UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Foreign Affairs

  • Nusrat Ghani – 2023 Speech at Policy Exchange

    Nusrat Ghani – 2023 Speech at Policy Exchange

    The speech made by Nusrat Ghani, the Industry and Economic Security Minister, in London on 11 December 2023.

    The UK has led the world in its support for Ukraine and its condemnation of Putin and his illegal war.

    We were the first country to send our Prime Minister to Kyiv to meet with President Zelenskyy at the start of the war. We were at the forefront of providing military and humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people.

    When it mattered, the UK stepped up to the plate.

    In turn, this support has been recognised by the Ukrainian people, who dubbed the UK ‘Ukraine’s best friend’.

    However, since the very start, we have also recognised that we cannot rely on military force alone.

    Time and again, history has shown us that when economies fail, so do tyrants.

    That is why, together with our allies, we have imposed the most severe sanctions Russia has ever faced in its history…

    …targeting more than 1,900 individuals and entities and 19 Russian banks with global assets of £940 billion.

    …effectively weaponising the Ruble and providing the financial punch to send Putin and his ambitions reeling.

    Sanctions are an important tool in our diplomatic arsenal that allow us to respond to global threats not just with words but backed up with actions.

    We estimate that without combined sanctions Russia would have over $400 billion more to fund its war machine.
    We’ve used them not only to weaken Putin’s war efforts, but also to showcase our unyielding support for Ukraine, to deter corrupt activity and cyber-attacks and to demonstrate our condemnation of international human rights violations and abuses.

    We also want to make sure that we respond to wider HMG international priorities, such as the threat of climate change- we can’t do that without engaging with countries at events like COP28 – so our trade sanctions work must be consistent, clear and boundaried to make diplomatic relations on other fora as constructive as possible.

    My department, DBT, has played a significant part in this work, developing trade sanctions that have had a £20 billion impact on the Russian economy…including by barring Russian businesses from benefitting from our world -renowned services sector.

    Thanks to these measures, imports to the UK from Russia have fallen by 94% since the start of the conflict. While UK goods exports have plunged by 74% and services exports have fallen by 50%. Make no mistake these measures are working.

    Step by step the sanctions imposed by the UK and its allies are destroying Russia’s ability to maintain, upgrade, and modernise its economy.

    …placing a chokehold on investment and productivity – the building blocks of the war machine – which means while Ukraine’s military equipment is improving, Russia’s is degrading.

    Of course, the UK has used sanctions before – but never on this scale or scope or with this level of urgency.

    As a result, we’ve become ever swifter and more capable at imposing such measures.

    But we know we can’t be complacent. We need to stay ahead of those who dream up tricks to swerve sanctions or create workarounds.

    Having one of the most robust sanctions regimes in the world is not good enough if we cannot have absolute, unwavering confidence that our rules are being enforced and that no one is exploiting loopholes in the system.

    That is why we recently carried out a cross-government review of how we implement and enforce sanctions, which highlighted areas where we can do more.

    For instance, we need an expanded toolkit of enforcement powers for trade sanctions breaches – just as we have for financial sanctions.

    These additional civil enforcement powers will complement HMRC’s existing – and continuing – powers to take forward criminal prosecutions.

    That expanded enforcement toolkit will also be crucial to our efforts – working in lock-step with our international allies – to clamp down on trade via third countries to Russia. These powers will allow us to act where there is a UK national or a UK registered company involved.

    And internationally, we are working closely with US and EU sanctions coordinators to liaise with several third party countries to highlight the risks of circumnavigating trade sanctions and together to support them to enforce sanctions effectively.

    This has included joint diplomatic outreach to countries where we are seeing spikes in trade of sanctioned goods with Russia.

    For example, in recent months, we have sent joint delegations to countries like Kazakhstan, UAE and Uzbekistan, to highlight these risks… I have personally recently been to Kazakhstan and Mongolia and seen for myself the challenges we face.

    But our coordinated efforts are paying off. A number of countries – including Turkey, Kazakhstan and Armenia– have announced concrete measures to reduce the risk of sanctioned goods reaching Russia.

    So, you can see how it is critical that we act.

    Today I am proud to say that this is exactly what we are doing, with the creation of the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation, or for short called OTSI.

    The Office will build up our trade sanctions capability and make sure our sanctions regimes are as impactful as possible.

    It will also crack down on companies that breach trade sanctions and so help to facilitate warmongers and tyrants to cling to power. Its remit will include the civil enforcement of trade sanctions, as well as providing guidance to business and supporting compliance.

    We expect the Office to be ready to enforce trade sanctions next year once its new legal powers are in force.

    Today’s announcement came from listening to business asking what more they need to know to get it right.

    Most have been exemplary in their response to Russia’s invasion, experiencing the sometimes painful financial consequences of complying with these sanctions to stand up to Putin’s tyranny.

    But we do recognise the scale and pace of sanctions-work has been challenging at times. The new office will do more to clarify our expectations and lend support to businesses, ensuring those who play by the rules won’t lose out to those companies that just don’t.

    That is where OTSI will come into its own.

    But we will also need business expertise, guidance and input to make sure the new unit is as effective and as impactful as possible.

