Tag: 2024

PRESS RELEASE : Government to help more black cab drivers go green with further funding support [February 2024]
The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 21 February 2024.

Plug-in Taxi Grant provides funding of £6,000 per electric taxi vehicle and is extended until April 2025.
- Plug-in Taxi Grant extended until April 2025 at a rate of £6,000 per vehicle
- funding has been a success so far, with over £50 million provided to support the purchase of over 9,000 taxis – backing skilled British jobs
- the switch to electric is well underway, with over half of London’s taxis now being zero emission
More green taxis will take to the UK’s roads thanks to an extension to the Plug-in Taxi Grant announced today (21 February 2024), following its initial success.

Cab drivers will be able to keep up momentum through extended funding until 5 April 2025 at a rate of £6,000 per vehicle, providing certainty to those who are looking to make the switch to electric in the next year.

Since its introduction in 2017, the Plug-in Taxi Grant has been met with enthusiasm, providing more than £50 million to support the purchase of over 9,000 zero emission cabs – supporting skilled British jobs in the car industry and helping to decarbonise the taxi fleet.

As a result of the grant driving change in industry, over 54% (8,299) of London’s licensed taxis are now electric, with the number of electric taxis increasing by 24% in the last year alone as more drivers utilise government funding.

Technology and Decarbonisation Minister, Anthony Browne, said:

Taxis are a vital part of our transport network, so it’s great to be supporting our iconic black cab industry with further funding to help decarbonise their vehicles, part of this government’s plan to back drivers.

From Redbridge to White City, it’s now more likely than ever that your black cab will be green, with the majority of taxis sold in London now being electric. The grant has been a huge success so far, and I’m pleased our funding will be continued for another year to help cabbies make the switch to new vehicles.

The electric taxi market has grown rapidly since the grant’s introduction, with sales overtaking the number of diesel taxis sold in London in 2022, marking a milestone for the sector. Nationally, more than one in ten (12%) taxis are now zero emission capable.

The government is continuing to target incentives where they have the most impact while delivering value for money for the taxpayer, which is why a reduced grant level of £6,000 has been chosen to support the market as it matures further.

Chris Allen, Managing Director at London EV Company said:

Today’s announcement is a positive signal to the taxi trade that the government remains committed to supporting the electrification of our iconic industry and provides important support for drivers for another 12 months.

LEVC is continually innovating to deliver the latest in clean, accessible mobility solutions. We will continue to work with government to deliver for drivers and passengers across the UK.

Steve McNamara, General Secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association said:

London’s licensed taxi drivers are proud to be leading the way in adopting zero emission electric taxis. Our members have invested record sums in these clean, green vehicles and the PiTG has played a vital role in making this possible.

Today’s announcement provides the certainty and support hard working taxi drivers and fleets need to continue investing in the future of this important sector and delivering the high-quality, accessible service London’s iconic black cabs are known for, all whilst helping to clean up our air and working towards net zero.

Since 2011 the government has provided over £1.9 billion in grant funding to decarbonise our roads, supporting the purchase of over 350,000 zero emission vehicles.

These measures follow the department’s recent announcement that the rollout of EV chargepoints is being accelerated through our Plan for Drivers. There are now over 55,000 public chargepoints across the country, with the number of chargepoints rising 46% over the last year.

Grants are also available to help the transition through the government’s workplace charging scheme (WCS) for businesses and schools, as well as people in flats and rented accommodation through the electric vehicle chargepoint grant.

In addition, the on-street residential chargepoint scheme is open to all UK local authorities, while £381 of Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding is already being delivered to English local authorities.
March 5, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : UK and Jordan drop life-saving aid to Gaza hospital [February 2024]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 21 February 2024.

The UK and Jordan have worked together to deliver aid by air to Tal Al-Hawa Hospital in northern Gaza.
- joint air-drop delivers life-saving aid to Tal Al-Hawa Hospital in northern Gaza
- vital supplies provided, including essential medicines, fuel and food for patients and staff
- Foreign Secretary reiterates call for an immediate pause in fighting to get more aid into Gaza
The UK and Jordan have air-dropped life-saving aid to a hospital in northern Gaza.

