Ambassador Holland updates the Permanent Council on the UK's
newly introduced Global Irregular Migration Sanctions Regime.
"Thank you, Mr Chair.
Fifty years ago, the Helsinki Final Act recognised the movement
of migrants as a key issue for both States and individuals.
Twenty years ago in Ljubljana, our Ministers acknowledged in
Ministerial Council Decision 2/05 that migration was becoming
increasingly diverse and complex, requiring both national and
transnational responses. They identified ways the OSCE could
contribute and tasked the Secretary General and OSCE structures
to address migration across all three dimensions.
That same year, Ministers adopted the Border Security and
Management Concept. While reaffirming that border security is a
matter of national sovereignty, we committed to enhancing
mutually beneficial inter-State cooperation to address terrorism,
organised crime, illegal migration, and the trafficking of
weapons, drugs, and people. These threats remain persistent. We
must respond nationally and through cooperation. Protecting our
borders is protecting our national security.
In the UK, our Border Security Command is building a more
coherent and controlled system to tackle threats, including
Organised Immigration Crime (OIC). Our newly established OIC
Domestic Taskforce will strengthen how these crimes are
investigated and prosecuted by police, law enforcement, and the
justice system.
We are also focused on the enablers of OIC. The online
environment must not be a safe haven for criminal networks. The
UK is committed to working with online platforms to prevent their
use in facilitating irregular migration.
To support this, we are strengthening our legislative framework.
Our Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill introduces new
counter-terror-inspired powers to target those who supply, or
handle items used in immigration crime. It also enhances
data-sharing powers to support law enforcement and immigration
operations, both domestically and with international partners.
On 22 July, we introduced the world's first standalone Global
Irregular Migration Sanctions Regime. This innovative tool
enables us to impose sanctions related to people smuggling, human
trafficking, and organised immigration crime.
As Chair of the Security Committee, I look forward to September's
events marking the 20th anniversary of the Border Security and
Management Concept. It will be a timely opportunity to reflect on
how our practices must evolve to meet emerging challenges while
upholding fundamental rights and OSCE principles, and I invite
interested participating States to join us in considering how we
can build on the OSCE's mandates in this area.
Thank you, Mr Chair."
