Written evidence submitted by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (CHA0008)

Summary

• The UK Government’s priority is the long-term security, safety and operability of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The base has enabled the UK and our allies and partners to combat some of the most challenging threats to international peace and security. The UK is working in lockstep with the US.

• Alongside the security importance of the base on Diego Garcia, the Archipelago in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is critical for biodiversity, conservation and ecological research. The BIOT Administration work collaboratively with global scientific partners and Government-led projects like the Blue Belt Programme to support conservation and research efforts. The UK Government will continue to prioritise the highest environmental standards in the area.

• The UK Government is in negotiations with Mauritius over the future of BIOT. The UK and Mauritius have reiterated that any agreement between our two countries will ensure the continued effective operation of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. We are clear that any deal must protect UK national interests. We will not agree to anything that does not meet this objective.

• The UK Government remains committed to supporting Chagossians wherever they live. Annual spend on projects is forecast to reach its highest level to date this year. The new Chagossian citizenship route, launched in 2022, has attracted over 7000 applications and additional funding has been agreed to support those moving to the UK. We recognise the future of BIOT is important to many Chagossians and will continue to update them as negotiations progress.

Introduction

1. The following submission of written evidence by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is in response to the Sub-Committee on Overseas Territories’ call for evidence on the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).

The current strategic importance of the British Indian Ocean Territory and its likely importance into the future.

2. The joint military base on Diego Garcia is the result of a uniquely close and active defence and security partnership between two long-standing allies.

For over 40 years the base has contributed significantly to regional and global security; helping the United Kingdom, the United States, other allies and partners combat some of the most challenging threats to international peace and security, including those from terrorism, organised crime, and instability.

3. The base on Diego Garcia is well positioned as a key enabler for maritime security, including the protection of regional shipping lanes from threats such as piracy. The base plays a key role in humanitarian support as well – and remains ready for a rapid and impactful response in times of humanitarian crisis in the region or environmental disasters. It has already provided support following the 2004 earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the 2013 typhoon in the Philippines. The base also plays an important part in the Global Positioning System, space debris avoidance for the International Space Station, and prevention of satellite collisions.

4. We are working in lockstep with the US Government to ensure the continued protection of the base, which will retain its strategic importance well into the future. The UK, Mauritius and US have all made clear that protecting the base on Diego Garcia, including by preventing foreign malign influence, is a top priority.

The extent to which the UK Government has engaged with the Chagossian communities in the UK and around the world as it considers the future of the territory.

5. The UK has made clear its deep regret about the manner in which Chagossians were removed from BIOT in the late 1960s and early 1970s. 

6. Negotiations are between the UK and Mauritius. However, we recognise that the future of the islands is an important issue for many Chagossians. UK Government ministers and officials met Chagossian groups from around the world (in particular the UK, Mauritius and the Seychelles) in February, May, and October 2023 to discuss the progress of negotiations, and issues for the Chagossian communities. We will continue to update the community as negotiations progress.

The spending of the funds allocated to support of the Chagossian community.

7. The UK Government remains committed to supporting Chagossians wherever they live. In 2016, the UK Government made a commitment to provide approximately £40 million over 10 years to improve the lives of Chagossians around the world. To date, the Government has spent a total of £1.13 million on a range of projects in the UK and Mauritius. We are exploring ways to increase this support. The table at Annex A provides a full breakdown of expenditure to date. This data is available on gov.uk.
8. The largest single expenditure to date has been on ‘heritage visits’ for Chagossians to BIOT. Between 2017 and 2020, the UK Government and the BIOT Administration facilitated eight heritage visits, benefiting 154 Chagossians. Visits were suspended in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19 and have not yet resumed.

9. Despite the suspension of heritage visits, expenditure on support for Chagossians is increasing rapidly, as new projects are established. Annual spend is on course to reach its highest level to date in financial year 23/24. Figure 1 provides a breakdown of spend by year.

Fig. 1 – total spend by year on Chagossian projects (23/24 is a forecast figure)

10. In the last year, with UK Government support, eight Chagossians have benefited from bursaries to study at the Middlesex University campus in Mauritius, 241 have participated in English language lessons through the British Council in Mauritius, 49 have received help to have their qualifications recognised in the UK, and a new community grant-making mechanism has issued five grants to organisations working with Chagossians in the Sussex area. Several new projects are in development, which we intend to launch in the next 12 months.

11. Beyond the impact of COVID-19, full delivery of the commitment has been complicated by a lack of suitable implementing partners willing to deliver projects at scale. To address these challenges, we are providing practical support to Chagossian groups to build their capacity and eventually allow them to bid for funding from the UK Government directly. We are also exploring other ways to increase our support to the community.

