Report by the Director of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR): UK response, November 2025
Ambassador Neil Holland reaffirms UK support for the OSCE human dimension and calls on Russia, Belarus and Georgia to cease human rights violations.
Thank you Chair. Welcome back to Permanent Council Director. I know many colleagues will wish to commend you today for ODIHR’s excellent work in challenging circumstances; I will preload my thanks to theirs and keep my remarks brief.
First, I wish to reaffirm the UK’s continued support for ODIHR’s mandate. Our predecessors all agreed that human rights and fundamental freedoms were indivisible from regional security. That is as true in 2025 as in 1975. We urge all participating States to agree a Unified Budget as soon as possible and to ensure adequate funding for the autonomous institutions. We applaud Finland and ODIHR’s stewardship of WHDC this year and call for a mandated Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in 2026. We are proud that the UK continues to provide ODIHR with extrabudgetary support and contributes to your vital election observation work.
Second, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to have devastating consequences. OSCE and other international reporting leaves no room for doubt. Russia systematically violates the rights of Ukrainian children, civilians and Prisoners of War. And inside Russia, fundamental freedoms have been dismantled, leaving minimal space for independent media or civil society. The UK calls on Russia to end its illegal war, withdraw its troops from Ukraine, and uphold OSCE principles both domestically and internationally.
We remain concerned by wider regional challenges. We call on Belarus to release all remaining political prisoners and fulfil its international obligations and OSCE commitments. We also call on Belarus to ensure former prisoners do not face repression or coercion on release. We urge Georgia to restore judicial independence, repeal laws targeting civil society and release unjustly detained opposition figures. We urge Kyrgyzstan not to re-adopt capital punishment and to stand firm in its international commitments to abolish the death penalty.
Director, no country has all the answers to global human rights challenges. That is why the UK looks forward to continuing to work with ODIHR to help build stable, resilient and inclusive societies and peace and security in our region.
Thank you Chair.