UN Human Rights Council 60: UK Statement for the Item 2 General Debate

Thank you, Mr President, and thank you High Commissioner for your update.

The famine in Gaza is a man-made crisis and a moral outrage. Israel must immediately lift restrictions on aid. We urge the parties to agree a ceasefire. That is the path to ending the suffering in Gaza, securing the release of the hostages and delivering a framework for lasting peace. The UK condemns settlement expansion and violence by extremist settlers.

The situation in Ukraine is unspeakable. Russian forces have tortured civilian detainees and prisoners of war, illegally deported and militarised Ukrainian children, and carried out targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure. These are not isolated incidents; according to UN reporting, many of these amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

High Commissioner,

Three years since your Office's report on Xinjiang, we would welcome your assessment of the steps China has taken to implement its recommendations. We also urge China to take meaningful steps to address allegations of forced labour, arbitrary detention, and restrictions on religious and cultural freedoms. Independent access and transparent auditing in Xinjiang, along with the release of arbitrarily detained individuals, are urgently needed and long overdue.