    In terms of its functions and responsibilities, OTSI will lead on the civil enforcement of trade sanctions. It will have a range of enforcement tools available including levying monetary penalties on those that break the rules and sanctions dodgers.

    And while OTSI will sit within the Department for Business and Trade, its work will complement the work of other government departments and offices responsible for the implementation and enforcement of other sanctions regimes.

    This includes the Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, which remains responsible for financial sanctions.

    The Department for Transport, which remains responsible for transport sanctions. And the Home Office which is responsible for immigration sanctions and for Modern Slavery.

    In addition, overall leadership of sanctions policy will continue to sit with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

    OTSI is key in the Government’s delivery of its Economic Deterrence Initiative, announced by the Prime Minister earlier this year in the Integrated Review Refresh.

    This Initiative is focused on strengthening our tools to deter potential aggressors and stop them in their tracks.

    One of the key objectives of this Initiative is building expertise across government in the design, implementation, and enforcement of sanctions, as they achieve maximum impact.

    The new office will better support the implementation and enforcement of all trade sanctions regimes – not just in terms of Russia but for rogue regimes right across the world.

    In fact, Parliament will soon be considering the Government’s latest trade sanctions package, which includes further export and import bans and financial restrictions for Russia.

    Crucially, this new package will also ban the export of a range of goods including the latest items Ukraine has encountered on the battlefield such as machine parts and chemicals, as well as products that raise revenue to fund Putin’s war machine.

    In essence, once this legislation is passed only low-risk, humanitarian, food, and health exports to Russia will remain unsanctioned.

    And there is more to come.

    The UK remains committed to upholding the rule of law, which protects global security and human dignity in all parts of the world, especially the most vulnerable.

    We are more united than ever in the pursuit of international peace, prosperity and sustainable development, and have strengthened our engagement with international partners beyond the G7

    We’ve seen how well sanctions can work and we’re getting even better at using them.

    That’s why I’ve no doubt that the Office of Trade and Sanctions Implementation will be a game-changer for the UK on the international stage, allowing us to move in lock-step with our allies on economic sanctions as they’re needed.

    Sanctions are crafted to be targeted and focused to have maximum impact – we’ve used them to disrupt all avenues for Putin to pay for his illegal war.

    OTSI will also be a game changer for British businesses at home where my department will help in building stronger international supply chains which are not dependent on malevolent foreign actors.

    On Wednesday I’m hoping to launch my Critical Minerals imports supply chain paper to help businesses too.

    In turn, this will translate into the prosperity and security that will benefit our citizens long into the future.

    I’m really grateful to policy exchange for allowing me the moment today to launch OTSI, and I look forward to working with all of you especially if you’re a business so we can develop this work moving forward. Thank you so much.

  • David Cameron – 2023 Speech on Human Rights Day

    David Cameron – 2023 Speech on Human Rights Day

    The speech made by David Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, in London on 7 December 2023.

    Thank you for joining us in marking Human Rights Day.

    75 years ago, in the aftermath of the horrors of the Second World War, the world declared that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. A universal entitlement. A simple truth. An historic step.

    Tragically today, that principle is under growing threat. Autocracy rising again. New tech misused. Individual freedoms violated and abused.

    I therefore make three commitments to you today.

    First, the UK will continue to stand up for the rights of all.

    As Foreign Secretary, I have sanctioned Hamas terrorists, and called on Israel to respect Palestinian civilians’ rights and freedoms. I have shown solidarity with the brave defenders of Ukraine, and backed the OSCE.

    Any violation and abuse is wrong – be it Iran’s execution of juvenile offenders, the Taliban trampling on women’s rights or China’s suppression of dissent.

    And so I am determined that the UK will: Hold malign actors to account. Offer support and sanctuary to victims. Defend the open international order.

    Second commitment: we will champion the open societies which guarantee these rights in the first place.

    Rights do not exist in a vacuum. The world’s poorest are increasingly found in states which lack respect for the rule of law, have high levels of corruption, and exclude citizens or communities.

    As our new Development White Paper makes clear, we will focus on tackling these issues. This is vital to protecting individual rights and unleashing every individual’s potential.

    Third, we do not seek to do this alone.

    We are proud of Britain’s free and tolerant society. But countless individuals worldwide contribute to realising human rights globally. Britain stands together with allies, friends and partners – old and new.

    We needed strength and unity to defeat Nazism. We needed strength and unity to realise the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And we need strength and unity to defend those rights today.

    And if we show that strength and unity, there is no reason that we cannot prevail.

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2023 Speech to the Western Australia Defence Conference

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2023 Speech to the Western Australia Defence Conference

    The speech made by Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the Foreign Office Minister, in Perth, Australia on 8 December 2023.

    Thank you, Rebecca, for your kind introduction.

    Firstly, I acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Whadjuk Noongar people, and I pay my respects to their Elders past, present and future.

    I am delighted to join you all today – my fourth trip to Australia this year, and my third to Perth.

    It is not just the beauty of this vibrant city, your family of black swans on the river, or your wonderful climate, that keep bringing me back. Although my friend Stephen Smith, Australia’s High Commissioner to the UK and fiercely proud former Federal Member for Perth, often teases me that it is!

    The reason I keep coming back is Perth’s significance to AUKUS as the future home of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet. And, as you welcomed USS North Carolina into port in August, it was clear for all to see that the ‘Optimal Pathway’ is now underway.

