Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 June 2023.

The UK Minister for Development and Minister for International Trade commit to strengthen trade and increase investment in Ghana at the UK-Ghana Business Council.

• 8th UK-Ghana Business Council convenes in London to boost £2.2bn trade relationship
• UK-Ghana Investor Group launched to identify new investment opportunities and support Ghana’s economic recovery plan
• Council announces £1m to back new business and energy programmes in Ghana

The UK and Ghana have today (Thursday 8 June) launched a new investor group to help identify mutually beneficial investment opportunities for both countries in a boost to the existing economic partnership.

The announcement at the 8th UK-Ghana Business Council meeting in London, co-chaired by the Minister for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, the Minister for International Trade, Nigel Huddleston, and the Vice-President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, comes as the two countries committed to strengthen trade and increase investment.

The business-led UK-Ghana Investor Group will include UK investors and key investment facilitation agencies in Ghana and the UK, and will help generate leads on viable projects in areas such as pharmaceuticals, textiles, and agro-processing, as well as providing support to package the projects and find UK investment.

Support for Ghana’s economic recovery from Covid was also announced, with £1 million of funding for developing infrastructure projects and increasing carbon markets.

Andrew Mitchell, Minister for Development and Africa said:

The economic partnership between the UK and Ghana is thriving, with ever increasing bilateral trade and our new investor group set to find fresh opportunities for businesses both here in the UK and Africa. By working together we are creating jobs and strengthening our historic trade links, to the benefit of both our economies.

The UK-Ghana Business Council session follows the first meeting of the Trade Partnership Agreement (TPA) Committee in April this year. The UK-Ghana TPA provides duty-free, quota-free access to the UK market for Ghanaian exports. Today, bilateral trade between the UK and Ghana is worth around £2.2 billion, with the trade in goods and services increasing by £778 million between 2021 and 2022.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Minister Huddleston said:

This Council has played a huge role in boosting trade with Ghana, supporting hundreds of millions of pounds worth of deals in various sectors, from textiles to agriculture.

I look forward to discussing how we can take our trading relationship to the next level and support Ghana’s economic recovery by strengthening supply chains and removing barriers to trade.

Since its formation in 2018 the Council has supported more than £223m of investment in infrastructure across the country and created opportunities for both UK and Ghanaian businesses.

Next April, London will host the 2024 UK-African Investment Summit, bringing together political and business leaders, as well as representatives of international and regional organisations from the UK and African countries, including Ghana, as a further boost to trade and investment.

Background

• The preferential tariff terms provided by the UK-Ghana TPA are instrumental in sustaining sectors like banana and tuna exports, for which the UK is a major market. 21% of Ghana’s bananas are exported to the UK. More here.
• Ghana is the UK’s fourth-biggest export market in sub-Saharan Africa, total UK imports from Ghana amounted to £1.3 billion in 2022.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 June 2023.

Minister of State for the Middle East Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon will set out the UK’s work to eradicate Daesh and support those affected by its terrorism.

• Minister will address the Global Coalition against Daesh ministerial-level meeting in Riyadh today
• he will outline the UK’s work to tackle the continued threat posed by Daesh and support people in north-east Syria and Iraq
• Lord Ahmad will then travel onto Istanbul, the first visit to Turkey by a UK government Minister since President Erdogan’s re-election

The Minister of State for the Middle East will attend the annual Global Coalition against Daesh ministerial-level meeting in Riyadh today and reaffirm the UK’s commitment to tackling the continuing threat posed by Daesh and helping people rebuild their lives.

Lord Ahmad will outline the UK’s support to counter the threat posed by Daesh, including approximately £88 million towards ongoing efforts for counterterrorism, stabilisation and socio-economic development in Northeast Syria and Iraq over the next 5 years.

Examples of what this funding will provide include working with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to address the barriers to return, reintegration and reconciliation of Iraqis displaced by Daesh’s violence, including the 30,000 Iraqis in Al-Hol camp in Syria. The funding will also provide targeted job training for hundreds of young people in Iraq, as part of efforts to prevent violent extremism and counter Daesh’s influence.

This will come alongside a further £16 million over the next 2 years to specifically address acute humanitarian needs in north-east Syria. This package will provide 76,735 people with humanitarian assistance, including psychosocial support targeting children traumatised by conflict and programmes to empower women through education and access to the labour market.

The global meeting in Riyadh will see ministers and representatives from the 86 partners of the Global Coalition gather to discuss the continuing threat from Daesh and to coordinate efforts to counter Daesh and stabilise liberated areas.

Minister of State for the Middle East Lord Ahmad said:

Though territorially defeated, Daesh is a threat that continues to destroy lives – not only in liberated areas of Iraq and Syria, but also in Afghanistan and parts of Africa where its affiliates are active.

I am proud of the UK’s continuing role in eradicating Daesh, including rebuilding communities affected by its terrorism, and leading global efforts against its poisonous propaganda.