The UK-funded consignment of aid, delivered by the Jordanian Air Force, was dropped earlier today into the Tal Al-Hawa Hospital in northern Gaza.

Four tonnes of vital supplies were provided in the air-drop, including medicines, fuel, and food for hospital patients and staff. The Tal al-Hawa Hospital, set up by the Jordanian Armed Forces, is located in Gaza City and has treated thousands of patients since the start of the crisis.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron said:

We have worked closely with our Jordanian partners to get these life-saving supplies directly to the Tal Al-Hawa Hospital in northern Gaza.

Thousands of patients will benefit and the fuel will enable this vital hospital to continue its life saving work.

However, the situation in Gaza is desperate and significantly more aid is needed – and fast. We are calling for an immediate humanitarian pause to allow additional aid into Gaza as quickly as possible and bring hostages home.

Earlier this week, the UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation to procure and deliver £1 million worth of UK aid to Gaza, including the critical medicine and fuel included in this flight.

Secretary-General of the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO), Dr Hussein Shabli, said:

We welcome this partnership with the UK to provide life-saving aid to those who need it most in Gaza. We thank our UK partners for working with us and we will continue to work with them on getting aid into Gaza for as long as its needed.

The Jordanian Armed Forces flight departed earlier today from King Abdullah II Air Base, with the aid being dispatched with ‘J-pad’ GPS trackers to ensure it reached the hospitals safely. The Foreign Secretary’s Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Mark Bryson-Richardson, was in Amman to finalise the details of the airdrop.

The UK has trebled our aid commitment to the Occupied Palestinian territories this financial year and we are doing everything we can to get more aid in and open more crossings, including calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out.

Humanitarian needs are particularly acute for people remaining in northern Gaza. A report issued on 20 February by UNICEF and WFP noted that 1 in 6 children under 2 years old in northern Gaza are acutely malnourished.
March 5, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : The United Kingdom urges the Government of Central African Republic to ensure all parties are included in the peace process: UK statement at the UN Security Council [February 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 21 February 2024.

Statement by Alternate Political Coordinator Laura Dix at the UN Security Council meeting on Central African Republic.

Thank you, President and SRSG Rugwabiza for your briefing this morning. I’ll make three points.

First, the United Kingdom welcomes the achievements that have come from closer cooperation between MINUSCA and the Central African Republic authorities, following the Council’s reprioritisation of the Mission’s tasks. Commitments by CAR to establish human rights mechanisms to implement the Political Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation, and prepare for local elections this year, provide a basis for lasting security and prosperity. It is important that the Central African Republic authorities, with the support of MINUSCA, deliver on these commitments.

The United Kingdom urges the Government of Central African Republic to ensure all parties are included in the peace process and in local elections, and fulfil the decentralisation provisions of the Political Agreement. MINUSCA’s good offices role remains central, as ensuring inclusive dialogue at the national and local levels is the only way to address the root causes of conflict.

Second, security in Central African Republic will not come through the wrong partners. The Wagner Group’s human rights abuses against civilians threaten to cause prolonged insecurity and undo MINUSCA’s achievements. There must be accountability for all human rights abuses no matter who commits them. And to that end, the UK requests MINUSCA to ensure its annual human rights reports are shared in a timely manner.

Third, we emphasise that MINUSCA remains central to the pursuit of peace and stability in Central African Republic, and pay tribute to the UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the pursuit of this mission. The effectiveness of MINUSCA depends on strong cooperation with the Government of Central African Republic, including by ensuring freedom of movement for its unmanned aerial vehicles. MINUSCA’s Strategic Review should focus on how the Mission can further prepare for a sustainable transition once conditions are met.

President, the United Kingdom remains committed to working with the Central African Republic authorities to support the people of the Central African Republic achieve long-term stability and prosperity.

Thank you.

March 5, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Baroness Neville-Rolfe’s speech at the Counter Fraud Conference 2024 [February 2024]

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 21 February 2024.

