Thank you Mr President and a big thank you to all of our briefers. I would like to in particular ask SRSG Onanga and SR Moussa to pass on to their teams on the ground the thanks of the Council for the work they do in difficult circumstances and I echo my American colleague’s thanks and tribute to the Ambassador of Cote D’Ivoire for the very important work he has personally been spearheading on behalf of us all.

Mr President, we share the Secretary-General’s assessment that the security situation in CAR remains extremely fragile – a message repeated in a letter sent to all of us today by 45 NGOs active in that country.

As our briefers today have illustrated there are some positive signals of progress in CAR, but the security, humanitarian and justice situation remains concerning. The international community must not relax its efforts towards building a secure, stable, and peaceful CAR.

Civilians, peacekeepers, and humanitarian workers continue to be attacked. More than one in four Central Africans remain displaced; half of the population are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. Only 36% of the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan has been funded. We encourage all member states to help fill this gap. The UK has provided £63 million – or $81 million – in humanitarian aid to CAR since 2015. We believe that this aid supports progress towards a stable, secure, and peaceful CAR – something that remains in all of our interests.

It is clear that in order to achieve peace in CAR, efforts to stabilise the country in the short term must go hand in hand with longer-term progress on reconciliation, justice, and peace-building.

We therefore welcome the efforts of the African Peace Initiative, which remains the only viable path to peace. I agree wholeheartedly with the French Ambassador on the need to avoid parallel initiatives which risk confusion or worse.

A co-ordinated and sustained international support is vital if CAR is to achieve long lasting peace and stability. We therefore welcome the Secretary-General’s recommendation that there should be greater UN involvement in the Initiative, to ensure link up between political, peace, and security efforts and to reinforce crucial co-ordination between national and international partners on CAR’s road to peace.

Mr President, MINUSCA has an essential role to play in supporting the Peace Initiative, and the UK is committed to working within the Security Council to ensure that MINUSCA can deliver this support as part of its stabilisation mandate. We therefore welcome the Secretary-General’s recommendation for MINUSCA’s renewed focus on the peace process, including through more direct engagement.

Also, in support of MINUSCA’s mandate delivery, we commend the Secretary General’s plan to introduce a performance management mechanism to alleviate some of the pressures on the mission. This will give it greater ability to improve performance and to enforce the zero tolerance policy on sexual abuse and exploitation and sexual harassment. I note in this content, SRSG Parfait’s comments about ensuring that troops that are deployed are properly trained and equipped. He is right in saying that that is a responsibility of this Council.

We also welcome the Secretary-General’s recommendation to establish and implement a comprehensive strategic outreach and communication plan, making clear what MINUSCA is delivering for the people of CAR, building a better understanding of the peace process, and making sure we take into account the views and needs of Central Africans. As we have all heard many times in this Council and seen, an inclusive peace process, including one that is inclusive of women, is more likely to be sustainable and successful.

Among these concerns for CAR, we must remember that there can be no peace without justice. Incitement to violence, including on religious and ethnic grounds, and attacks on civilians, peacekeepers, and humanitarian workers will continue unchecked if perpetrators perceive impunity to be the standard.

We recognise the efforts by the government of Central African Republic, together with MINUSCA, to bring some of the perpetrators of serious crimes to account. In this regard, we hope that the positive news of the inaugural session of the Special Criminal Court yesterday will soon translate to concrete progress in the fight against impunity, especially now that the Court’s investigations can officially commence.

We urge the Central African Republic to work with international partners to expedite progress on criminal and transitional justice, and ensure that judicial mechanisms are in place to support due process on these and other cases – this remains an essential component to bringing stability to CAR.

Mr President, the international community and the government of the Central African Republic have come a long way since elections in 2015. We must continue to unite in our focus on building peace and stability in the country and on creating the conditions for the long-term protection and prosperity that the people deserve.

The G7 Foreign Ministers, of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, condemn in the strongest possible terms the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has confirmed took place in its consulate in Istanbul.

The confirmation of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi’s death is a first step toward full transparency and accountability. However, the explanations offered leave many questions unanswered.

We reiterate our expectation for a thorough, credible, transparent, and prompt investigation by Saudi Arabia, in full collaboration with the Turkish authorities, and a full and rigorous accounting of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Khashoggi’s death. Those responsible for the killing must be held to account. Saudi Arabia must put in place measures to ensure something like this can never happen again.

The circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi’s death reaffirm the need to protect journalists and freedom of expression around the world.

We also extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Khashoggi’s family, his fiancée, and his friends.

Further information

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It will celebrate the plant’s immense contribution to the global nuclear industry.

Running at the Beacon Museum, Whitehaven, from 16 November, it features works by artists from the UK and Japan.

Thorp began operations in 1994. It reprocessed (or recycled) spent nuclear fuel from 34 plants around the world.It is one of only two commercial reprocessing sites in existence.

Its switch-off next month is a key step in the transformation of Sellafield Ltd from nuclear operator to environmental restoration business.

The exhibition features sculptures, relief printing, collages, textural canvases, paintings, and sketches.

Each piece has been individually commissioned to convey a moment in the life of the plant.