    The Royal Navy is looking forward to joining our American navy colleagues here more frequently from 2026, as our fleet of Astute class nuclear-powered submarines visits regularly, to strengthen our naval partnership to protect the region’s freedom of navigation across Indo-Pacific waters.

    Your recent visitor USS North Carolina was a demonstration of the continuing steps forward in the long journey towards SSN-AUKUS become reality.

    So what was the rationale for AUKUS?

    AUKUS is a security partnership of global significance.

    Events in Israel and Gaza, and Russia’s continuing attack against Ukraine, remind us how events far from our shores reverberate at home, with implications for our security, our economy, and our society.

    The UK government is under no illusion about the risks to global economic security if stability in the Indo-Pacific is shattered.

    As an island nation and a global trading power, like Australia, the UK depends on open shipping routes and unimpeded sea lanes.

    Free flows of trade, energy and data – above and below the surface – must be our continuing focus. Because the security of Indo-Pacific waters has a direct impact on my constituents in Northumberland as well as households across the UK and around the world.

    That is why we recommitted our support to a free and open Indo-Pacific in our foreign and defence policy refresh.

    AUKUS is the UK’s biggest investment in the stability of the Indo-Pacific, and broader global security, for half a century.

    Its positive impact will be felt in the region, in our relationships with two of our oldest and closest allies – but also across defence, industry and academia in all three partner countries.

    That is why I, and the UK Government, will do all we can to support you, bringing UK industrial and academic expertise honed over 60 years.

    Taking on a nuclear-powered fleet is an enormous endeavour, and Western Australia is critical to delivering the availability and sustainment of this new generation of submarines for the Australian Navy, the workforce to support them and the infrastructure to underpin their requirements.

    On each of my visits over the last year, I have met with critical stakeholders.  And I am excited to say that on this visit I am really starting to feel the momentum picking up on real partnership building and the investment picture needed.

    During this visit, I have met with leaders from Defence West, the Australian Submarine Agency, and Curtin University’s new AUKUS Workforce Alliance.

    We have hosted Western Australian leaders in the UK, including the Honourable Paul Papalia, to share our knowledge and discuss the most effective relationships which can help you build this new, hugely complex, enterprise with the help of our experienced industrial enterprise.

    And, of course, AUKUS isn’t only about submarines.

    I’ve seen for myself the expertise and advanced capabilities within Western Australia’s defence sector.

    From cyber to AI to remote operations, this region is well-positioned to do well from AUKUS Pillar Two. And from increasing collaboration with your UK and US counterparts.

    Last week, AUKUS Defence Ministers made a series of major announcements on Pillar Two that will build our mutual deterrence posture to make us stronger and create lots of opportunities for our defence industries.

    Joint exercises will continue to improve our ability to offset an opponent’s advantage, and increase the sophistication and impact of our autonomous naval systems.

    We will accelerate the development of quantum technologies for positioning, navigation, and timing in military capabilities. This will bolster the resilience of our forces in the most challenging environments, and enhance stealth in undersea capabilities, which will also support SSN-AUKUS.

    We will collaborate on the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability programme, which will use sites in all three countries to help identify emerging threats in space.

    And finally, we are working on cyber security with critical suppliers to the naval supply chain, which will give us greater insight into the threats to AUKUS and how to address them.

    The progress we are making proves that pooling resources and expertise, and focussing on interoperability, makes us stronger than we ever could be alone in tackling the present geopolitical strains.

    The delivery of AUKUS

    AUKUS has global significance. But its impacts are also in our local communities. AUKUS will be delivered by Australian, British, and American workers, civilian and uniformed. It will create and sustain thousands of jobs, and boost and regenerate industrial heartlands.

    The submarine enterprise – Pillar 1 – will bring together world-leading British design, with the very best technology, skills and industrial heft from all three partners.

    In the UK we have now committed £4bn of contracts to design and manufacture the first components for SSN-AUKUS. Rolls Royce is expanding its nuclear reactor manufacturing site in Derby, and BAe Systems is working with the town of Barrow to expand its site and skills. Babcock is continuing to invest in modernising their delivery of submarine sustainment and maintenance, which you will want to tap into in order to save time re-inventing the proverbial wheel.

    It’s good to see a few of the first cohort of workers from Australia embedded with UK and US counterparts, learning from the best and brightest in our defence industry.

    But let’s be under no illusion the scale of the challenge, especially in relation to the pace required to get to the start line.

    The scale and ambition of AUKUS is exciting for the defence industry. But at a time of heightened demand from Ukraine and Israel, and from other states who are bolstering their defences in light of Putin’s aggression, it will test the capability and capacity of defence sectors in all three partner nations.

    So, we must work together to build the next generations of designers, project managers, engineers, welders, and technicians. As well as the nuclear, cyber and digital experts, who will play a vital role in delivering AUKUS.

    These jobs demand unique skills and qualifications. Many require years of training. Developing the required workforce growth, without draining the existing skills bases, needs planning and investment.

    We also need to ensure our people can move easily between the three countries, to enable them to exchange knowledge, skills and experience. I know that the mobility agreement we agreed as part of our UK- Australia FTA last year will be important in supporting that flow.

