Lord Bates

The United Kingdom co-sponsored the General Assembly resolution "Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal", which calls for Member States to observe the Olympic Truce - a cessation of hostilities around the Olympic Games - within the framework of the Charter of the United Nations, and to promote peace through sport. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, the UK already works to uphold the UN Charter and its commitment to the maintenance of international peace and security.

We are deeply concerned by the human rights violations and abuses reported by the UN in August 2018. It is vital that all parties to the conflict make every effort to promote and protect human rights. Yemen remains a human rights priority country for the UK. In the 2018 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Human Rights and Democracy Report, we highlighted our concerns over women’s rights including girls’ education, the recruitment of child soldiers, arbitrary detention, and attacks on freedom of religion or belief and on freedom of speech and association. We have raised the FCO's report directly with the Human Rights Minister for the Government of Yemen, voicing our concerns. We will continue to work with all parties and international partners, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to find a political solution to the conflict, in order to create the conditions to improve and protect human rights in Yemen.​

We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Yemen and will continue to work with all parties to find a political solution to the conflict. This will help create the conditions for the legitimate Government to improve its capacity to protect human rights.

Yemen is a human rights priority country for the UK. In the 2018 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights and Democracy Report, which was released in June, we highlighted our concerns over women’s rights including girls’ education, the recruitment of child soldiers, arbitrary detention, and attacks on freedom of religion or belief and on freedom of speech and association.

In July 2018, the Government commissioned an Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 led by Baroness Butler-Sloss, the Rt. Hon. Frank Field and the Rt. Hon. Maria Miller MP. The Review considered where the Act is working well and where implementation can be strengthened. The Government welcomed the findings of the Review and we responded formally in July 2019. The Government accepted or partially accepted the majority of the Review’s 80 recommendations and we are taking action to implement these recommendations.