Tag: 2022

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 November 2022.

• The support will help with essential repairs to critical energy infrastructure following ongoing Russian attacks,and will reconnect households and key facilities to power supply.
• The UK is the largest donor to the Fund so far, along with sending hospital generators and a financial guarantee for Ukraine’s state-owned energy provider.

Ukraine will have further UK support to keep the lights on across the country and repair energy infrastructure damaged by Russian attacks, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced today.

The UK is so far the biggest donor to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. This latest funding will provide specialised energy equipment to keep critical national infrastructure up and running – a priority request from the Government of Ukraine.

Since October 2022, Russia has carried out widespread missile and drone strikes, particularly targeting Ukraine’s power supplies. More than 40% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including transmission lines, power stations and pipelines, has been damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks. This has left millions of Ukrainians across the country living without electricity or experiencing rolling blackouts.

Recently the UK has also provided £7 million for over 850 generators so that vital facilities, such as hospitals, have power and a further £5 million for safety and security equipment for the civil nuclear sector. In addition, the UK has put up a $50 million guarantee for financing for Ukraine’s state-owned energy provider, Ukrenergo, through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development which will help Ukraine continue to supply electricity to its citizens.

The Foreign Secretary is due to sign the agreement today with Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, alongside Energy Community Secretariat Deputy Director Dirk Buschle, to transfer the first £5 million of the UK’s £10 million commitment to the Energy Community’s Ukraine Energy Support Fund.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

Russia’s attacks on vital infrastructure show that Putin is resorting to desperate measures. But even in the face of missile attacks and blackouts, the resolve of the Ukrainian people remains unbroken.

The Government of Ukraine said it needed specialised energy equipment to repair critical national infrastructure, and the UK is delivering on their request.

The UK has made the largest donation to date to this Fund. We need all partners to step up their support and show Putin that his attempts to destroy Ukraine will be met with fierce resistance.

Ukrainian Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko said:

Russia is trying to break us by shelling the energy infrastructure to leave Ukrainians on the eve of winter without heat and light. These days the support of international partners is more important than ever.

UK has been helping Ukraine’s energy sector since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Today it is making a significant contribution to the Energy Support Fund.

This will make it possible to purchase the necessary equipment for our energy companies, which is difficult to do as a part of humanitarian aid.

Many thanks to our British partners and the Energy Community Secretariat for the help in the fight against Russia on the energy front.

The private sector also has an important role in supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction. That’s why the Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps is issuing a call to action to UK industry today to consider supplying emergency energy equipment, such as power generators, transformers, and cables-wires and connectors.

Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps said:

We cannot stand by and watch millions of innocent Ukrainian citizens continue to suffer due to barbaric Russian air strikes. Today’s intervention from the UK Government will be critical in helping to get Ukraine’s power back up and running.

But this alone simply won’t suffice. In Ukraine’s hour of need, I call on the generosity of the UK industry to join the Government in donating emergency energy equipment and resources through the Energy Support Fund. This will help rebuild what has been damaged by Putin’s illegal invasion as we continue to stand with the people of Ukraine.

The Department for International Trade is also working with relevant UK trade associations and Ukrainian energy companies to identify areas where UK expertise and equipment can be provided to help with vital maintenance of Ukraine’s energy supply infrastructure.

The Director of the Energy Community Secretariat, Artur Lorkowski, said:

With hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian families without electricity, heating and hot water as winter sets in, support to Ukraine is needed more than ever. The Ukraine Energy Support Fund is a transparent and efficient vehicle for international donors seeking to help Ukraine repair and rebuild its energy infrastructure which has been brutally damaged by Russia.

The donation of the United Kingdom is a great show of solidarity and will bring essential aid to Ukraine by allowing the purchase of much needed tools and critical equipment needed to restore essential electricity and gas services to Ukrainian citizens.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 November 2022.

• The UK is again contributing to the Global Fund to help fight three of the deadliest diseases around the world
• The UK’s funding will save lives through prevention of and treatment for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria and strengthening health systems
• The UK remains the third largest ever donor to the Global Fund

New UK aid support to the Global Fund will help fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria around the world, Minister for Development Andrew Mitchell announced today (Monday 14 November).

As a founding supporter of the Global Fund, the UK is its third largest ever donor, having contributed £4.4 billion since its inception. The Global Fund has saved 50 million lives since it was set up by the G7 in 2002.

In 2021 alone, the Global Fund provided 23 million people with lifesaving antiretroviral therapy for HIV and 5.3 million with TB treatment and care. It also treated 148 million cases of malaria and helped distribute 133 million mosquito nets to protect families from malaria.

The UK is providing £1 billion over 3 years to the Global Fund, which will help save more than one million lives around the world and pay for interventions to help a much larger number of people stay safe.

From this new commitment:

• 2 million people with HIV will receive antiretroviral therapy
• More than 1 million people will receive TB treatment and care
• 86 million mosquito nets will be distributed to protect children and families from malaria
• Over 28 million new infections or cases across the three diseases will be avoided by diagnosing and treating those already infected to prevent further spread and supporting prevention services such as mosquito nets
• Health systems will be strengthened which will help with pandemic preparedness

Minister for Development Andrew Mitchell said:

The UK and others founded the Global Fund because we refused to accept the loss of millions of lives every year to preventable and treatable diseases.

Countries with better health systems and healthier people are more likely to be stable and prosperous and this fund gives hope and opportunity to millions who would otherwise suffer. Malaria kills a child nearly every minute of every day. These are wholly preventable deaths, and the UK is dedicated to preventing them.

Executive Director of the Global Fund Peter Sands said:

We are incredibly grateful to the United Kingdom for this renewed commitment to accelerate progress toward ending HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, and strengthening health and community systems everywhere.

Over the past 20 years, British taxpayer support has helped save 50 million lives. The UK’s new £1 billion pledge is instrumental to helping us save millions more lives, get back on track following the reversals from COVID-19, and strengthen global health security.

Pledges for the Global Fund are just one element of the UK’s efforts to strengthen global health. We are the largest donor to Gavi’s core mission to save lives and protect people by increasing access to vaccines and we hosted the CEPI replenishment this year which raised $1.5 billion to reduce vaccine development time.

Through innovative technology, the UK is harnessing new developments to boost global health in the long term. For example, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has funded Liverpool-based Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) to create a new generation of bed nets, which kill mosquitoes resistant to traditional insecticides. To date, their innovations have averted an estimated 27 million malaria cases, especially in children.