    AUKUS is a multi-generational as well as multi-national endeavour, which will require us to adapt in order to continue to pull in the same direction.

    For the partnership to work to best effect, we need to ensure legal and regulatory frameworks are complementary. US ITAR controls being reviewed and legislated at the moment by US legislators, will enable us to navigate a path through export control regimes, so our industries can work more closely together.

    AUKUS is already changing how we work together, and we are working to overcome the challenges that arise from it.

    In the UK we are investing in our new Nuclear Skills Taskforce, to boost the capacity of our sector. We have appointed a cross-government Director-General of AUKUS, to provide leadership and enhance coordination.

    We must now work trilaterally to ramp up our engagement and delivery of urgent activity with industry. That’s why I was so pleased to hear about the brilliant Aukus Workforce Alliance created between HII, the US industrial maintenance lead for Virginias, Babcock, the UK’s industrial sustainment lead for UK Astutes and three Australian universities – Curtin, University of New South Wales and University of Adelaide. Forward thinking for the long-term skills challenge.

    We have established an AUKUS Defence Industry Forum, which will bring together governments and industry from all three countries to help drive forward delivery of advanced capabilities. And we have initiated the AUKUS Defence Investors Network to strengthen financing.

    To conclude, the scale of our ambition for the trilateral AUKUS partnership is vast, and there are enormous opportunities and responsibilities for government to enable industry to deliver the policy aims needed.

    Delivering across both Pillars of the partnership will be an exceptionally complex challenge. But it is a challenge we can overcome by working together.

    We must keep at the front of our minds at all times why we are doing this – we have a responsibility together to provide defence capabilities which will be capable of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific – not just for our trading and security interests, but for our neighbours, friends and allies.

    Global maritime security is under pressure – our challenge is to assure it in order to:

    • facilitate those flows of trade, goods moved about seamlessly day in day out from so many Indo-Pacific nations to the world;
    • assure flows of energy, by ship and by pipeline and undersea cables;
    • and ensure the safety of undersea data cables which underpin our global financial services.

    These conversations are critically important to helping policy makers set this enormous project on the right road. So, thank you firstly to Senator Linda Reynolds for asking whether I would support this – of course!; and to Gordon Flake and the US Asia Centre and Business News for making it a reality.

    So – please do tell me what you think we need to do to deliver our shared ambitions for AUKUS, drawing on the rich talents of the people and businesses of Western Australia.  The simple question is are we going fast enough to enable you to deliver the requirements to sustain and maintain a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines here in Western Australia? Our mission is to reassure allies – and that will be achieved if we assure ourselves we are going hard and fast enough to meet delivery of the challenge.

    I know you won’t be shy in sharing your views, that’s one of the wonderful characteristics of Australians!

    Thank you.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech at the COP28 Climate Summit

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech at the COP28 Climate Summit

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, in Dubai on 1 December 2023.

    I’m here at COP28 with two clear messages…

    First, the world needs to do more to tackle climate change.

    We’ve made real progress – including at the Glasgow summit…

    …but the climate science and mounting evidence of climate-related disasters…

    …show we’re not moving quickly or effectively enough.

    So I’m calling on major emitters to dramatically accelerate delivery on what they’ve already promised.

    Everyone can do more.

    And let’s be very clear – the UK is leading the charge.

    We’re absolutely committed to our Net Zero targets.

    We’ve already decarbonised faster than any other major economy.

    Our emissions are down 48 percent since 1990.

    Compared to limited cuts from others.

    And a 300 percent increase from China.

    We’re also one of the largest climate donors, because we want to help those suffering the impacts of climate change.

    My pledge from September of £1.6 billion for the Green Climate Fund was the UK’s biggest single climate change commitment.

    And we’re going further… announcing £1.6 billion today for renewable energy, green innovation and forests…

    …delivering on the historic Glasgow deal to end deforestation – because we can’t tackle climate change without nature.

    We’re also leveraging the genius of the City of London to deliver billions more in private finance.

    Again the UK is leading by example… and we need others to step up.

    Because my second message is this…

    As I said in September, we won’t tackle climate change unless we take people with us.

    Climate politics is close to breaking point.

    The British people care about the environment.

    They know that the costs of inaction are intolerable.

    But they also know that we have choices about how we act.

    So yes we’ll meet our targets…

    …but we’ll do it in a more pragmatic way, which doesn’t burden working people.

    We’ve scrapped plans on heat pumps and energy efficiency, which would have cost families thousands of pounds.

    We’ll help people to improve energy efficiency and cut bills – but we won’t force them too.

    We’ll support nature across the UK.

    Just this week I announced a huge new effort with 34 landscape recovery projects, a new national park – and more.

    And we’ll harness the opportunities of technology and green industry to deliver net zero in a way that benefits the British people.

    And today I can share more proof on the progress we’re making.

    I’m pleased to announce a new deal between Masdar and RWE…

    …which includes a commitment to jointly invest up to £11 billion into the UK’s new windfarm at Dogger Bank – which will be the biggest in the world.

    This is a huge boost for UK renewables…

    …creating more jobs…

    …helping to power 3 million homes…

    …and increasing our energy security.

