It has been more than six months since your inaugural address in your new role, and we continue to remain dismayed by the devastating economic and environmental effects Russia’s war of choice against Ukraine are having on our region.
We are pleased that your office continues to work on assessing the environmental impact of Russia’s war. The careful documentation of environmental damage provided by this project and its recommendations will be invaluable in holding Russia to account and supporting Ukraine’s recovery efforts after the war.
Water management was the theme of EEDIM earlier this week. As I said there, we must recognise that rivers, lakes, aquifers and glaciers often straddle borders, so regional cooperation and cross-border solutions are crucial to prevent conflicts over control of water resources.
At the same time, the scarcity of this natural resource is tied up with the threats posed by climate change. The OSCE is uniquely placed to view the climate crisis though a security lens, and we welcome the work your office has done via your climate security project to identify where these risks are most acute.
Alongside conflict and economic opportunity, climate change is one of many drivers of migration. If migration is not safe, orderly and regular it can make those on the move vulnerable to risks, put a strain on communities, and undermine public confidence in states’ and the international community’s ability to manage migration effectively.
In this vein, the UK is pleased to be able to contribute to the project “Strengthening the evidence-based understanding of the climate change, migration and security nexus in South-Eastern Europe”, which, as you highlight in your report, should improve our understanding of the interlinkages between climate change and human mobility, as well as of the impacts of emigration and depopulation on the environment.
Our work to combat money laundering and illicit finance is made more challenging by innovations in digital finance and the increasing use of virtual assets, including by serious organised crime. The UK co-funds the ExB project “Innovative Policy Solutions to Mitigate Money Laundering Risks of Virtual Assets” to build capacity in Central Asia, Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus, to deal with this fast-evolving area.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the outgoing chair of the second dimension committee and thank Ambassador Raunig for chairing this committee so ably, including by keeping the war against Ukraine a focus of the committee’s work. We look forward to working with the new chair of the second dimension committee in addressing the most pressing economic and environmental issues facing our region.
Ambassador, thank you again for your report, and we look forward to supporting you and your able team in the months ahead.
