Thank you High Commissioner and Special Rapporteur for your powerful statements this morning.

Mr President,

Sarina Esmaelzadeh, 16 years old, in Karaj.

Minoo Majidi, a 62-year-old mother of 2, in western Kermanshah.

Sixteen year old Nika Shakarami, last heard from by a friend whilst being chased down a street during a protest in Tehran, identified by her parents in a morgue nine days later.

Hananaeh Kia, a 23-year-old hairdresser, recently engaged, walking home from a dentist appointment in Nowshahr.

Hadis Najafi, a 22-year-old video blogger.

Mahsa Mogouyi, 18 years old, in central Fouladshahr.

Ghazaleh Chalabi, 33 years old – shot in the head while filming protests in her hometown. Her last words, caught on film, were “Do not be afraid”.

Mr President, High Commissioner, Colleagues,

We are all too familiar with the tragic story of Mahsa Jina Amini. However – these names are just some of the other women and girls who have lost their lives at the hands of the Iranian security services since Mahsa died. We don’t have the time today to pay tribute to them all by name. But let me send a clear message to their families, their friends that their deaths will not be forgotten.

Let us remember:

The more than 350 people killed.

The countless children that have lost their lives.

The thousands of people currently detained.

The people sentenced to death.

All for simply exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

Sadly, this is not a one-off. Let’s also remember the hundreds who died in the violent crackdown on protests in 2019 and the thousands more killed and detained over so many years, in contravention of their human rights.

Today let’s send a clear message: that Iran must stop suppressing the voices of women and girls; that the appalling state-led violence must end; that there must be justice for victims.

And that this Council stands firmly behind the girls, women, mothers and daughters of Iran – supporting their call for Women. Life. Freedom. Zan. Zendegi. Azadi.

Thank you.

• Record numbers of doctors, nurses and staff are working in the NHS, latest data shows
• On top of 4,000 new GP trainees and 21,000 more primary care staff
• Government on track to deliver on commitment for 50,000 more nurses by 2024, with over 32,000 more nurses working in NHS hospitals and in general practice

A record number of doctors and nurses are working in the NHS in England, delivering extra appointments, speeding up diagnoses and helping to tackle the Covid backlog.

There are almost 1.24 million full-time equivalent staff working in NHS trusts and commissioning bodies in England –  over 34,000 more people compared to a year ago, up by nearly 3%.

The latest data published by NHS Digital up to September shows there are almost 4,000 more doctors and over 9,300 more nurses working in the NHS compared to September 2021.

Since 2010, there are now over 34,170 more doctors and over 44,820 more nurses working in the NHS.

It follows news that 4,000 new trainee doctors have accepted GP training placements – hitting the government’s target for GP specialty trainee recruitment for the fifth year running – according to the latest figures from Health Education England.

There are also now more than 21,000 more primary care staff supporting patients – including nurses and pharmacists – since September 2019 and the government is on track to meet its target of 26,000 additional staff by March 2024.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:

Supporting the workforce is one of my immediate priorities and we are making significant progress in training and recruiting a record number of nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals. There are almost 4,000 more doctors and over 9,000 more nurses in the NHS than last year.

I want to thank all our brilliant NHS staff who work tirelessly to look after us and our loved ones and continue to inspire future generations to join this rewarding career.

We’re building a stronger, healthier NHS for the long-term to give people the security of knowing that it will be there for them when they need it.

The government remains on track to deliver on its commitment to recruit 50,000 more nurses by 2024, Parliament, with over 32,000 more nurses in September 2022 compared with September 2019.

In the Autumn Statement the government committed to publishing a comprehensive workforce strategy next year to recruit and retain more staff, with independently verified forecasts for the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals that will be needed in 5, 10 and 15 years’ time.

This will mean more patients will be able to access the services they need, when they need it.

• New data published on GP appointments for the first time ever allows patients to make a more informed choice about the practice they choose to visit
• This comes after over 4,000 GPs accepted on training placements, hitting the government target for the fifth year running
• Autumn Statement reiterates government’s commitment to primary care and improving patient access to it

Patients will be able to make more informed choices on the GP practice they choose to visit after data showing detailed appointment waiting times was published for the first time ever today (Thursday).

The statistics, which cover all GP practices across England, is being made available to inform patients how many appointments each practice is delivering and on the length of time taken from booking an appointment to the appointment itself.