Cabinet Office Minister Baroness Neville Rolfe addressed the Counter Fraud Conference 2024 at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.

Last year I posed a question. What are we missing in our fight to protect taxpayers’ hard-earned money from the crime of fraud?

A crime that puts billions of pounds of taxpayer money at risk.

Since 2021 the government has invested £1bn to tackle fraud, and we continue to up our ambition and go even further.

Today I want to talk about the progress we are making through this investment and how we are furthering our efforts, building new partnerships, and finding new ways to counter fraud.

There is no silver bullet to countering fraud. We must prevent fraud where we can, mitigate risks, uncover fraud where it happens, and pursue those responsible.

And we know that while developments in technology are helping us to find new innovative ways to tackle this crime, it is also enabling fraudsters to find new ways to target the public sector.

From the rise of deep fakes, to generative AI and large language models creating professional videos to defraud people and businesses of their money.

Fraudsters continue to target the public sector in new and surprising ways.

But we have been bold and ambitious in our response, with significant achievements to date.

Progress

Since we last met, the Public Sector Fraud Authority reported on its first full year in operation.

Across its first 12 months, the Public Sector Fraud Authority far surpassed its initial target to achieve £180m in savings, preventing and recovering instead a total of £311m.

We have been striving to find new and innovative ways to not only find and recover funds from fraud, but to bolster our ability to prevent fraud before it even happens.

Thanks to the recent development of the High Fraud Risk Portfolio, we are now starting to identify the areas of the public sector most at risk of fraud, enabling departments to better prioritise the allocation of counter fraud resources.

We have launched a new Risk, Threat and Prevention service. Allowing teams of experts to surge into departments at critical points, to scrutinise and improve oversight of spending, to ensure that fraudsters cannot profit from the public purse.

Tom Tugendhat in the Home Office is also making a huge push on tackling fraud against individuals and businesses with his Stop! Think Fraud Campaign and next month the first ever Global Fraud Summit.

The government has also introduced new laws, deterring those who wish to exploit the system and ensuring we go after those who benefit from this crime.

The Procurement Act will raise procurement standards by taking tougher action on fraud and corruption. Bodies convicted of certain fraud offences will not be able to bid for contracts unless they can show that they have taken appropriate action to ensure the situation leading to the conviction won’t occur again.

And The Online Safety Act imposes duties on online platforms to take stronger action on fraudulent advertising. It means they must take steps to mitigate the risks posed by online fraud and scams, if they don’t they could see their services blocked in the UK or fines of up to £18 million or ten per cent of annual turnover.

Technology and data partnerships

We are building new partnerships across and beyond the public sector to better harness the opportunities that technology and data provide us.

A key service run by the Public Sector Fraud Authority is the National Fraud Initiative, which collects and compares data sets from across the public sector. The Initiative is running a range of pilots across a number of fraud types.

And earlier this month I approved the retention of the debt and fraud powers of the Digital Economy Act.

These powers allow the sharing of data between public bodies and have resulted in more than 100 data sharing pilots across 70 local authorities and 17 government departments since 2018.

This has saved taxpayers £137 million since coming into force, including circa £99.5 million of fraud identified in ongoing Covid loan pilot and a further £5.1 million of fraud identified in companies’ “shadow accounts”.

We will also continue to reach beyond the public sector, collaborating with industry to make the most of cutting edge developments.

The benefits of this have already been seen through the partnership between the Public Sector Fraud Authority and UK based tech unicorn Quantexa, who I think are here today, and I visited them last year.

They are using a new AI platform to analyse millions of pieces of data, such as those from Companies House, to detect patterns to identify fraudsters and fraudulent activity.

International partnerships

Our international partners are facing many of the same challenges that we face at home.

The UK is a world leader in understanding, finding and stopping fraud against the public sector. However, we recognise that learning from our closest partners can only increase our resilience.

In September we hosted the International Public Sector Fraud Forum summit bringing together leaders from The Five Eyes to share best practices and to keep across new developments in fraud from around the world.

