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Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee

The UK’s role in strengthening multilateral organisations

Closed Opened 18 Jun 2020 Closed 10 Sep 2021 2 recommendations

Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
The ways in which states engage with multilateral organisations is changing. Increasingly, smaller groups of like-minded states are taking collective action to shape the agenda and influence policy. There has been a rise in influence of states who are members of multilateral organisations, but do not necessarily share all their values; this can lead to the exploitation of vulnerabilities for their own internal or foreign policy objectives. This inquiry will focus on the role of the FCO in exerting the UKs influence within these organisations and examine how it might drive reform in order to reduce their vulnerability to abuse and misuse. Read the call for evidence for more details about the inquiry

Where it stands

The inquiry is closed, opened 18 June 2020.

The committee has published 1 report, most recently First report - In the room: the UK’s role in multilateral diplomacy on 17 June 2021.

The government's response

Published 10 September 2021.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government responds on a report-by-report basis, agreeing with the Committee on defending the multilateral system, while setting out its own position on funding, INTERPOL, the WTO and aid conditionality.

  • On reform, it "agrees that large-scale reform, subject to intergovernmental negotiation, comes with potential risks as well as benefits" and says reform should not be "an end in itself".
  • On funding, it points to a new £340mn voluntary contribution to the WHO over four years, "linked to achievement of reform objectives", and says it will evaluate the mechanism at the end of that period.
  • It does not accept incentivising ICC compliance through development assistance: "we do not believe it is appropriate" and says conditionality of this type "does not work".
  • On INTERPOL, it says it is "considering" a joint statement against abuse of INTERPOL systems in a G7 communique, and says INTERPOL "has sufficient tools and measures" to address member behaviour.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Recommendations and conclusions

All 2 recommendations and conclusions

Reports

All reports

Evidence

  • 8 oral evidence sessionsLatest 2 February 2021
  • 32 witnesses
All evidence

Recent activity

Recommendations and conclusions 2 shown

Recommendation 39

Recommendation · First report - In the room: the UK’s role in multilateral diplomacy · Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that the Government’s engagement with multilaterals includes a tactical element of multilateral strategy such that it tracks the activities of authoritarian states within both higher and lower profile multilateral organisations, reports on implications of any moves to exert influence; and adjusts its interventions accordingly. We recommend that the FCDO should coordinate this unified approach across Whitehall, covering all multilateral organisations. Coalitions of like-minded states

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Recommendation 43

Recommendation · First report - In the room: the UK’s role in multilateral diplomacy · Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend the FCDO should take strategic decisions with key allies as to which organisations the UK should prioritise exerting influence over rather than expending diplomatic capital challenging like-minded states for influence. 22 In the room: the UK’s role in multilateral diplomacy 4 Organisation-specific conclusions and recommendations

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Reports

1 report

Oral evidence sessions

8 sessions

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Date Session and witnesses Source
2 Feb 2021
Foreign Affairs Committee
Beth Arthy · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Chris Jones · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, HE Julian Braithwaite · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, HE Neil Bush · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, James Kariuki · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Neil Briscoe · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon 		View ↗
8 Dec 2020
Foreign Affairs Committee
Angela Mudukuti, Anthony Dworkin · European Council on Foreign Relations, Peter Lewis · International Criminal Court, Sir Howard Morrison KCMG CBE QC · International Criminal Court 		View ↗
17 Nov 2020
Foreign Affairs Committee
Dr Yanzhong Huang · Council on Foreign Relations, Harpinder Collacott · Development Initiatives, Professor James Bacchus · University of Central Florida, Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox 		View ↗
20 Oct 2020
Foreign Affairs Committee
Bruno Min · Fair Trials, David Armond · Armond Consultancy Ltd, William Browder · Hermitage Capital Management 		View ↗
29 Sep 2020
Foreign Affairs Committee
Benjamin Ward · Human Rights Watch, Fred Carver, Hillel Neuer · United Nations Watch, Mahamane Cissé-Gouro, Peggy Hicks 		View ↗
15 Sep 2020
Foreign Affairs Committee
Dr David Nabarro · Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, Professor Ilona Kickbusch 		View ↗
1 Sep 2020
The UK’s role in strengthening multilateral organisations; Foreign Affairs Committee
Dr Neil Melvin · Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Hon Tony Abbott AC, Mr. Alex T. Johnson, The Lord Bowness CBE DL 		View ↗
23 Jun 2020
The UK’s role in strengthening multilateral organisations
Ben Emmerson QC · Former UN Special Rapporteur on Counterterrorism and Human Rights, Her Excellency Sylvie-Agnès Bermann · China, the UK and Russia, Rt Hon Alistair Burt · Foreign and Commonwealth Office 		View ↗

Who gave evidence

32 witnesses

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WitnessOrganisationSessions
Angela Mudukuti Not recorded 1
Anthony Dworkin · Senior Policy Fellow European Council on Foreign Relations 1
Ben Emmerson QC · Judge on the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia Former UN Special Rapporteur on Counterterrorism and Human Rights 1
Benjamin Ward · UK Director Human Rights Watch 1
Beth Arthy · Head of Global Funds Department Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 1
Bruno Min · Senior Policy Adviser Fair Trials 1
Chris Jones · Director, Delivery and Analysis Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 1
David Armond · Director Armond Consultancy Ltd 1
Dr David Nabarro · Co-Director and Chair of Global Health Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London 1
Dr Neil Melvin · Director International Security Studies Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) 1
Dr Yanzhong Huang · Senior Fellow for Global Health Council on Foreign Relations 1
Fred Carver Not recorded 1
Harpinder Collacott · Executive Director Development Initiatives 1
HE Julian Braithwaite · Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN and other International Organisations (Geneva) Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 1
HE Neil Bush · Head of the OSCE Delegation Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 1
Her Excellency Sylvie-Agnès Bermann · former French Ambassador China, the UK and Russia 1
Hillel Neuer · Executive Director United Nations Watch 1
Hon Tony Abbott AC Not recorded 1
James Kariuki · Multilateral Policy Director (outgoing) Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 1
Mahamane Cissé-Gouro Not recorded 1
Mr. Alex T. Johnson Not recorded 1
Neil Briscoe · Head of UN and Multilateral Department Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 1
Peggy Hicks Not recorded 1
Peter Lewis · Registrar International Criminal Court 1
Professor Ilona Kickbusch Not recorded 1
Professor James Bacchus · Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs and Director of the Centre for Global Economic and Environmental Opportunity University of Central Florida 1
Rt Hon Alistair Burt · Former Minister of State for the Middle East Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1
Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox Not recorded 1
Sir Howard Morrison KCMG CBE QC · Appeals Judge International Criminal Court 1
The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon Not recorded 1
The Lord Bowness CBE DL Not recorded 1
William Browder · Chief Executive Officer Hermitage Capital Management 1

Correspondence

1 letter

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PublishedDirectionLetter
29 Jul 2020 To committee A letter from the Foreign Secretary on UK involvement in elections to multilateral organisations dated 22/7/2020