Select Committee · Foreign Affairs Committee

The UK’s role in strengthening multilateral organisations

Status: Closed Opened: 18 Jun 2020 Closed: 10 Sep 2021 2 recommendations 1 report

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 …

Reports

1 report

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
First report - In the room: the UK’s role in multilateral d…	HC 199	17 Jun 2021	2	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items

39 Recommendation First report - In the room: the UK’s ro…

We recommend that the Government’s engagement with multilaterals includes a tactical element of multilateral strategy...

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 …

Government response. The Government agrees with the Committee that the UK and like-minded partners need to continue to defend the multilateral system and protect the mandates and values of individual organisations from those who seek to undermine them. We are consistently active …

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

43 Recommendation First report - In the room: the UK’s ro…

We recommend the FCDO should take strategic decisions with key allies as to which organisations...

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

Government response. We continue to work closely with like-minded allies and partners to maintain and the principles of multilateralism. We also collaborate with partners to adapt and reform the international system in order to respond to existing and new global threats and …

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Oral evidence sessions

8 sessions

Date	Witnesses
2 Feb 2021	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	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	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	Bruno Min · Fair Trials, David Armond · Armond Consultancy Ltd, William Browder · Hermitage Capital Management	View ↗
29 Sep 2020	Benjamin Ward · Human Rights Watch, Fred Carver, Hillel Neuer · United Nations Watch, Mahamane Cissé-Gouro, Peggy Hicks	View ↗
15 Sep 2020	Dr David Nabarro · Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, Professor Ilona Kickbusch	View ↗
1 Sep 2020	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	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 ↗