We have also further built upon the formal partnership between the Public Sector Fraud Authority and the Australian Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre, developing a secondment programme.

Currently, one of our own Public Sector Fraud Authority experts is in Australia developing a Fraud Loss Measurement Framework for the Australian Government.

We are also keen to learn from those beyond the Forum. Over the last few months the Public Sector Fraud Authority has hosted delegations from Malaysia and South Korea.

And tomorrow they will be meeting with counter fraud experts from the governments of Cyprus and Singapore.

People and Skills for the future

To find and fight fraud, we need the right people and the right skills at all levels. And we need them to be open to learning and looking beyond their own organisation to develop new approaches to countering fraud.

There are over 500 apprentices right across the UK in both central and local government who are being trained to counter fraud and boost fraud defences.

I met several earlier this month during National Apprenticeship Week.

We discussed a number of groundbreaking investigations they were working on.

A good example is the Department for Work and Pensions’ efforts to combat DNA fraud in Child Maintenance cases, where fraudsters have been known to use other people’s DNA to avoid maintenance payments.

Another is Brent Council’s work on tackling tenancy fraud through the National Fraud Initiative, detecting and preventing fraud – where tenants have another property or generous balances in their private bank accounts, but claim to be destitute.

The Public Sector Fraud Authority has also just launched the new Counter Fraud Leadership Programme with participants from a range of organisations including the NHS and National Highways.

This is aimed at senior civil servants, the programme will ensure that leaders have the knowledge and skills to build counter fraud capability within their organisations and departments. Designing counter fraud into public policy is a very important objective.

We now have 13,000 people working across the public sector on counter fraud. By bolstering capability at all levels, and increasing collaboration across the sector, like we’re doing today, we can ensure that we build an effective workforce for the future.

Before I close, I want to reiterate what has been a clear theme throughout the conference today.

No individual, single public body or department can solve this problem alone.

Those committing fraud will always try to find gaps to exploit the cracks in our defences.

And some are very clever and innovative.

Through collaboration and combining our efforts we can stop fraud at the source.

So I would like to finish my speech this year as I did when we met last year, by presenting a challenge to you all – How can you work with those outside your own organisation to improve the UK’s defences against fraud?

It is only if we are all supporting each other, that we will tackle public sector fraud.

I would like to thank you all for being here and for the work you do and extend a special thanks to PSFA CEO Mark Cheeseman and his great team, who I see several of here. I very much look forward to hearing about the progress of your partnerships in the year to come.

Thank you.

March 5, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : UK sanctions heads of Arctic penal colony where Alexei Navalny was killed [February 2024]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 21 February 2024.
- the UK has sanctioned 6 individuals heading up the penal colony where Alexei Navalny died on Friday after years of mistreatment by the Russian authorities
- sanctioned individuals will be subject to asset freezes and travel bans
- the UK calls for Mr Navalny’s body to be released to his family immediately and for a full and transparent investigation to take place
Those in charge of the Arctic penal colony where Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny was detained and killed will be banned from the UK and see their assets frozen under new sanctions announced by the Foreign Secretary today.

The sanctioned individuals include Vadim Konstantinovich Kalinin, who oversaw the brutal prison camp where Mr Navalny was kept in solitary confinement for up to 2 weeks at a time. Mr Navalny’s condition had deteriorated in his 3 years in prison. Mr Navalny suffered from being denied medical treatment, as well as having to walk in –32C weather while being held in the prison.

The UK is the first country to impose sanctions in response to the death of Mr Navalny, a political prisoner who dedicated his life to exposing the corruption of the Russian system, calling for free and open politics, and holding the Kremlin to account.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron said:

It’s clear that the Russian authorities saw Navalny as a threat and they tried repeatedly to silence him. FSB operatives poisoned him with Novichok in 2020, they imprisoned him for peaceful political activities, and they sent him to an Arctic penal colony. No-one should doubt the oppressive nature of the Russian system.

That’s why we’re today sanctioning the most senior prison officials responsible for his custody in the penal colony where he spent his final months. Those responsible for Navalny’s brutal treatment should be under no illusion – we will hold them accountable.