This will improve transparency about performance and give patients more information to help them make informed choices when choosing their practice.

The statistics, NHS Digital’s website, will form part of the GP data published monthly which for the first time will include details at practice level. This was announced in Our Plan for Patients.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:

We promised to prioritise patients and improve access and that is exactly what we have done – and this is just the start.

I am determined to make it easier for people to get an appointment with their GP practice when they need one and this will allow patients to make a more informed choice about the care they receive.

The Autumn Statement reaffirmed the government’s expectation that all those who need an appointment can get one within two weeks, with urgent appointments on the same day.

This will include offering one million additional appointments and providing an additional 31,000 phone lines which will help people avoid the 8am rush for appointments with new digital tools to improve IT systems and ease administrative burdens.

Minister of State for Health Neil O’Brien said:

This is about making sure patients can make genuine choices about where to access their care.

More than 90% of a patient’s direct experience of the NHS is through primary care and their GP practices so it is vital appointments are available when needed.

This government reiterated its commitment to the NHS during the Autumn Statement and improving access to data is just the start.

The government is also set to reach its target of 26,000 additional members of primary care staff and has hit its target for new GP trainees – more than 4,000 this year – for the fifth year in a row.

This comes as we provide more support for the sector, with struggling GP practices receiving support with their most acute access challenges to improve performance – such as the delivery of a framework to support all practices to secure cloud-based telephony systems.

Work also continues to incentivise the most experienced GPs to stay in practice by amending pension rules regarding inflation and implementing permanent retirement flexibilities.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

Gender-based violence remains one of the most systemic and widespread human rights violations of our time, requiring urgent action.

One in three women will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, according to data from the World Health Organisation. This violence often starts devastatingly early: one in four young women, who have been in a relationship, will experience violence by an intimate partner by their mid-twenties. Violence is often worst among the hardest to reach. Women with disabilities in developing countries are two to four times more likely than other women to experience violence.

There is also clear evidence that gender-based violence increases in scale and severity in conflict situations. An estimated 20 to 30% of women and girls have experienced non-partner sexual violence in conflict-affected settings.

Mr Chair, in this context it is important to underline the particularly horrific impact Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine is having on women, girls and marginalised groups. There has been an alarming increase in reports of gender-based violence since Russia’s invasion – including conflict-related sexual violence in temporarily Russian controlled areas; sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment; and economic abuse.

Both Moscow Mechanism reports document acts of sexual violence carried out by members of the Russian Armed Forces. As I said at yesterday’s joint FSC/PC meeting, this evidence exists because of the brave testimonies of survivors, who, by telling their stories, break down stigma and enable justice. The use of sexual violence as a weapon is a war crime. It is vital that we hold those individuals responsible to account.

Women are disproportionately affected by conflict, and are at far greater risk of gender-based violence, including conflict related sexual violence. Despite this, in times of war, women are often the first responders to a crisis, stepping up to serve their communities. This is true in Ukraine, where women have been instrumental to the humanitarian, political, and security efforts in the defence of their country.

It is vital that we, the international community, end impunity for sexual violence, which threatens the lives and wellbeing of women and girls, and prevents them from accessing opportunities that are fundamental to freedom and development – namely, education, healthcare, and jobs.

The UK is committed to providing global leadership towards ending such violence. Through the What Works to Prevent Violence programme, the UK has pioneered prevention approaches around the world that have shown reductions in violence of around 50%. In 2021, the UK launched a successor programme responding to the urgent need to scale up gender-based violence prevention efforts, using evidence to drive more effective international action. The UK has also led work internationally focused on ending child marriage, and tackling sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in the aid sector.

Mr Chair, conflict-related sexual violence continues to shatter lives and scar communities around the world. That is why on 28-29 November, the UK will host the International Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Conference. The Conference marks an important step towards galvanising global support for further action to tackle sexual violence in conflict – promoting prevention, justice and support for survivors. During the Conference, participating states will make a number of national commitments. These include support for key initiatives, such as the Murad Code, and the Call to Action to Ensure the Rights and Wellbeing of Children Born of Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Mr Chair, gender-based violence is a global challenge, and requires a global response. Despite the scale of the problem, gender-based violence is preventable. It is essential that we reaffirm our commitment to end this violence, and support all women and girls in fully realising their potential.

The UK is committed to making this happen.

Thank you, Mr Chair.