Thank you Mr President, and thank you Chairs for your briefings this morning.

As you set out clearly today, these committees perform a crucial role in our continuing fight against terrorism. This is intricate and vital work, and I really thank you for your service to this Council.

The threat is one that so many countries around this table know only too well. The United Kingdom witnessed it less than two months ago in the horrific attack in Westminster that claimed the lives of five people and injured over 50 more.

It speaks volumes of the threat we now face that the senseless actions of one man on one day could affect the lives of innocent men and women from 12 countries, including the United States, France, China and Italy, as well as people from my own country.

And this is just one example of many. So we share a single threat; one that demands a shared response. And it’s a threat that is continually evolving. Just as terrorists pursue every means possible to carry out their hateful acts, so too must we pursue every available avenue to stop them.

The three committees are an important part of that effort. So let me take each briefly in turn.

Firstly, I welcome the work that the Counter Terrorism Committee and Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate are doing to galvanise our efforts to tackle terrorists on every front – whether combating illicit trafficking, or the financing of terrorism, or the abuse of the internet and other forms of communication.

Secondly, thanks to the 1267 committee and their monitoring team, we have a clear, up-to-date understanding of the evolving threat posed by Da’esh and Al Qaeda. I welcome the committee’s work keeping the sanctions list up-to-date, ensuring that individuals, groups, and entities joining or affiliating with these groups are listed.

And thirdly, thanks to the work of the 1540 Committee, we are taking tangible steps to prevent weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorists and non-state actors. Sadly, as the Joint Investigative Mechanism has confirmed, this is no longer a hypothetical nightmare scenario.

To adapt to this new reality, it is important that 1540 takes account of new and emerging challenges from the terrorist threat and advances in science and technology. And we must all do more, as others have said, to encourage Member States to submit their reports on national implementation of 1540.

Because, Mr President, to defeat terrorism, we all need to play our part. The committees can’t do it alone. That’s why the United Kingdom has been such a champion in this Council for aviation security, including through resolution 2309.

Protecting civil aviation should be high on everyone’s counter-terrorist agenda. We all need to follow the international standards and recommended practices for aviation security developed by the International Civilian Aviation Organisation. These are designed to keep pace with the evolving nature of the threat.

Member States should recognise, support and draw on the co-operation between the United Nations and ICAO and take steps to strengthen that work. The CTC’s upcoming meeting on Aviation Security in July is an important opportunity for us to focus on this issue, to share best practice, and to explore how the UN and ICAO can best support Member States.

Finally, Mr President, it isn’t enough to simply counter terrorism; we must also ensure that we put the prevention of violent extremism – in all its forms – at the heart of our collective efforts.

We’ve made good progress over the past year; the prevention of violent extremism was recognised in the UN Global Counter Terrorist Strategy and was presented in the UN Action Plan on Preventing Violent Extremism in January 2016. As we go forward, it is really essential that we keep preventing violent extremism at the heart of all of our work.

Thank you.

On Thursday 11 May the UK hosted a major international conference on Somalia. Bringing together leaders from around the world, this conference accelerated progress on security sector reform, built on the international response to the ongoing drought and humanitarian crisis and agreed the new international partnership needed to keep Somalia on course for increased peace and prosperity by 2020.

Prime Minister Theresa May opened the conference. Other speakers included Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, International Development Secretary Priti Patel, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, President Farmajo of Somalia, UN Secretary General Guterres and Chairperson Faki of the African Union.

The conference focussed on the agreement of a Security Pact, adopted by Somalia and the international community, which will allow for sustainable, long-term security based on mutual accountability. The conference also ensured the adoption of a New Partnership for Somalia by the delegations, to re-commit them to working together and holding each other account to deliver the vital support and reforms that Somalia needs over the next 4 years.

The UK is helping to build stability in Somalia through UK Aid, with a strong focus on statebuilding, stabilisation and supporting more effective and accountable institutions, as well as through the deployment of around 70 UK armed forces personnel, who are supporting the Somali National Army.

Britain is leading the way in responding to the humanitarian crisis in Somalia, providing food, water and medicine to over a million people. The UK reaffirmed its commitment to preventing a famine, and called on the international community to urgently step up their support before it is too late.

The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has confirmed that measures currently in place to reduce the risk of Avian Influenza will be lifted as planned across most of England from 15 May 2017. However, they will remain in place in targeted areas of Lancashire, Cumbria and Merseyside following evidence of heightened risk in these areas.