The following individuals are being sanctioned under the UK’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations for their responsibility for activity that violates the right not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and the right to life. Namely, they are responsible for the custody of Alexei Navalny in their positions as Head or Deputy Head of Arctic Penal Colony IK-3:
- Colonel Vadim Konstantinovich Kalinin: Head of IK-3 Arctic Penal Colony ‘Polar Wolf’
- Lieutenant Colonel Sergey Nikolaevich Korzhov: Deputy Head
- Lieutenant Colonel Vasily Alexandrovich Vydrin: Deputy Head
- Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Ivanovich Pilipchik: Deputy Head
- Lieutenant Colonel Aleksandr Vladimirovich Golyakov: Deputy Head
- Colonel Aleksandr Valerievich Obraztsov: Deputy Head
Following Mr Navalny’s death on Friday, the FCDO summoned a representative of the Russian government to make clear that Alexei Navalny’s death must be investigated fully and transparently, and those in the Russian regime responsible held to account.

Following news that Mr Navalny’s family is being denied access to his body, the UK is also calling for the Russian authorities to release his body to them immediately.

The Foreign Secretary will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Brazil today, where he will use the opportunity to call out Russia’s aggression and its global impact directly to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
March 5, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Foreign Secretary’s meeting with the Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs [February 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 21 February 2024.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron met the Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs Diana Mondino at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 21 February.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said:

The Foreign Secretary met the Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro today [21 February 2024].

It was a positive meeting, building on the Foreign Secretary’s discussion with President Milei at the World Economic Forum in January during which they agreed to embark on a new era of relations between Argentina and the UK. The Foreign Secretary and Foreign Minister Mondino agreed to take this forward by cooperating on areas of mutual interest, such as increased economic and trade links and youth mobility, as well as shared multilateral priorities.

The Foreign Secretary also welcomed Argentina’s unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. Both sides agreed to stand united in continuing to condemn the Russian government’s reprehensible actions, which are an egregious violation of international law and the UN Charter.

On the Falklands Islands, the Foreign Secretary reiterated the UK’s ongoing support for the Falkland Islanders’ right of self-determination. However, they noted that this would not prevent cooperation on areas that would be mutually beneficial.

March 5, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : The UK is deeply concerned at the worsening violence in eastern DRC: UK statement at the UN Security Council [February 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 February 2024.

Statement by Deputy Political Coordinator Thomas Phipps at the UN Security Council meeting on DRC.

Thank you, President, let me begin by thanking SRSG Keita for her comprehensive briefing today and for the ongoing and important work of MONUSCO and the bravery and commitment of its peacekeepers. I’d like to make four points today regarding the situation in DRC.

First, let me express the United Kingdom’s deep concern at the worsening violence in eastern DRC. We condemn in the strongest terms the UN-sanctioned M23 armed group’s continued advance. We call on external actors to end their support for violent armed groups in DRC, including M23. We encourage all parties to use their influence over the armed groups in eastern DRC to de-escalate tensions and to deliver a cessation of hostilities.

Second, let me join SRSG Keita in emphasising the importance of diplomatic dialogue, including through the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes. Its vital that parties meaningfully engage with these and take steps to de-escalate tensions, and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC.

Third, we note that UN peacekeepers are facing an increasingly dangerous environment. We urge parties to respect the Mission’s freedom of movement and we reiterate our condemnation of the recent attack on a MONUSCO helicopter in early February. Any attacks on civilians, MONUSCO peacekeepers, UN offices and diplomats are unacceptable. We support efforts to counter mis- and disinformation, which is detrimental to our collective efforts to support peace and reach a diplomatic solution.

Finally, I want to express the United Kingdom’s deep concern at the worsening humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC. Violence will just lead to further violence and pose a risk to regional security and stability. We urge all combatants, including regional forces, to respect international humanitarian law and to take active measures to reduce risks to civilians.

Dialogue is key and we urge all parties to come back to the table.

Thank you President.