    And, by the way, this comes just days after we announced £30 billion of investment at our Global Investment Summit… and £21 billion of investment from South Korea.

    We’ve quite frankly never seen a week like it.

    In Dubai today, I’ve also had conversations with a range of leaders – including Israel, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan – about the situation in Israel and Gaza.

    Our position is clear and consistent.

    We’ve been categorical in our support for Israel’s right to self-defence and to go after the architects of the atrocities of 7th October…

    …while stressing Israel’s obligation to act in line with international humanitarian law.

    I strongly welcomed the pause in fighting to get hostages out…

    …and we’ve been using the opportunity to get more aid into Gaza.

    The UK has trebled its aid, but still not enough is getting in via Rafah and other crossings.

    So we are actively exploring other routes, including by sea.

    The breakdown of the truce today is deeply disappointing, not least because a growing number of hostages were coming home.

    I pay tribute to the role of Qatar in helping facilitate these efforts – and I hope the process can be resumed.

    We want all the hostages released – and in this initial phase all women and children should be freed.

    I’ve said before that the number of civilian casualties and the scale of the suffering has been far too high.

    So the return of hostilities is concerning to us all.

    We’re making it clear that Israel must take maximum care to protect civilian life.

    We’re opposed to anything that would involve the mass displacement of people.

    We need to ensure that there are viable designated areas where safety can be guaranteed.

    And we need to ensure that critical infrastructure like water supplies and hospitals are protected.

    Again, we’ve been consistent on all of this.

    So I support the civilian protection plans outlined yesterday by the US Secretary of State.

    Indeed this has been a central theme in our discussions with regional leaders here, including Israeli President Herzog.

    Ultimately we will redouble our efforts create a political horizon in which hostages are freed and security, safety and dignity is assured.

    We will continue to work with our partners to create a lasting peace…

    …beginning with practical steps that address the crisis now.

    Thank you.

  • David Cameron – 2023 Statement on Israel-Hamas Hostage Agreement

    David Cameron – 2023 Statement on Israel-Hamas Hostage Agreement

    The statement made by David Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, on 22 November 2023.

    This agreement is a crucial step towards providing relief to the families of the hostages and addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

    I urge all parties to ensure the agreement is delivered in full. Of course, we want to see all hostages released immediately and families affected by the horrors of the October 7th terror attack reunited.

    This pause provides an important opportunity to ensure much greater volumes of food, fuel and other life-saving aid can reach Gaza on a sustained basis. We have already doubled our aid commitment to Palestinians this year and will work closely with the UN to ensure it reaches those who need it.

    The UK will continue to work with all partners in the region to secure the release of all hostages, restore security and reach a long-term political solution which enables both Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Speech to the Global Food Security Summit

    Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Speech to the Global Food Security Summit

    The speech made by Andrew Mitchell, the Minister for Africa and Development, at the Global Food Security Summit in London on 20 November 2023.

    Ladies and gentlemen, Your Excellencies, friends.

    This is the first of 4 sessions that I mentioned entitled ‘Creating new approaches to ending preventable deaths of children’. And we’ve got here for the session some of the best minds in the world for tackling this subject. We’ve got an hour and a half to try to make real progress and I want to thank everyone in advance for focusing so hard on this vital subject.

    We know that too many children are going to bed hungry and malnourished. It’s a point the Prime Minister set out right at the beginning of his remarks. And we are here united in our determination to change that – bringing all your expertise and experience to bear.

    And as you know, we launched the UK international development white paper today, setting out our long-term vision for addressing critical global challenges. This includes preventing and treating child wasting, through new partnerships and sources of finance.

    The collective effort to produce the white paper drew on the most expert minds in the business, including charities and NGOs, the private sector, academia and our partners abroad. It’s been an enormous undertaking, and I am hugely grateful to those of you who shared your expertise.

    This morning we are bringing that expertise together again, with a focus on child malnutrition.

    This summit is an important opportunity to galvanise action, shifting the dial to do more on prevention. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on how we can enhance preventative measures, build resilience and optimise funding, in order to have the biggest impact.

    A huge part of this will be vital scientific research. We’ve already seen some big breakthroughs over the years, with ready-to-use foods like plumpy nut, for managing child wasting in the community. This ground-breaking work dramatically reduced the need for inpatient care, increased the uptake of treatment and saved countless lives across the world.

    We need more breakthroughs like this. That’s why the Foreign Office is supporting an ambitious research programme through ELRHA, to build a package of evidence-based interventions in nutrition, health, water and sanitation.

    We are also proud of our work together with UNICEF. Since we launched our partnership three years ago to drive progress on child wasting, UNICEF has recorded some impressive results in the 9 targeted countries.

    Last year, more than 4 million children were reached with essential nutrition support like Vitamin A, a 60% increase on the year before. And the proportion of children given lifesaving treatment for severe wasting increased from a third in 2021 to nearly half last year. We are continuing our work together with UNICEF to catalyse more sustainable financing, build stronger supply chains and help prevent, detect and treat child wasting.

    I am also delighted to announce that we will extend this fantastic partnership to 2030, the year when the white paper ends, and double our funding with an additional nearly £31 million bringing the total to £61 million.