I look forward to visiting Istanbul to strengthen the UK’s important partnership with Turkey and to discuss a broad range of foreign policy issues, including Syria, Sudan and Ukraine.

Following his attendance at the Global Coalition against Daesh ministerial-level meeting, Lord Ahmad will travel to Istanbul to strengthen UK-Turkey ties and to participate in an international diplomacy conference. This will be the first visit to Turkey by a UK government minister since President Erdogan’s re-election, following the second round of presidential elections on 28 May.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 June 2023.

Ambassador Holland recalls the importance of inclusive, democratic institutions and accountable governments for security in the OSCE region.

Thank you, Mr Chair. Welcome to the Permanent Council, High Commissioner. Today is a welcome opportunity to put on record, on behalf of the UK, our appreciation for your efforts and those of your predecessors.

The United Kingdom believes that inclusive, democratic institutions and accountable governments are the foundations on which open, stable and prosperous societies thrive. Societies with the full participation of women and marginalised groups and equal rights for all. Resilient, responsive, and representative societies.

And yet, we have seen authoritarian influence on the rise in states across the OSCE region as well as democratic backsliding, restrictions on civic space and the rollback of rights.

Where human rights violations and abuses go unchecked, the seeds of conflict are sown, often with devastating consequences for communities and nations.

Indeed, last year’s Moscow Mechanism report established how growing internal repression in Russia enabled external aggression and ultimately Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As participating States our comprehensive definition of security requires that we work harder than ever to strengthen democratic resilience and human rights.

High Commissioner, as you know, Putin’s war has impacted the enjoyment of nearly every human right in Ukraine. Reporting from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and OSCE institutions helps us understand the sheer scale of the damage. It describes war crimes as well as Russia’s restrictions on freedom of religion and belief, freedom of movement, and freedom of association.

Thank you for your Office’s continued commitment to documenting and reporting the human rights situation in Ukraine, despite operating in challenging circumstances. Like the OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism reports and Ukraine Monitoring Initiative, your Office’s reporting helps the international community understand the scope and scale of Russia’s violations and systematic use of violence. It makes a vital contribution to accountability for Russia’s actions. For example, the UN Commission of Inquiry’s report in March this year provided important insight into child deportations from Ukraine.

Events in Ukraine mirror the repression Putin’s regime has subjected the people of Crimea and the people of Russia to for years. Echoing the concern of the UN Special Rapporteur on torture regarding the treatment and health of Alexei Navalny, I take this opportunity to call on the Russian authorities to ensure that Mr Navalny receives urgent and comprehensive medical care.

I also take this opportunity to repeat the UK’s support for the appointment of the first UN Special Rapporteur on human rights on the Russian Federation, Mariana Katzarova. The UK looks forward to publication of her report in September 2023.

Finally and briefly, I want to recall in this forum the importance of the OSCE’s own institutions for the defence of human rights. ODIHR’s work is vital to fostering long-term security in the OSCE region.  All participating States have a responsibility to ensure that ODHIR has a proper budget to continue delivering on its mandate.

High Commissioner, thank you for your presence here today. The UK looks forward to continuing to work with you and your Office, and to advocating within the OSCE for the importance of human rights and democracy in underpinning our collective security.  Thank you Mr Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 June 2023.

The UK has announced an additional £750,000 of funding to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to support its missions in Ukraine, at the meeting of the Board of Governors in Vienna today, Wednesday 7 June.

At the meeting, Director General Grossi presented the latest report on Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards in Ukraine.

The report outlined the state of nuclear safety at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, and in particular the deeply concerning situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which relies on water from the Kakhovka dam for its cooling pond.

The UK has now provided £5 million to support IAEA efforts in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of the country, and also gives an annual budgetary contribution to the IAEA’s work.

Today’s additional funds will help the IAEA continue its vital work in Ukraine providing support and advice to the Ukrainian government in nuclear safety. UK funding also facilitates training in detection of radiological materials and expert investigative missions to nuclear power plants.

Delivering the UK’s statement at the meeting, UK Permanent Representative to the IAEA Corinne Kitsell said:

Russia’s barbaric attacks on Ukraine’s civil infrastructure and its illegal control of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant runs contrary to all international nuclear safety and security norms. It claims to uphold nuclear safety standards, but its actions say otherwise.

I commend the work of the IAEA’s staff in Ukraine and I am pleased that the UK’s additional funding will help to facilitate its vital work, particularly given the additional risk posed by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.

The IAEA Director General’s report also sets out numerous concerns: Russian military presence at the site and the immense pressure placed on the Ukrainian operating personnel and their families.

The UK also echoes Ukraine’s calls for an uninterrupted power supply from Ukraine to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and continues to call for the Russian Federation’s full withdrawal from the site, and for it to end its illegal war of aggression in Ukraine.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 June 2023.

Statement by UK Political Coordinator Fergus Eckersley at the UN Security Council meeting on Iraq.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 June 2023.

UK, France and Germany (E3) statement to the IAEA about Iran’s implementation of its obligations under its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Safeguards Agreement.