March 5, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Councils to move further and faster against rogue building owners [February 2024]

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 20 February 2024.

Minister Lee Rowley met council chiefs to discuss action against building owners who are failing to fix medium and high-rise buildings with safety issues.

This week, the Minister for Housing and Building Safety, Lee Rowley, convened a round table of council chief executives to discuss the action they are taking against building owners who are failing to fix medium and high-rise buildings with known building safety issues in their area.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has provided over £8 million in funding to councils to boost enforcement teams. The Minister pressed councils to explain how this funding is being used to force rogue building owners to act.

The meeting follows successful legal action the Government, leaseholders and councils have taken in recent months against building owners to make sure vital safety work is carried out. The Government is playing its part, and the Minister stressed the vital role of councils in making sure building owners fix their unsafe buildings.

Minister for Building Safety Lee Rowley said:

Councils and fire and rescue services play a crucial role in making sure dangerous buildings get fixed when building owners are stalling. Lots of councils are already doing great work in this area but all councils need to take the appropriate action to protect residents and make sure those responsible for making homes safe do so without any further delay.

The warning to owners refusing fix their buildings is clear: get on with remediation or action will be taken against you.

Government legal action has forced Grey GR, a subsidiary of RailPen – an organisation that has failed to remediate a substantial number of buildings – to fix building safety issues at Galbraith House in Birmingham within 3 weeks, despite having known about the building safety defects for six years. The government is taking enforcement action covering six further Grey GR buildings with trials set to take place this year.

In addition to Grey GR, Wallace Estates, which has consistently failed to fix building safety defects, has now accepted remediation orders brought by the Government covering four buildings. This provides much-needed certainty for approximately 400 leaseholders by committing the company to dates for the completion of work.

This January the First-tier Tribunal issued a remediation order against Wallace Estates, following an application by leaseholders in Croydon. Wallace Estates were ordered to fix their unsafe building by May 2025, and were criticised for not acting fast enough to remediate defects they knew were present. In all five orders issued under the Building Safety Act to date, the First-tier Tribunal has ordered building owners to get on with fixing, or paying to fix, their unsafe buildings.

Today, council leaders discussed action they are taking using legal powers, including hearing from representatives from Newham Council who have prosecuted a building owner for delays in removing dangerous cladding – a significant step forward in the fight to protect residents from unsafe cladding.

Where remediation is not progressing, building owners should expect to face robust enforcement action from regulators – including councils – with the full support of Government behind them. This commitment is underlined in the Government’s joint statement with building safety bodies on enforcing the remediation of fire safety defects.

March 5, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Statement of the Iraq Economic Contact Group of the G7, European Union and World Bank [February 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 February 2024.

January 2024 statement of the Iraq Economic Contact Group of the G7, European Union and World Bank, welcoming the government’s continued commitment to economic reform.

The Iraq Economic Contact Group (IECG) welcomes the government’s continued commitment to economic reform and stimulating private sector growth. The last semester witnessed important steps forward, such as the concrete initiative to reform public banking sector with the launch of an advisory firm-led review, Iraq’s finalised accession to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the holding of the PPP and Iraq Tax Reform Conference, active participation in COP 28 and the launch of the first Iraqi sovereign wealth fund, the Iraq Fund for Development (IFD).

However, while the path to reform is long, the IECG will support Iraq through these endeavours, which would be transformational for the Iraqi economy. On January 1st, Italy and the United States passed on the IECG co-chair to France and the United Kingdom, which will shape the IECG’s work in the first half of 2024. Under the incoming co-chairs, the IECG will continue to stand with Iraq on its path towards sustainable and inclusive economic development. More specifically, the Group will pursue its support to the government’s ambitious reform programmes, especially the banking sector, public finance management and private sector development.

The IECG’s areas of focus during this period will be as follows:

Financial Sector Reform

Supporting diversification and modernisation of Iraq’s banking sector, especially in view of Iraq’s ongoing evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), in close collaboration with the government and Central Bank of Iraq. This will require increasing compliance with international standards, strengthening links with international banks, countering money laundering, and promoting the role of private banks and insurance providers. We welcome the government’s and Central Bank’s work on state-owned bank reform, banking sector modernisation and improving governance around commercial banking; and e-payments (which will facilitate formalisation of the economy).