12. As part of the UK Government’s wider commitment to Chagossians, the Home Office opened a new citizenship route in November 2022, allowing anyone of Chagossian descent to be registered as both a British Overseas Territories citizen and British citizen, free of charge. To date, the Home Office estimates it has received over 7000 citizenship applications, and over 2000 Chagossians have become British citizens. To help UK local authorities manage the statutory costs that may arise when supporting newly arrived Chagossians, the Home Office has agreed to provide additional funding to local authorities worth up to £13 million until the end of 24/25.

The environmental importance of the British Indian Ocean Territory both now and in the future.

13. The BIOT Marine Protected Area (MPA) was designated by the UK in 2010. It is a no-take (IUCN Category 1a) MPA, and plays a significant role in global marine conservation. The MPA encompasses 640,000km2 of marine area, including almost 2% of the world’s coral reefs and includes the Great Chagos Bank - the world’s largest living coral atoll structure (at approximately 13,000km2). The territory also includes small but diverse terrestrial habitats on its islands (a total area of 56km2), ranging from hardwood forests to mangrove forests. [Note ~ 94% of BIOT’s land is severely impacted due to the historic introduction of rats and destruction of native forest for coconut plantations].

14. BIOT’s marine biodiversity is among the most diverse of the UK’s overseas territories, being home to 975 IUCN Red List species and regionally and globally important populations of endangered seabirds and turtles. This includes significant populations of the wedge-tailed shearwaters, red-footed booby, and the sooty tern. For turtles, BIOT’s beaches are crucial nesting sites for the Endangered green turtle and the Critically Endangered hawksbill turtle. These species rely on undisturbed beaches and clean waters for breeding and foraging. The waters of BIOT are rich in marine life, including important species like tuna and sharks, and are home to a globally important population of reef manta rays.

15. The coral reefs in BIOT are the healthiest in the Indian Ocean but are not immune to climate-change related stressors, such as sea temperature rise. While the reefs have already been through major change resulting from global coral bleaching events, they have proven more resilient than other reefs due to the lack of other stressors. This makes them particularly important for conservation and ecological research, including the discovery that removal of invasive rats from islands can build resilience in adjacent coral reefs.

16. BIOT is a vital hub for high-quality scientific research and exploration, hosting numerous significant environmental programmes and initiatives. The BIOT Administration works collaboratively with global scientific partners and Government-led projects like the Blue Belt Programme to support conservation and research efforts with the aim of protecting and enhancing the unique ecosystems of BIOT. Efforts address challenges like: illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; environmental impact management; and biodiversity preservation through control of invasive species and effective waste management. Annex B provides more detail.

17. The UK Government will continue to prioritise the highest environmental standards in BIOT. In the future, efforts should continue to focus on: mitigating the impact of threats, particularly invasive species; plastic pollution; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; and climate change. Continuing the focus on capacity building and environmental management will further preserve BIOT’s natural heritage.

The likely consequences of the UK Government’s failure to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution with Mauritius over sovereignty. 

18. As referenced in the Sub-Committee’s call for evidence, there have been a number of resolutions, opinions and decisions from international bodies relating to BIOT[1]. Not all are binding on the UK, nor was the UK a party to all of them.

19. The UK will only enter into an agreement that protects our national interests and those of our partners. We are clear that our priority, in any scenario, is the long-term safety, security and usability of the military base on Diego Garcia. Mauritius has made clear publicly that it supports this goal, as of course do the US. The UK and Mauritius issued Written Ministerial Statements at the outset of negotiations in November 2022 which both included the line: 'The UK and Mauritius have reiterated that any agreement between our two countries will ensure the continued effective operation of the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia.’  

20. We have held nine constructive rounds of negotiations to date. Negotiations are being held in private. We cannot speculate on possible outcomes or pre-empt their conclusions.

Conclusion

21. In conclusion, the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia is of the upmost strategic importance to regional and global security. The UK Government’s priority is therefore the long-term operation of the base, which is at the heart of ongoing negotiations with Mauritius. We must be sure that any deal delivers on UK national interests. BIOT also plays a significant role in global marine conservation and the UK will continue to focus on capacity building and environmental management to mitigate against any threats to the ecosystem. The UK Government will continue to engage with the Chagossian community and build on the significant support that we have provided to date.

Annex A: Chagossian Support Package Projects List

Total Spend: £1,134,019

Annex B: Environmental Programmes and Initiatives in BIOT

January 2024