Prime Minister Liz Truss’s statement on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

We are all devastated by the news we have just heard from Balmoral.

The death of Her Majesty The Queen is a huge shock to the nation and to the world.

Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built.

Our country has grown and flourished under her reign.

Britain is the great country it is today because of her.

She ascended the throne just after the Second World War.

She championed the development of the Commonwealth – from a small group of seven countries to a family of 56 nations spanning every continent of the world.

We are now a modern, thriving, dynamic nation.

Through thick and thin, Queen Elizabeth II provided us with the stability and the strength that we needed.

She was the very spirit of Great Britain – and that spirit will endure.

She has been our longest-ever reigning monarch.

It is an extraordinary achievement to have presided with such dignity and grace for 70 years.

Her life of service stretched beyond most of our living memories.

In return, she was loved and admired by the people in the United Kingdom and all around the world.

She has been a personal inspiration to me and to many Britons. Her devotion to duty is an example to us all.

Earlier this week, at 96, she remained determined to carry out her duties as she appointed me as her 15th Prime Minister.

Throughout her life she has visited more than 100 countries and she has touched the lives of millions around the world.

In the difficult days ahead, we will come together with our friends…

….across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world…

…to celebrate her extraordinary lifetime of service.

It is a day of great loss, but Queen Elizabeth II leaves a great legacy.

Today the Crown passes – as it is has done for more than a thousand years – to our new monarch, our new head of state:

His Majesty King Charles III.

With the King’s family, we mourn the loss of his mother.

And as we mourn, we must come together as a people to support him.

To help him bear the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all.

We offer him our loyalty and devotion just as his mother devoted so much to so many for so long.

And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country,

– exactly as Her Majesty would have wished –

by saying the words…

God save the King.

La Coalición por la Igualdad de Derechos (ERC, por sus siglas en inglés) se reunirá en Buenos Aires los días 8 y 9 de septiembre de 2022 para acordar una acción conjunta sobre los problemas urgentes a los que se enfrentan las personas LGBTI+ en todo el mundo. Será una oportunidad única para que los gobiernos y los defensores y defensoras de los derechos humanos de base trabajen de forma conjunta y compartan las mejores prácticas.

Esta reunión tiene lugar en un momento crucial, ya que cada vez hay más muestras de movimientos que socavan las libertades y los derechos humanos de las personas LGBTI+.

Los cuatro grupos temáticos de la ERC sesionarán para abordar cuestiones de actualidad. Estas incluirán debates sobre el desarrollo de leyes y políticas nacionales inclusivas, los avances de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible, el apoyo a la respuesta de la sociedad civil frente al movimiento global anti-género, y el mapeo del progreso hacia la despenalización en todo el mundo.

Los actuales copresidentes de la Coalición por la Igualdad de Derechos, la Argentina y el Reino Unido, también presentarán un informe de seguimiento de los avances de la Estrategia y el Plan de Implementación Quinquenal de la ERC, publicados en julio de 2021.

Alemania y México asumirán sus funciones como nuevos copresidentes de la ERC durante la ceremonia de clausura de la conferencia el viernes 9 de septiembre. La ERC se comprometerá asimismo a reforzar la participación de los miembros de la Coalición y a potenciar una mayor representación del Sur Global. Alemania y México también contarán con copresidentes de la sociedad civil y con el apoyo de una nueva Unidad Administrativa, financiada por los Estados miembros.

El Enviado Especial del Primer Ministro del Reino Unido para los Derechos LGBT+, Nick Herbert (Lord Herbert of South Downs), dijo:

El Reino Unido defiende la libertad, y eso significa libertad para todos. Estamos orgullosos del trabajo de la Coalición por la Igualdad de Derechos para defender estas libertades, pero es necesario hacer más, en todas partes del mundo, para lograr nuestros objetivos. Estamos listos para apoyar a Alemania y México en su papel de próximos copresidentes de la ERC. Juntos podemos enviar el claro mensaje de que los derechos LGBTI+ son derechos humanos.

La Representante Especial de la Argentina sobre Orientación Sexual e Identidad de Género, Alba Rueda, dijo:

Argentina es un país fuerte en derechos humanos y diversidad. Éste es el resultado del movimiento social y político de lesbianas, gays, travestis, trans, no binaries, y todos los activismos que se corren del sistema patriarcal y binario. Valoramos la ERC en esa misma línea: como un espacio en el que las organizaciones sociales puedan expresarse para que los Estados puedan escucharlas y comprometerse para convertir sus demandas en políticas públicas.

