Tag Archives: HM Government

Thank you Mr President.

I would like to thank the Presidents of the Tribunal and the Mechanism and the Prosecutor for their reports and their presentations. And, at the outset, let me reiterate the UK’s continued support for the ICTY and the Mechanism, and for all that they do to end impunity for the most serious international crimes.

Mr President,

As the ICTY progresses through its final year, the international community as a whole must continue to support the Tribunal so that it leaves behind a continuing and enduring legacy.

Completion of its judicial work remains the priority. We welcome that the Tribunal remains on track to deliver its final judgments in the cases of Mladic and Prlic et al before the end of the year. Let me commend the work of the judges and staff, as well as the Tribunal’s efficiency measures, such as the Prosecutor’s “one office” policy, which have made this possible. We are also pleased that the transfer of residual functions from the ICTY to the Mechanism remains on track.

We are, however, very much aware of the challenges that the ICTY faces. We share the Tribunal’s concern over continued staff attrition and we welcome measures taken to address this. We hope staff will feel able to see their work through to the finish.

Mr President,

The UK is very concerned that – over two years on – the arrest warrants for the three individuals in the Jojic et al contempt case have still not been executed. We strongly urge Serbia to cooperate fully with the ICTY in all respects, including complying with its international obligations in this matter. Failure to do so risks undermining central principles of international justice and the rule of law by allowing those suspected of interfering with witnesses to avoid accountability.

It is essential that the ICTY’s vast experience and lessons learned are not lost – its legacy must reflect its achievements and make a lasting contribution to regional peace and stability. We are therefore pleased to note its forward-looking approach to maximising digital outreach and transforming the ICTY’s website into a permanent repository for the Tribunal’s digital legacy.

The legacy of the ICTY should be a clear and resounding message to those who commit these crimes; you cannot escape justice. Whether it takes two years or twenty, history will eventually catch up with you.

Mr President,

With regard to the Mechanism, the Mechanism has entered an important phase, shortly commencing a retrial in Stanisic and Simatovic and undertaking complex appeals in Karadzic and Seselj. We look forward to the Mechanism’s continuous, expeditious and efficient treatment of these cases, and to receiving updates as they progress.

We remain concerned that the situation of Judge Akay has not yet been resolved, and by consequent ongoing delays in the Ngirabatware case. We hope that a pragmatic resolution can be found as quickly as possible.

We fully support co-ordination between the Prosecutor’s Office, national enforcement agencies and Interpol in regards to apprehending the eight remaining fugitives, and we welcome the Prosecutor’s initiatives to improve tracking activities. We hope they can be brought to justice soon, and we urge all States to cooperate to this end.

We also welcome the relocation of two further acquitted and released persons from Arusha and support the Mechanism in its ongoing work in this respect, recognising the challenges.

Mr President,

In addition to the work of the Mechanism and the ICTY, there can be no doubt that effective national prosecutions are vital in achieving justice for the victims of atrocities and holding perpetrators to account for their crimes.

So we are troubled by the Prosecutor’s report for the ICTY that regional judicial cooperation is moving in the wrong direction. It is imperative that all States work together to achieve justice. We strongly urge all relevant authorities to initiate discussions immediately to remove any barriers to investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern. And we call on regional States to work with the Office of the Prosecutor in order to develop practical proposals to improve the situation as soon as possible. Individuals suspected of war crimes cannot continue to be shielded from justice simply by virtue of their location.

We are also deeply disturbed by the Prosecutor’s reports, both for the ICTY and the Mechanism, of denial of crimes – in particular genocide – and revisionism. If such crimes are to be prevented in future, it is essential to accept the ICTY and Mechanism’s findings and rulings on the tragic events of the not-so-distant past.

Thank you Mr President.

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Events took place in Belgium today to mark the centenary of the Battle of Messines Ridge. The battle has considerable historic and symbolic significance for Ireland and Northern Ireland, as it was the first time that the 16th (Irish) and 36th (Ulster)… read more

The autonomous last mile resupply innovation network event was held on 23 May 2017.

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Thank you Mr President.

At the outset let me thank Council members for your words of condolence and support here and elsewhere following the horrific attack in London this weekend. The perpetrators sought to terrorise us, to divide us. But make no mistake, they will fail. Together, we will defeat them, and we will need Security Council unity and activism against this terrible scourge.

Turning to this afternoon’s session, I would like to thank the Secretary-General for his briefing and I want to join others in paying tribute to you, your Excellency President Morales, for your leadership in bringing this crucial issue of transboundary water security to the Security Council.

It is an issue, which we used not to discuss in this Chamber, but I think it’s one that warrants our fullest attention. The stakes are high; over three quarters of UN Member States share river basins with another country and over 2 billion people live in shared river basins in the developing world.

Sadly, we know what can happen when the water runs dry. In Somalia, drought is driving the acute food shortage that threatens to tip over once again in to famine. One powerful lesson from the last famine in Somalia six years ago was that famine is not simply about food, but also about water. In north-eastern Nigeria, lack of water is exacerbating the man made crisis, as we saw for ourselves when we visited in March. Thousands of displaced people, the majority of whom are women and children, have become sick from diseases spread by dirty water and poor hygiene as the conflict continues.

