UK Mission to the UN

The Mission covers a wide range of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's objectives from the peaceful settlements of disputes to protecting the environment, from respect for human rights to promoting sustainable development.

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Today, for the 1st time in 363 days, we have finally come together as a UN Security Council to pass a humanitarian resolution on Syria.

  Welcome move? Yes.  Should #Aleppo have waited so long? Absolutely not.

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“In the end, it comes down to values. We want the world our children inherit to be defined by the values enshrined in the UN Charter: peace, justice, respect, human rights, tolerance and solidarity. All major religions embrace them, and we strive to reflect them in our daily lives.

The threats to these values are most often based on fear. Our duty to the peoples we serve is to work together to move from fear of each other, to trust in each other. Trust in the values that bind us, and trust in the institutions that serve and protect us”.

– Incoming United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, after taking the oath of office on Monday.

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A Council "held to ransom".

The British Ambassador to the UN had some strong words for Council Members after the United Nations Security Council failed again to deliver a ceasefire & hope to the people of #Aleppo.

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I really believe in the power and importance of role models. When I see someone do a tough job in a way I can relate to, that makes me believe I can do that job. I've been inspired by others to reach at least two roles already that I never dreamed I'd be able to do when I first joined the UK Foreign Office - including this one!

Catherine Carr, First Secretary Catherine works on Colombia and Libya in the UN Security Council

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"Be conscious that you're not just an individual, that you need to bring people with you. The consequences of your actions are not just for you. You can see it has wider impact on your gender, your race, the people around you. You succeeding alone is not a success. You need to bring everyone forward."

Grace Pringle, Policy Adviser Grace works on improving the @united-nations and international community's response to violations of human rights, particularly against women and children. Grace works on conflicts in Africa in the UN Security Council, as well as @unpeacekeepers efforts.

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"I've never taken my gender into consideration when deciding what I want to do with my life. My mother brought me up telling me I could do whatever I wanted. I never saw gender as a barrier. I just have become increasingly aware that there is a decreasing amount of women in the room, as I have become more senior in my work."

Rosie Grieves, Counsellor at the UK Mission to the UN. Rosie leads on UK efforts for UN reform and finance management. 

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Clean technology can be profitable! Goodwill Ambassador & Solar Impulse pilot and pioneer Bertrand Piccard, who is also a UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador, explains how at #COP22.

Learn more about COP22 in Marrakesh here: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/cop22/

Photos: Karin Orantes / Social Media Team

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"Do you think it is important to have the UK Foreign Office '#WeekOfWomen?'"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Inequality has not been solved. Yes, it is better - but we have a long way to go. If we stop talking about this, it will be the final point of progress. This is clearly not the final point."

Nerys Cross Smith, Second Secretary at the UK Mission to the United Nations.

Nerys works on South Sudan & Burundi, helping to support a secure, stable environment free from fear.

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"States make international law. If they abide by the rules, the world becomes a better place. That's why respect for international law is so important."

Meet Helen Mulvein, senior lawyer at the UK Mission to the UN.

The Foreign Office is celebrating our annual #WeekOfWomen. At the UK Mission, we are lucky to have many woman leaders bringing their expertise to foreign policy. Helen's work advances human rights protection, international norms & values, and an end to impunity.

Watch this space to meet more leader spotlights throughout the week!

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That moment when the @united-nations Security Council makes it choice for the next Secretary-General... Congratulations to António Guterres. Next step: the UN General Assembly.

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The Global Goals are only 1 year old, and progress has already been made! 

Learn more here: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ 

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9 would-be tweets from historic moments of the United Nations

Every year we see history made at #UNGA. This year’s big moments @united-nations​ included a monumental step toward combatting Climate Change (#ParisAgreement), the end of the world’s longest running war (#Colombia), and the first UN action against terrorist threats in the skies (#AviationSecurity). Thanks to #DigitalDiplomacy, Twitter helps us mark that history.

Here’s what it would look like if Twitter was around for other historic UN moments:

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Today the United Nations honors the 129 men and women who lost their lives last year while serving in UN Peacekeeping operations. They came from 50 countries and made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of peace.

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67 years after the #GenevaConventions, bombing hospitals in #Syria has become routine. This must end.

The @united-nations​ Security Council adopted a resolution today to reaffirm that hospitals, doctors, and patients are #NotATarget.

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UN General Assembly and Security Council Adopt Resolutions on Peacebuilding

New York, 27 April 2016 – In a rare bicameral event, the General Assembly and the Security Council today adopted substantively identical resolutions on the UN Peacebuilding Architecture, providing renewed momentum for the focus on ‘sustaining peace’ within the UN system.

UN peacebuilding activities directly affect millions of people in dozens of conflict-affected countries, including in the 27 countries where the Peacebuilding Fund sponsors initiatives to strengthen a fragile peace or prevent conflict from breaking out, such as the salary payments of police and gendarmerie in the Central African Republic, the release of more than 700 child soldiers in Myanmar, the construction of cantonment camps for thousands of combatants in northern Mali or the network of women groups mediating in more than 5,000 local conflicts in Burundi.

These are the most comprehensive resolutions on peacebuilding ever adopted by the UN. They define the central concept of ‘sustaining peace’ as both a goal and a process, one which is owned by national stakeholders but which needs sustained international attention and assistance. “Sustaining peace” means that activities are aimed at preventing the outbreak, escalation, continuation and recurrence of conflict, and that they would address the root causes of conflicts.

It also means the UN will look to access all its peace and security, development and human rights engagements more coherently, both at Headquarters and around the world, to reduce the high human cost and suffering brought about by so many simultaneous security and humanitarian crises. Peacekeeping operations and UN country teams will make peacebuilding a more integral part of their work.

Wide-Ranging Refocusing

Keep reading

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“No one, in any nation can avoid the impacts of climate change. We all have a responsibility – and an opportunity – to tackle climate change, starting today and wherever you are”. 

In his latest LinkedIn Pulse piece, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon explains why countries should sign the Paris Agreement on climate change – and why you should care. 

Find out here: http://j.mp/1YJ9aNR

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The White House on Twitter

““The Queen has been a source of inspiration for me, like so many people around the world.” —@POTUS #ObamaInUK”