Jamie Reed, Sellafield Ltd’s head of development and community relations, said:

The end of reprocessing at Thorp is one of the most important events in Sellafield’s history.

After the closure of Calder Hall, it’s the biggest change to our site in the 21st century.

The plant has made a huge contribution to west Cumbria in terms of jobs, skills, pride, and prestige.

The Art of Reprocessing will celebrate its unique achievements and the people who made it possible.

Hollie Morton-O’fee, an art and design student at Egremont’s West Lakes Academy sixth has created a lab coat textile piece for the exhibition.

Taiwanese-born illustrator Chiyun Yeh, who lives in Tokyo, has used her work to explore the relationship between the UK and Japan.

The Art of Reprocessing opens with a VIP preview event on Friday, 16 November.

It will be open to the public from Saturday, 17 November to early January 2019. A smaller version of the exhibition will stay open until March 2019.

Copeland residents can visit for free with the Copeland Pass. To register, take proof of residence to the Beacon admissions desk.

The £215 million investment is in the Digital, Medicines Discovery, Future Cities and Transport Systems Catapult centres.

It builds on the announcement made in August by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Phillip Hammond, of nearly £1 billion for the Catapult network and fully funds all centres for the next 5 years. The Catapult network is managed by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation.

Combining knowledge

The Future Cities and Transport Systems Catapult centres will be combining to bring together their skills and expertise in tackling the problems of modern city living and shaping the future of mobility.

The UK’s urban areas are home to 83% of the population and by 2050 more than two-thirds of people worldwide will live in urban areas. The world of transport will transform dramatically over the coming decade as new technology – such as decarbonised power sources, AI and big data – radically transforms the way that people, goods and services move around our towns and countryside.

The new Catapult will help businesses to access the UK’s world-leading research expertise more easily, enabling them to grow faster, create more jobs and keep the UK at the forefront of urban and transport innovation. The centre will operate from sites in London and Milton Keynes.

At the heart of the Industrial Strategy

Business Secretary Greg Clark, said:

The Catapult network offers the technical expertise and equipment to allow businesses to take on the challenges and opportunities we expect to face in a future world.

We’re backing experts to push new boundaries, so our future economy reaps the benefits of new technologies with more highly skilled jobs. Investment in research and development is at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy as we build on the UK’s reputation for scientific innovation.

Minister for Digital, Margot James said:

This additional funding will help us develop the cutting-edge technology of the future and build on the fantastic new statistics out today, which show we are leading Europe in producing fast-growing, digitally focused, billion-dollar businesses.

The UK is a hotbed of innovative tech talent and the Digital Catapult will continue to play a vital role in making sure the sector has the foundations to thrive as we build a Britain that is fit for the future.

Dr Ian Campbell, Interim Executive Chair of Innovate UK, said:

The Catapult network is making a significant impact to our modern Industrial Strategy. It is playing a key role in realising the government’s ambition to spend 2.4% of our GDP on research and development by 2027.

This additional support fully funds the Catapult network for the next 5 years and cements their place at the heart of the UK’s innovation infrastructure.

By combining the expertise of the Future Cities and Transport Systems Catapults, they are bettering the offer to innovative UK companies that are improving the way our cities work and revolutionising how we get around.

Network of world-leading centres

The Catapults are a network of world-leading centres that are designed to transform the UK’s capability for innovation in specific areas. They are helping to drive future prosperity by transforming high-potential ideas into new products and services that generate economic growth for the UK.

The Digital Catapult is making UK industries more productive and competitive by supporting them to take up advanced digital technologies, such as AI, 5G and augmented and virtual reality. Businesses working with the Digital Catapult grow their employment numbers by over 15%, which is 3 times higher than seen in the wider economy.

The Medicines Discovery Catapult is focused on using newly industrialised technologies to deliver new medicines to patients, faster. For example, they have recently announced a collaboration with AstraZeneca to use the power of sound to speed up the process of early drug discovery.

The Catapult is helping to grow the UK’s bio-economy, creating jobs and attracting investment into the country, so that we are able to maintain our position as a global leader in medicinal research and development.

Mr Jerry Cope has been appointed to the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) from 10 September 2018 to 9 September 2019.

Mr Cope chaired PSPRB from 2005 to 2011. He is currently Chair of governors at London South Bank university. Mr Cope’s working life was as MD for Royal Mail; and he was chair of the NHS Pay Review Body until 2017.

Following a campaign which did not result in an appointment, the Secretary of State has, with the agreement of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, appointed Mr Cope on an interim basis to ensure the continued availability of a Chair.

PSPRB provides the government with independent advice on the remuneration of operational prison staff in the England and Wales, and Northern Ireland Prison Services.

Public appointments to PSPRB are made by the Prime Minister on the recommendation of the Justice Secretary in consultation with Northern Ireland.

Rory Stewart OBE MP, Minister of State for Justice said:

I am pleased to announce that the Prime Minister has appointed Mr Jerry Cope as interim Chair of the Prison Service Pay Review Body for a period of one year which commenced on 10 September 2018 and which ends on 9 September 2019.

Mr Cope will ensure that the Pay Review Body has the necessary leadership while a recruitment campaign takes place to identify a permanent Chair.