La Conferencia de la ERC de este año tiene lugar luego de las convocatorias anteriores en Montevideo en 2016, Vancouver en 2018 y un evento virtual en 2021. Debido a la pandemia de COVID-19, el Reino Unido y la Argentina han mantenido un mandato extendido como copresidentes desde 2019.

Las organizaciones de la sociedad civil desempeñan un papel fundamental en la Coalición por la Igualdad de Derechos. Los actuales copresidentes de la sociedad civil – Asociación Familias Diversas Argentina, Kaleidoscope Trust y Stonewall – apoyan a más de 140 grupos de todo el mundo. El Reino Unido, la Argentina, México, los Estados Unidos, Canadá, los Países Bajos y Bélgica han financiado parte de la participación presencial en la conferencia de este año para las organizaciones de la sociedad civil y los defensores de los derechos humanos del Sur Global.

En julio de 2021, la ERC acordó un Plan Estratégico y un Plan de Implementación Quinquenal para ayudar a guiar y dinamizar el trabajo del grupo y garantizar que la organización pueda estar a la altura de su enorme potencial. El informe previo a la conferencia destacó este proceso de priorización como un “importante logro” del mandato de la Argentina y el Reino Unido como copresidentes.

The 24th Chemical Weapons Demilitarisation Conference, hosted by the Ministry of Defence and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), has concluded today.

Bringing together representatives from governments across the world, the annual conference enables crucial conversations on the demilitarisation of chemical weapons.

99% of declared chemical weapons stockpiles have been destroyed and the conference brings together global experts to discuss progress, share experiences and lessons, and to co-operate in eradicating existing chemical weapons and addressing outstanding challenges.

Delivering the keynote speech of the conference, Baroness Goldie condemned Russia’s illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, recognising the continued threats around the use and retention of chemical weapons, and the need to hold those responsible to account.

Defence Minister, Baroness Goldie, said:

As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention, it is right to acknowledge the major achievements in that time. However, as recent events have shown, the threat of chemical weapons remains very real, and we must not become complacent.

As we embark on the next 25 years of the Chemical Weapons Convention, we must continue with energy and passion to work together to do all we can to uphold it.

On the progress being made with the Chemistry and Technology Centre and the work of Conference Ambassador and Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Fernando Arias, Baroness Goldie added:

The work being led so resolutely by the Director General is nothing short of impressive. From the Verification Regime to the Global Partnership Agenda, we must be proud of these collective achievements.

I am equally pleased with the progress of the Chemistry and Technology Centre, which will enhance the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ technical and scientific capacity and improve facilities for training; the UK has contributed almost £900k to the construction of the Centre and remains willing to provide expert technical support.

A wide range of topics were covered, with sessions focused on emerging risks and potential solutions to combat chemical weapon threats, as well as new disposal systems and neutralisation methods.

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Director General, Fernando Arias said:

Current global events underscore that preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons is an agenda that will always remain open after the end of the period of destruction.

For the sake of future generations, it is our responsibility to build on the gains already accomplished under the resilient multilateral framework of the Chemical Weapons Convention. And in the interest of humankind, it is our further responsibility to strengthen the ban that has proven so robust for so long.

The Minister also acknowledged and applauded the crucial work of scientific, technical and policy experts that strive to make the world safe from chemical weapons.

As joint hosts of the conference, Dstl plays a lead role in support of global demilitarisation and has an ongoing programme disposing of current and historic chemical weapons.

Dstl Chief Executive, Paul Hollinshead said:

Over the years with combined international efforts and investment in science and technology we have provided the solutions to allow the safe destruction of stockpiles. I’m immensely proud of the role of our world-class experts in Dstl, the Ministry of Defence, and our international partners are playing to create a safer future free from chemical weapons.

The Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force in 1997, banning chemical weapons, and requiring states parties to destroy any existing stockpiles. In 1998 the first Chemical Weapons Demilitarisation conference was held, and this has continued to be hosted annually by the MOD and Dstl.

The Convention requires global cooperation to affect lasting change, as highlighted by chemical weapon attacks including in Russia on Mr. Alexey Navalny in 2020, in Salisbury in the UK in 2018, and the numerous chemical weapon attacks by the Assad regime in Syria.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs, the Honourable Ms. Deborah Rosenblum said:

I congratulate the conference organizers and participants for coming together at such a critical time globally. The threats posed by chemical weapons continue to grow and the norms against use continue to atrophy. We must come together to reverse this trend.