    We will be working with UNICEF and our partners, including many of you here today, to campaign for action to reach at least 350 million mothers and children with services to prevent, detect and treat child wasting in the hardest hit regions of the world. Now I am delighted today to be co-chairing this session with UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, Omar Abdi, and I am looking forward to hearing from him very shortly.

    We are also working together with the World Health Organisation and World Food Programme to strengthen the evidence for preventing and treating child wasting. The WHO is today launching new guidelines, including, for the first time, on prevention. And I am delighted that WHO Director General Tedros is with us this morning and I am looking forward to hearing from him.

    We are committed to implementing these guidelines and supporting you, our partners, to do the same.

    As the Prime Minister announced this morning, the new funding for UNICEF includes a further £16 million for the Child Nutrition Fund, which we are inaugurating this morning alongside our partners, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, where we had that fantastic announcement by Sir Chris Hohn of his additional $50 million.

    This is not just a UK-UNICEF partnership. It is, crucially, a partnership with the 10 countries that have joined us in using the Child Nutrition Fund Match-window to double supplies of therapeutic food within their health systems. And we hope more countries will join them.

    I’m glad that Pakistan’s minister of health, Nadeem Jan, is with us, and we look forward to hearing more about this from him.

    It is clear there is a great deal of expertise and determination in this room, so let us use this session, and this summit, to inspire each other to reach greater heights, save lives, and build a healthier future for the world’s children.

    Thank you very much indeed.

  • David Cameron – 2023 Speech to the Global Food Security Summit

    David Cameron – 2023 Speech to the Global Food Security Summit

    The speech made by David Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, in London on 20 November 2023.

    Thank you ladies and gentleman and thank you Andrew. A week into my new job and I am delighted this is my first speaking engagement because it is an issue that really matters.

    Thank you to Andrew Mitchell for bringing us here. Thank you to the Somalian President who I met with this morning for his attendance today and thank you to the UAE, our friends in the Emirates for being our co-hosts. And an apology, I am meant to be teaching a course in Abu Dhabi at New York University in January and I’ve had to cancel that because of my new role but I was very much looking forward to another stay in your remarkable country.

    And of course thank you to the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their support. It is so good to be back working with you again on these sorts of issues that matter so much.

    This government has a proud record on development and I am proud of what we did on development and I am determined that we put development right back at the heart of our Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, it is so important.

    You have had a long day, with lots of speeches. I have had an extraordinary day going to the House of Lords, doing all the right things, and nodding and saying yes and all the rest of it. So I’ll go home and tell Mrs Cameron she is now Lady Cameron, she’s absolutely furious about that. That is what happened to me today but you have had a long day and had lots of speeches so I just want to make 4 simple points.

    The first is what you have been doing today and talking about today, food security, really matters. I believe in all the SDGs – indeed, I was part of the committee that helped do the original work drawing them up. I care about all of them, but food is foundational to all aspects of development.

    Without secure access to a nutritious diet, nothing can be achieved. And malnourished children can never fully develop their bodies and minds, and it robs them of their futures and it robs their societies of their potential.

    The number of people facing acute food insecurity is the highest it has been in years. And this is just the tip of what I have called a ‘silent crisis’, with a third of the world unable to afford a healthy diet.

    So I promise you this today – the UK will continue to lead efforts like this.

    Now it is great to speak after Minister Dias as Brazil takes on the G20 Presidency. As Prime Minister, I hosted with Brazil summits on Hunger and Nutrition for Growth in 2012 and 2013. Together, we galvanised global action. It was more money invested in better outcomes and that’s what needed again.

    Second, this is an absolutely critical moment. Not just because this silent crisis is growing. But because we cannot separate it from other global crises.

    Putin’s illegal invasion brought this home, as he deliberately sought to rob us of one of the world’s great bread baskets. His cynicism was plain for all to see. He obstructed the Black Sea Grain Initiative. He then walked away from it. He then tried to destroy the very supplies that the world needs.

    But I saw for myself, in Ukraine, in the Port of Odessa, there is good news. Ukraine is pushing Russia back in the Black Sea. And with the new Unity Facility between UK insurance brokers and the government in Kyiv, shipping insurance for their food exports is affordable once more.

    So let the message go out. Ships are sailing, grain is being exported, Ukraine will continue to help feed us all.

    Third point, there is a vital link between food security and development, on the one hand, and the problem of state fragility and conflict on the other.

    Of course, farmers can farm, traders can trade, but without the rule of law, without property and land rights, without peace, without trusted institutions, you cannot get your product to market.

    That’s why it’s time to change the way we do development. That is what Andrew Mitchell’s excellent white paper published today is all about. It captures how Britain will help do this in the future. No more top-down targets that set up fragile states to fail. Instead working with them to make sure we back their priorities, help them deliver, help them to tell the story to their people about what they are doing to bring their countries to security and prosperity.

    We will work as partners on strategies and plans which developing countries can own and deliver.  We will push to unlock the full potential of development finance. I want us to watch as all those multilateral development banks look at their balance sheets and work out what more they can lend and we work with them to get that money into development, into the poorest countries and helping the poorest people.

    Finally, my fourth point – a note of optimism.

    We can tackle this problem. With innovation and technology, we are capable of feeding all the people on our planet. It can be done. We have the technology. We must bring it to bare.

