The UK is a signatory to the convention establishing an international claims commission for Ukraine. The commission would assess claims for compensation for damage and losses caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The House of Lords International Agreements Committee has broadly welcomed the convention, but also raised concerns about the scope and efficacy of the commission.
The UK is required to contribute towards the prevention of atrocity crimes globally. Successive UK governments have used various mechanisms aimed at preventing mass atrocities. Nevertheless, concerns have been raised in recent years regarding the continued occurrence of large-scale violence worldwide. This has prompted some parliamentarians and external stakeholders to call on the government to do more to prevent such atrocities.
This briefing explores what announcements the government could make in the King’s Speech on 13 May 2026 about foreign affairs.
In Focus
The former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, was arrested and imprisoned in 2023 on charges including corruption. Mr Khan has denied these charges. Concerns have been raised by Mr Khan’s family and supporters regarding his rights and welfare during his ongoing incarceration. The UK government has said that, while judicial matters are for Pakistan’s courts to decide, the Pakistani government should ensure Mr Khan receives humane treatment.
In Focus
The Arctic region has become the subject of increased international interest as rising temperatures, shrinking sea ice and expanding maritime access reshape the region’s strategic importance. Its natural resources, emerging shipping routes and its increasing role in military planning have drawn interest from countries including the United States, Russia and China. This briefing outlines views on the current approach of these three countries.
In Focus
The House of Lords International Agreements Committee has published a report on treaty scrutiny in Westminster. The committee described the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010’s framework for treaty scrutiny as a “weak and insufficient mechanism for securing meaningful accountability to Parliament” and called for it to be reformed. The government said it saw some difficulties in the committee’s proposals, but it was also “keen to work with the committee to help to mitigate or resolve, so far as possible, the issues which the committee has raised”.
In Focus
The UK will mark Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January 2026. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, a charity established and supported by the UK government, will organise and facilitate events and activities nationwide to commemorate the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust, the victims of other acts of Nazi persecution, and where persecution led in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
In Focus
The UK has a duty to punish and help prevent atrocity crimes like genocide from occurring globally. Successive UK governments have used various mechanisms to help prevent mass atrocities. However, concerns have been raised in recent years about the prevalence of incidents of large-scale violence continuing to occur around the world. This has led some parliamentarians and external stakeholders to call on the government to do more to prevent atrocities.
In Focus
Sudan’s current civil war continues to have a devastating impact on civilians, with UN agencies describing the conflict as both the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and the world’s largest displacement crisis. Amid reports of ongoing atrocities in and around El Fasher in Sudan’s Darfur region and continuing hostilities elsewhere, the UK has been involved in diplomatic efforts calling for an end to the conflict and has increased funding for emergency humanitarian assistance.
Research Briefing
The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill is intended to align UK law with an international agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, the 'high seas'. The bill would enable the UK to enforce compliance for UK craft with internationally agreed protections, such as marine protected areas. It would also set out requirements for UK-based projects collecting genetic resources.
Research Briefing
The Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill would provide for the implementation of the UK-Mauritius agreement on the Chagos archipelago in UK domestic law ahead of the government ratifying the treaty. In particular it would end UK sovereignty over the archipelago and make certain consequential changes to nationality law, while also providing for the continued administration of the existing joint UK-US military base on the island of Diego Garcia.
In Focus
2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the creation of the United Nations (UN) in 1945. Established in the aftermath of the second world war, the UN was created with a mission of maintaining peace and security, and promoting international cooperation, with the hope it could help prevent another devastating global conflict. Since then, the UN has grown into a large transnational organisation with a broader remit, including promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights. This briefing examines the composition of the modern UN and recent attempts at reform.
In Focus
International humanitarian law prohibits the use of starvation as a method of warfare. This briefing focuses on relevant legal frameworks and the UK government’s overarching policy on promoting compliance and accountability.
In Focus
China recently hosted a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the northern port city of Tianjin. Established in 2001 with six member states, the intergovernmental organisation now comprises 10 countries, including China, Russia and India, which collectively represent over 42% of the world’s population. Commentators argue it has evolved from a group focused on regional security into a forum aimed at projecting a non-western alternative worldview.
In Focus
The Joint Committee on Human Rights has called for a reset in the UK’s approach to investigating and prosecuting international crimes such as genocide. It has also called for a change in the law to allow for universal jurisdiction to prosecute such crimes within the UK; greater oversight of powers that allow UK ministers to deprive individuals of British citizenship; and more information on British citizens held in north-east Syria.
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