The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 May 2026.
Opening remarks by Minister Elmore at the Voices of Civic Leadership plenary on Day 1 of the Global Partnerships Conference.
Thank you for having me.
What brings us together today is a simple idea – that development works best when people have power over the decisions that shape their lives.
As we have heard in the previous session, for decades, countries and communities have called to lead their own development, yet progress has been slow and uneven. This conference is a chance to change that.
And we know what works.
When solutions are shaped locally, they are more effective, more trusted, and more likely to last.
That matters more than ever as development shifts and changes.
We’re working in a world of rising inequality, declining trust, and shrinking civic space.
No single actor can tackle that alone.
The answer lies instead in genuine partnership, built on mutual respect, mutual accountability, mutual interest and mutual learning.
The previous plenary highlighted how partnerships between countries can help them shape their own development paths.
But achieving tangible impact on the ground simply isn’t possible without a strong and vibrant civil society.
That’s why today I am pleased to announce on this panel a new programme called ‘Partnering with Civil Society’…
…through which we will invest almost £40m over the next six years.
And alongside this, the UK is committing £21 million over the next three years to support LGBT+ organisations, and those working with them, especially in the most challenging environments.
This is about doing things differently: taking a whole system approach to strengthen the resilience of civil society.
We will deliver better outcomes for local organisations by inviting in networks to lead, coordinate and collaborate.
And over time, this will reduce reliance on external funding by building stronger, more resilient systems.
Put simply, this is about shifting power.
The Partnering programme will build on the UK’s Civil Society Covenant launched last year, which set out a clear principle – that civil society is not an add-on, but central to stronger economies, better decisions, and real accountability.
And it means changing how we work.
Making us more flexible with funding…
More decisions made locally…
Less top-down delivery…
And stronger accountability to the communities which NGOs serve.
But the new Partnering programme is just one step.
The two plenaries this afternoon, and this Conference more widely, is about moving beyond commitments to delivery.
That’s why I’m delighted we have such a distinguished and diverse panel to explore how locally-led action can strengthen systems, build legitimacy, and deliver change at scale.
And I’m also delighted that the panel will be expertly moderated by Aidan, CEO of the Open Government Partnership. Something I’m looking forward to is taking on the role of co-chair in the coming year, we’re looking forward to working closely with Aidan and OGP members – bringing countries, local governments and civil society together to drive openness and accountability.
Because ultimately, fundamentally this comes down to one question – how do we turn the idea of shifting power into real change on the ground?
That’s the challenge for all of us today, and I look forward to working with you to tackle it together.