The latest risk assessment published by Defra finds overall risk across England has not increased, but there is a heightened risk in parts of Lancashire, Cumbria and Merseyside, where recent confirmed cases in the Wyre district provide evidence that infection is still either circulating in wild resident birds or present in the environment.

To minimise the risk of disease spreading in this area, a new, targeted Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) will be introduced covering the districts of Barrow-in-Furness, South Lakeland, Lancaster, Blackpool, Wyre, Fylde, Preston, Sefton, West Lancashire, South Ribble and Chorley. This will replace the England-wide AIPZ that we previously announced would be lifted from 15 May.

The new localised AIPZ will require keepers to continue to observe existing mandatory disease prevention measures such as minimising movement in and out of bird enclosures, cleaning footwear, keeping areas where birds live clean and tidy and feeding birds indoors. It will remain under review.

Poultry gatherings in the localised AIPZ area will continue to be banned, and keepers from the area will not be able to take their poultry to gatherings elsewhere.

The risk in these parts of Lancashire, Cumbria and Merseyside is considered higher because the region is home to significant wild waterfowl populations and there have been previous outbreaks of H5N8 throughout this area. Recent cases in backyard flocks provide evidence that infection is still either circulating in wild resident birds or present in the environment.

An AIPZ requiring keepers to observe strict disease prevention measures and a ban on poultry gatherings have been in place across England since December 2016. From 15 May 2017, keepers across most of England will no longer be required by law to follow these measures. They should continue to follow industry standard best practice on biosecurity, including minimising movement in and out of bird enclosures, cleaning footwear, keeping areas where birds live clean and tidy and feeding birds indoors. Poultry gatherings can resume in all areas outside the remaining AIPZ, but poultry from the affected districts of Lancashire, Cumbria and Merseyside will not be able to attend.

The Government will continue to review all disease control measures based on the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice.

Further information

1. This announcement follows plans set out earlier this month.

2. The new AIPZ will cover the districts of Barrow-in-Furness, South Lakeland, Lancaster, Blackpool, Wyre, Fylde, Preston, Sefton, West Lancashire, South Ribble and Chorley. From 15 May you will be able to check if you are affected using the interactive map

3. The Government continually reviews disease control measures in light of new scientific evidence and veterinary advice. The latest assessment from Defra is that overall risk in England remains ‘low’, comparable with risk levels in November 2016, and should continue to fall in warmer, drier spring weather conditions. Based on this assessment, the decision has been taken to lift the ban on gatherings and the Avian Flu Prevention Zone across most of England from 15 May.

4. Latest news and advice for keepers

5. Members of the public should report dead wild birds, such as swans, geese, ducks, gulls or birds of prey, to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77. Defra will then collect some of these birds and test them to help us understand how the disease is distributed geographically and in different types of bird.

6. Public Health England advises the risk to public health is very low and the Food Standards Agency has said there is no food safety risk for UK consumers.

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, spoke at the start of the London conference on Somalia’s future.

On 5 May 2017 Macduff Fishing Fleet Limited, owner of the scallop dredger “Cornelis Gert Jan” and its three masters Pawel Czerniak, Oliver Hughes and Robert Watt pleaded guilty to breaches of the Sea Fish Conservation Act 1967 at Worthing Magistrates Court.

The court heard how the vessel was permitted to retain non-quota species as a bycatch of its main catch of scallops. However, it had fished on a number of occasions in an area known to contain mixed species where a bycatch of quota species was inevitable.

Investigations by the MMO identified that £6,000 worth of sole and anglerfish had been landed by the vessel in the period between 5 May 2015 and 26 November 2015. This was in breach of the vessel’s licence.

While it was acknowledged that the company had provided landing data in the form of log sheets and sales notes electronically during the period, the MMO system would not necessarily pick up on potential breaches of licence conditions. The Court accepted that it was, in any event, incumbent on the masters and owners to ensure they did not retain any species on their vessel which were prohibited by their licence.

Macduff Fishing Fleet Limited (vessel owner) were fined £12,000, with an additional fine of £6057.67 to the value of the fish involved in the offending, costs of £4,758.75 and a victim surcharge of £120.

Mr Hughes (vessel master) was fined £580, Mr Watt (vessel master) was fined £678 and Mr Czernia (vessel master) was fined £220.00. These fines included a victim surcharge.