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The United Nations (UN) and multilateralism are under grave threat, and recent Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) cuts open the door to malign influence at the UN Security Council, a report by the Foreign Affairs Committee has found.

• Read the report
• Read the report (PDF)
• Inquiry: The UK at the United Nations Security Council
• Foreign Affairs Committee

The publication of yesterday’s report coincides with the start of the United Nations General Assembly week and the 80-year anniversary of the UN. 

FCDO cuts risk ceding influence to China and Russia at the UN

The report “The write to protect: Britain's pen on the world stage”, published yesterday (21 September), calls out the international community’s reluctance to address malign influence within the UN and the increasing polarisation at the UN Security Council, which has caused paralysis on crucial decisions to resolve conflicts and maintenance of peace and security.  

Cuts to the Foreign Office budget, including the Directorate responsible for multilateral organisations such as the UN are concerning, the Committee finds. These cuts willingly open the door to the UK’s competitors and adversaries and risk ceding further influence to China and Russia within the multilateral system.

The Committee urges the UK Government to publicly call out countries who are abusing or undermining the UN system. In parallel to this, the report finds that the Government must make full use of the whole UN system to advance its foreign policy objectives and further British values of democracy and tolerance. 

The rise of bilateral conflict resolution 

Although the Committee concludes that the first priority should be for the UK Government to push for use of the UN’s mediation, peace and security structures to resolve conflict, yesterday’s report acknowledges the changing reality, in which conflicts are resolved in Doha and Istanbul, rather than at the UN Security Council in New York. 

The Committee calls for the Government to adapt and enhance its bilateral partnerships with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as Turkey, whilst ensuring it upholds its commitment to a rules-based international order and encouraging use of the multilateral system where possible. 

The UK Government must be in the room during these conversations and driving the agenda forward, drawing upon its expertise in diplomacy and stabilisation, and ensuring that British values, and those embedded universally within the United Nations, are furthered.  

The UK as a penholder

The report assesses the UK’s role as penholder on a number of country and thematic files at the UN Security Council: UN Office for Central Africa, Columbia, Cyprus, Libya, Myanmar, Peacekeeping, Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Somalia, Sudan, Women, Peace and Security, and Yemen.

The Committee calls for the UK to go beyond symbolism in its work on the Women, Peace and Security file. In particular, the Government must have a strategy for navigating increasing attempts by China, Russia and the US—who are Permanent Members of the UN Security Council—to remove references to women's reproductive health and safety from resolutions.

The Committee also calls for the creation of a unified and singular United Nations peace and security structure amid ongoing reform at the UN as a part of the UN80 agenda.

To this end, the report calls for the use of new technologies, in particular drones, to mitigate costs accrued in peacekeeping and improve safety of peacekeepers on the ground. 

Chair comment

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Dame Emily Thornberry MP, yesterday said:  

"Never has the world needed the Security Council more. And never has it been weaker. From the evidence we have received, it is quite clear that Britain plays a crucial role in the Security Council. We are concerned that important work may be threatened by cuts to the Foreign Office.  

“We publish this report at the beginning of the United Nations General Assembly week, marking eighty years since the start of the UN. This year has been given particular significance, as many nations, including the UK, move to recognise Palestinian statehood.

"This shows the UN continues to hold weight, providing opportunities for countries to convene and to make progress on the most pressing challenges of the day.  

“The challenges to the international order, an order based on rules, norms and democratic values, are profound. Nowhere is this felt more acutely than at the UN Security Council, which finds itself under increasing strain, a new battleground of competing values, narratives and interests.  

“Whilst the UN is not without its flaws, it is an utterly unique and irreplaceable forum through which nations can come together, make collective decisions and take joint action. However, our report found we either use it or lose it, and the UK and its allies must properly re-engage with the UN if it is to survive. The UN is only as effective as we want it to be. 

“Our inquiry found that cuts to the FCDO and the Directorate responsible for multilateral organisations such as the UN, are a gift to China and Russia, who seek to exert malign and disruptive influence and control at the UN.  

“We need to be much more vocal when we see Permanent Members abuse and misuse multilateral institutions. Today’s report finds that the UK is widely respected and should use its positive reputation and voice to call out China and Russia. To date, we have been far too cautious.  

“The geopolitical realities of the day mean that conflict negotiations take place in countries such as Turkey and Qatar, not at the UN Security Council. The UK can embrace this change and get around the table through our unique role as a global convener, while also making the case for conflict resolution through existing UN structures."

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
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