Public Financial Management

The three-year Budget Law sets out Iraq’s medium-term economic vision and strategy. However, against the backdrop of uncertain oil prices prospects, fiscal policy has to be sustainable, while preserving investment for future growth and targeted social spending to help the most vulnerable. This would require mobilising additional non-oil revenue, containing the government’s wage bill and reforming the pension system. In this context, the IECG welcome the government’s continued plans to strengthen public financial management including steps towards the establishment of a Treasury Single Account (TSA) and an Integrated Finance Management Information System (IFMIS). We support the government steer on modernising customs in Iraq by facilitating the roll-out of UNCTAD’s Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA), which will be a game-changer in customs processing in Iraq while improving tax collection and the ease of doing business.

Private Sector Development

A dynamic and inclusive private sector is key to create the millions of jobs that will be needed in the coming decades and contribute to Iraq’s growth and stability. The IECG will continue supporting the Iraqi government in its efforts to foster Iraq’s business environment, diversify the economy and reduce oil dependency. This includes, inter alia, improving business regulation, digitalisation, access to finance for businesses and strengthening anti-corruption mechanisms. These efforts will help build resilience, particularly when it comes to creating equal and meaningful economic opportunities for Iraqi women and youth. The IECG welcomes the launch of the Iraq Fund for Development, which has the potential to make significant contributions to rebuilding Iraq’s human capital, developing the private sector and strengthening Iraq’s climate resilience.

Finally, the IECG welcomes the recent meetings of His Excellency Prime Minister Sudani with international financial institutions in Davos earlier this year, including with the Managing Director of the IMF and the President of the World Bank. The IECG supports ongoing engagement with international financial institutions which can provide valuable technical expertise, including the World Bank, IMF and EBRD. The IECG will also support the work to create conditions for a final understanding on the Framework Agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB). These financial institutions will also support Iraq to implement its priorities, for example during the upcoming IMF annual consultation with the Government of Iraq. Comprised of donors and partners, the IECG sees itself well-positioned to facilitate Iraq’s engagement with these institutions and to advocate for multilateral support to Iraq’s fiscal and economic reform agenda.

As friends and partners of Iraq, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the World Bank, look forward to pursue their collaboration with the Government of Iraq to support common goals, through regular dialogue at both the political and technical level.

March 5, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : The UK is calling for an immediate suspension in fighting to get aid in and hostages out of Gaza: UK statement at the UN Security Council [February 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 February 2024.

Explanation of vote by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Gaza.

Thank you President, we want to see the fighting in Gaza end as soon as possible in a way that never again allows Hamas to carry out the appalling terrorist attacks against Israel we saw on the 7th of October last year.

Palestinian civilians are facing a devastating humanitarian crisis. We are particularly worried about the situation in Rafah, where a military operation could have appalling consequences for civilians sheltering there with nowhere else to go. Ongoing negotiations are critical to secure the release of the hostages held in Gaza.

We are calling for an immediate suspension in fighting to get aid in and hostages out, leading to a permanent, sustainable ceasefire.

That means the release of all hostages; the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package; removing Hamas’s capacity to launch attacks against Israel; Hamas no longer in charge of Gaza; and, a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.

President, we welcome the efforts of our Algerian colleagues on this resolution, and we regret that some of our proposals were not taken on board.

Simply calling for a ceasefire as this resolution does, will not make it happen. Indeed, as it could endanger the hostage negotiations, it could actually make a ceasefire less likely. The way to stop the fighting, and potentially stop it from restarting, is to begin with a pause to get hostages out and aid in, that is what we are calling for. It could end the fighting now.

We will continue to work to stop fighting. A humanitarian response at scale. The release of all hostages. And the delivery of the two sovereign states of Israel and Palestine that ensures peace, security and justice for both nations.

March 5, 2024