    The Soviet writer Ilya Ehrenburg wrote of the victims of the Holodomor in Ukraine: “not one of them was guilty of anything”. And what was true then is true now.

    Today, we have heard from the experts. We have heard about the tools. We have seen the commitment we need to realise Zero Hunger.

    And I can tell you this, the United Kingdom, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office will be with you every step of the way as we do so.

    Thank you.

  • David Cameron – 2023 Comments on His Appointment as Foreign Secretary

    David Cameron – 2023 Comments on His Appointment as Foreign Secretary

    The comments made by David Cameron on 13 November after being appointed as Foreign Secretary.

    The Prime Minister has asked me to serve as his Foreign Secretary and I have gladly accepted. We are facing a daunting set of international challenges, including the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East. At this time of profound global change, it has rarely been more important for this country to stand by our allies, strengthen our partnerships and make sure our voice is heard.

    While I have been out of front-line politics for the last seven years, I hope that my experience – as Conservative Leader for eleven years and Prime Minister for six – will assist me in helping the Prime Minister to meet these vital challenges. Britain is a truly international country. Our people live all over the world and our businesses trade in every corner of the globe. Working to help ensure stability and security on the global stage is both essential and squarely in our national interest. International security is vital for our domestic security.

    Though I may have disagreed with some individual decisions, it is clear to me that Rishi Sunak is a strong and capable Prime Minister, who is showing exemplary leadership at a difficult time. I want to help him to deliver the security and prosperity our country needs and be part of the strongest possible team that serves the United Kingdom and that can be presented to the country when the General Election is held. I believe in public service. That is what first motivated me to get involved in politics in the 1980s, to work in government in the 1990s, become a Member of Parliament in the 2000s and put myself forward as Party Leader and Prime Minister.

    The UK’s Foreign Office, our Diplomatic Service, our Intelligence Services and our Aid and Development capabilities are some of the finest assets of their kind anywhere in the world. I know from my time in office that they are staffed by brilliant, patriotic and hard-working people. They have been well led by James Cleverly, with whom I look forward to working in his vital new role.

    It will be an honour to serve our country alongside our dedicated FCDO staff and provide the continued leadership and support that they deserve.

  • Will Quince – 2023 Speech at ASEAN Conference

    Will Quince – 2023 Speech at ASEAN Conference

    The speech made by Will Quince, the Minister for Health and Secondary Care, at the ASEAN Conference on 2 November 2023.

    Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, your Excellencies, our friends from South-East Asia.

    I’d like to let you all in on a little secret – being the Minister responsible for Global Health is one of my favourite parts of the job.

    Partially because I’m asked to attend receptions in beautiful rooms like these, which I must confess, are slightly nicer than what I’m used to!

    But also because it’s a real privilege to meet with our partners from across the globe.

    And today, I’m delighted to welcome the Secretary General of ASEAN, on his first visit to the UK.

    Your Excellency, your visit comes at a vital time. We stand at the dawn of a new partnership between ASEAN and the UK.

    In 2021, the UK became ASEAN’s first new dialogue partner in a quarter of a century. And since then, our relationship has continued to grow in confidence and in strength, because we share a vision of a free, open and stable Indo-Pacific region, governed by the rule of law.

    And the UK wants to play the fullest possible role in advancing that vision, drawing on the best of British expertise in finance, regulation, and healthcare. That’s why we applied to join the ASEAN Regional Forum.

    And it’s why we’re committed to working with ASEAN to meet the challenges of the 21st century, from climate change to global health, and harnessing AI’s potential.

    Your Excellency, I hope you’ve witnessed the UK commitment to our cooperation throughout your visit. I know you’ve have met with our Deputy Prime Minister. You have visited Oxford University, and tomorrow you will open the London Stock Exchange.

    As I can see in the room tonight, our leading scientific minds and industry partners are committed to finding solutions.

    Not just to current health challenges, but also those facing future generations – from pandemics to the impact of a changing climate on our health systems.

    As a health minister, I’ve got a front row seat to see the benefits our joint efforts will deliver for our people.

    I know investing in global health research isn’t just good for my country – it benefits the peoples of South-East Asia, and the world.

    And we all know it’s the only way we’ll prevent the next global health crisis.

    That’s why since 2016, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research has joined forces with 27 institutions across South-East Asia, funding over £86m in critical health research.

    The UK’s Newton Fund has supported over 70 research teams to conduct crucial research on strategic areas like antimicrobial resistance, meningitis and COVID-19.

    And through the Fleming Fund, my department has invested £265m, supporting countries around the globe to generate, share, and use data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

    I’m proud this is the world’s single largest aid investment in AMR surveillance.

    It will continue to bolster our partnership with at least four ASEAN member states.

    But this is just the beginning. Today, I’m proud to announce we’re investing more than £30m of aid in four new vaccine manufacturing research hubs through the UK Vaccine Network.

    This will build partnerships between British universities and global vaccine developers.

    And that includes creating a dedicated UK-South East Asia Vaccine Manufacturing Hub, in a partnership between the University of Sheffield and twelve ASEAN partner institutions.

    So that if another pandemic strikes, lifesaving vaccines will be more readily available across South-East Asia and the world.