We have to act – and we have agreed to act. Through the Global Goals, we all committed to deliver improved water security, improved access to drinking water and sanitation, and stronger transboundary water management.

And yet, the outlook for 2030 is fragile. We are simply not on track. The UN estimates that by the time we’re supposed to have achieved Global Goal 6, demand for water in many developing countries will outstrip supply by 40%. If such scarcity is combined with weak governance, population growth, migration and climate change, we may face a potential upsurge in global conflict in the future.

This, therefore, is a clear call for preventative diplomacy, as so many of my colleagues have already said –all of us in this room have a part to play, Mr President.

In South Asia, for example, the United Kingdom has provided 30 million dollars towards water governance over the past five years. One billion people across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan rely heavily on just three rivers. And despite facing similar problems posed by water demand and climate change, regional collaboration between these countries is limited.

That’s why we have supported a regional approach to these rivers in order to address the shared challenges of development and climate change. We’re working with the World Bank’s South Asia Water Initiative, bringing together different disciplines and experiences –technical and political – across the region so that together we can identify and resolve challenges affecting these transboundary waters.

But to tackle this problem on a global scale, we’ll need more than bilateral or regional action. We’ll need to work together, through this institution and others. Holding this briefing is an important step, but this effort needs to be sustained; we cannot solve it through one meeting a year.

The G20 also has a role to play, including through incentivising water cooperation. This isn’t just an issue for the developing world; the OECD and Global Water Partnership estimate that water insecurity costs the global economy 500 billion dollars every year, and yet we fall a long way short of meeting the 198 billion dollars of global investment that is needed every year for water governance and infrastructure.

So we need to see investment in the institutions and infrastructure to deliver improved water security within states and between states. Building effective institutions and delivering better governance is just as critical as building infrastructure. The G20 can play a critical role through diplomatic efforts, development cooperation, and harnessing the potential of the private sector, governments and communities to mobilise investment in water security.

Finally, Mr President, if we’re to make progress on this issue before 2030, we need to see the bigger picture. Across the world, climate change is undermining water security. In almost all climate change scenarios the world’s driest regions become drier and across the globe flooding will become more common. If we aren’t taking steps to address climate change, we are fighting with one hand tied behind our back.

The Paris Agreement provides the right global framework for protecting the prosperity and security of future generations, while keeping energy affordable and secure for our citizens and businesses. The United Kingdom played a major role in securing the Paris Agreement and I’m proud to restate in this Chamber today that we are wholly committed to it.

Thank you Mr President.

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Summary

At around 23:50 hrs on 1 August 2016, a bridge carrying Grove Lane in Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, over the Midland Main Line, partially collapsed and a large volume of masonry fell onto the railway lines below. At the time of the collapse, core sampling work was being undertaken to investigate localised subsidence in the footpath on the south side of the bridge. The bridge was closed to the public when the collapse occurred, but the railway lines below were open to traffic.

When the coring had reached about 1.4 metres below ground, water appeared at the surface and shortly afterwards, the adjacent wall fell away from the side of the bridge, taking with it part of the footpath, a length of cast iron water main and the core sampling rig. Five workers were able to get clear as the collapse occurred and no-one was injured. Two of the four railway lines through the bridge were completely obstructed and there was debris on a third. There were no trains on the immediate approach to the bridge at the time of the collapse.

The RAIB investigation found that the incident occurred because the bridge wall, built around 1840, was not designed to resist overturning. It had also been weakened by a full- height vertical crack. The water main, which ran close to the vertical crack, probably had a slow leak which was causing on-going subsidence in the footpath. Prior to 1 August, however, there was no evidence that the wall was at risk of imminent collapse.

The coring work on the night of the incident disturbed the pressurised water main and it ruptured. The consequent release of water behind the wall quickly overloaded it and caused the wall to overturn about its base.

Underlying the incident was the lack of understanding of the risk posed to the structure and to the open railway from coring in proximity to the water main.

Recommendations

The RAIB has made two recommendations to Network Rail. The first relates to the competence of its staff and contractors, and the availability of information to enable them to manage the potential risk to its structures from breaches of water utilities. The second relates to the provision of appropriate engineering input to risk assessments for intrusive investigations and masonry repairs on bridges carrying water services. A further recommendation is made to Network Rail’s contractor, Construction Marine Limited, about the improvement of processes relating to street works and the location of water services.

The report has identified a learning point to reinforce the requirement for bridge examiners to report evidence of underground services and any changes since the previous inspection to enable a possible connection to be drawn between a water main and observations of defects on the bridge.

Notes to editors

1. The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.
2. RAIB operates, as far as possible, in an open and transparent manner. While our investigations are completely independent of the railway industry, we do maintain close liaison with railway companies and if we discover matters that may affect the safety of the railway, we make sure that information about them is circulated to the right people as soon as possible, and certainly long before publication of our final report.
3. For media enquiries, please call 01932 440015.

Newsdate: 6 June 2017

PDF, 2.73MB, 41 pages

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