate in increasingly oppressive environments. The perspective of civil society is vital in building an understanding of the human rights situation at grassroots level. So we are pleased to see so many civil society representatives joining this conference. You represent the spirit of Helsinki and we will continue to support you and amplify your work.
Thank you.