    And that’s not all. We’re also working closely with our friends in the Secretariat to develop a new programme: the ASEAN-UK Health Security Partnership.

    This will bring the full force of our expertise to bear in tackling shared global health challenges.

    And there is no greater symbol of our friendship, than the nearly 36,000 nurses and midwives, and the several thousand doctors from ASEAN member states who are working in our National Health Service.

    I pay tribute to their decades of dedicated service. And in recognition of that service, we’re giving leadership development opportunities to healthcare staff working in the UK and across ASEAN, through NHS England’s Global Fellowship Programme.

    With their help, together, we’ll build the resilient and inclusive health systems we need, to save lives across the world.

    Your Excellency, the measures we’re announcing today will help our countries tackle future pandemics, boost research into vaccines, and reduce deaths from infectious diseases.

    And I hope you return to the region, safe in the knowledge our partnership will go from strength to strength from here. Thank you.

  • George Freeman – 2023 Speech at ASEAN Conference

    George Freeman – 2023 Speech at ASEAN Conference

    The speech made by George Freeman, the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, in London on 2 November 2023.

    Welcome

    Your Excellency, Secretary General to ASEAN, I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the deepening partnership between ASEAN and the UK.

    And thank you to our host this evening, Minister Quince.

    Tonight, let me share a few words on our science and technology partnership.

    AI Summit

    We are not shy about our plan to make the UK a science and technology superpower by 2030. In March we launched our roadmap – the UK Science and Technology Framework alongside £370 million to boost investment in innovation and seize the potential of new technologies like AI.

    Groundbreaking technologies like artificial intelligence have the potential to transform our societies and economies changing all our lives across the globe. It’s why, this week, the UK is hosting the AI Safety Summit – to set a new path for collective international action to navigate the opportunities and risks of frontier AI.

    Complex issues like this demand international dialogue. That is why relationships like UK-ASEAN are so important. And I am pleased we have Science and Technology Ministers from a number of ASEAN Member States here in the UK this week at the Summit. We must continue this close collaboration.

    UK-ASEAN

    Our Science and Technology partnership with ASEAN continues to grow. Just 2 weeks ago we held the first ASEAN-UK dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation in the Philippines. And over the next year we will continue to work with the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation, focusing on AI and Engineering Biology as the technologies of tomorrow. This activity is just part of how we are delivering against the ASEAN – UK Plan of Action. We are committed to encouraging cooperation between our Science and Technology communities. A community which is so well represented here tonight.

    International Science Partnerships Fund

    I am happy to announce that our International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) will invest £337 million over the next 2 years in collaborations to tackle the existential challenges facing the world – from climate change, to pandemics, to the global race to harness the power and potential of emerging technologies.

    Of this, the UK government has committed £218 million to partnerships with low and middle-income countries to support sustainable development.

    The fund puts research and innovation at the heart of our international relationships. And I’m delighted about the partnerships that this fund will bolster with ASEAN Member States.

    ISPF directs government investment and effort into the science and research issues that really matter. It builds partnerships based on excellence to share knowledge and research infrastructure, cultivate strong diplomatic ties, promote global standards and values, and foster mobile talent in Southeast Asia and in the UK.

    Just a few examples include:

    • UKRI is proposing to allocate £21 million to support collaborative research on infectious diseases of relevance to Southeast Asia with epidemic and AMR potential. And early-stage discussions are taking place with potential partners in the region. The programme aims to establish a strong regional network of researchers, in partnership with the UK, on this subject of global health significance
    • BBSRC and NERC are scoping a £12 million programme focused on interdisciplinary approaches to enhance the sustainability and resilience of aquaculture systems in Southeast Asia
    • British Council is launching a £9 million programme, funding research collaboration on: Planet, Health, Tech, and Talent. For eligible research institutions in the UK and counterparts including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam
    • opportunities for early career researchers include a £2.5 million British Council fellowships programme, funding UK institutions to host researchers from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, providing a foundation to launch careers while enhancing research capacity in their home countries

    Wider announcements (FCDO)

    And ISPF is not the only programme that benefits our science and technology partnership with ASEAN.

    We have 10 new UK-ASEAN Scholarships for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). And, next year, we will launch a new ASEAN Chevening Scholarships Programme.

    Colleagues in the FCDO have launched, with the ASEAN Secretariat, a £1 million Research and Innovation for Development (RIDA) initiative to harness innovation and support low-income and vulnerable populations across ASEAN. This initiative will support partnerships between researchers and industry based in the UK and Southeast Asia. Partnerships which will develop and scale novel innovations on health, climate and energy.

    And last month the UK announced an additional £2 million to the ASEAN-Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The Innovate for Food and Nutrition Security programme will build resilience and sustainability of agriculture and food systems in ASEAN.

    We have already built strong science partnerships across ASEAN with the support of our Newton Fund and Global Challenges Research Fund. From cyclone prediction to engineering high-yielding breeds of rice, our research partnerships with our friends in ASEAN Member States are already bearing fruit. But it is clear there is so much more we can do.

    Your Excellency, Ambassadors, Business Leaders, Academics, Colleagues – I am proud to be here tonight, bringing together UK expertise, our thought leaders, our influential private sector – with one of fastest growing, most dynamic regions in the world. I look forward to the many exciting partnerships we will build together.