Chair, France, Germany and the United Kingdom thank Director-General Grossi for his report on the implementation of safeguards in Iran contained in GOV/2023/26.

We fully support and commend the DG and the Secretariat for their professional, independent and impartial verification of Iran’s safeguards obligations, and commend their repeated efforts to engage Iran on clarifying information concerning the correctness and completeness of its declarations under its NPT Safeguards Agreement. The IAEA should continue to evaluate all safeguards-relevant information available, in line with its mandate and standard practice.

Chair, a few hours before the last Board, the IAEA and Iran agreed the 4 March 2023 joint statement in which “Iran expressed its readiness to continue its cooperation and provide further information and access to address the outstanding safeguards issues” and, “on a voluntary basis, to allow the IAEA to implement further appropriate verification and monitoring activities”.

This joint statement was agreed in the context of Iran’s grave and continued escalation of its nuclear program, which included 2 particularly concerning actions:

• centrifuge configuration changes made by Iran at Fordow without prior notice to the IAEA and uncovered during an unannounced inspection
• detection of particles of uranium enriched at 83.7%, which is grossly inconsistent with the declared level of enrichment

These Iranian actions also took place in the context of over 4 years of a lack of substantive cooperation with the IAEA regarding possible undeclared nuclear material at a number of undeclared locations in Iran. The Board has adopted 3 resolutions on this matter, most recently in November, when the Board decided that it is “essential and urgent”, that Iran act to fulfil its legal obligations and clarify all outstanding safeguards issues without delay.

In the context of this escalation, and Iran’s longstanding lack of cooperation with the Agency, incremental and limited steps are neither sufficient nor satisfactory. Only the full implementation by Iran of its Joint Statement commitments, and crucially its legal obligations under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, can re-establish trust in Iran’s claim that its nuclear program only serves peaceful purposes.

Chair, Iran’s level of cooperation remains insufficient, as reflected in the Director General’s report.

On outstanding safeguards issues, we note that the Agency at this time has no additional questions on the depleted uranium particles detected at Marivan. But we also note that the Agency’s assessment of the activities undertaken by Iran in the other location at Marivan remains as set out previously: that Iran conducted explosive experiments in preparation for the use of neutron detectors. This is a stark reminder of the reason why we need to continue to demand full transparency from Iran on all outstanding safeguards issues.

We also note with great concern that the Agency reports no progress towards resolving the remaining outstanding safeguards issues. As clearly requested by the Agency in its report, Iran needs to address outstanding issues and provide, without further delay, technically credible information on the current location(s) of nuclear material and contaminated equipment in relation to Turquzabad and Varamin.

Unless and until Iran provides technically credible explanations to the Agency’s persisting outstanding questions, as reiterated by the November Resolution, the Agency will not be able to confirm the correctness and completeness of Iran’s declarations under its NPT Safeguards Agreement. These outstanding issues need to be resolved for the Agency to be in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful. Such assurances are critical for the international community and the international non-proliferation regime.

In addition, a new issue has arisen with regard to a discrepancy, detected more than a year ago, between the amount of natural uranium from Jaber Ibn Hayan Laboratory declared by Iran and the amount verified by the Agency. The Agency considers Iran’s latest accountancy “not to be based on scientific grounds, and therefore, not acceptable”. We call upon Iran to engage the Agency to explain the shortfall of nuclear material. It is worth recalling that this material is related to a previous safeguards site of concern – Lavisan-Shian.

Finally, we once again recall that implementation of Modified Code 3.1 is a legal obligation for Iran under the Subsidiary Arrangement to its NPT Safeguards Agreement which cannot be modified or stopped unilaterally.

On other safeguards issues, we take note of the Agency’s assessment regarding the 83.7% enriched uranium particles, that “the information provided [by Iran] was not inconsistent with Iran’s explanation for the origin” of such particles. We continue to stress that any such enrichment, whatever its nature or intention, is wholly unacceptable. It constituted an unprecedented and extremely grave development, for which there is no credible civilian justification. These actions show Iran has built capabilities suitable for enrichment for nuclear weapons purposes.

On verification and monitoring activities, we note the limited steps that have been taken such as the reinstallation of enrichment monitoring devices of high enriched uranium at both Fordow and Natanz. We also note the reinstallation of some surveillance cameras in some centrifuge production facilities. Yet, progress again remains short of expectations.

Steps taken to allow further verification activities constitute a start, but they remain vastly incomplete. Without the installation of surveillance equipment in all locations requested by the Agency, and without access to the data recorded since February 2021 such steps have limited value, despite efforts of the Agency to secure this oversight. These steps are fragile: the Agency clearly states that “the process needs to be sustained and uninterrupted in order that all of the commitments contained therein are fulfilled without further delay”.

Chair, we urge Iran to act without any possible delay as requested by the Agency, in order to clarify and resolve all outstanding issues. The Director General has made clear asks in his report and requested engagement from Iran, and the November Resolution makes clear the Board’s requirements of Iran. Both should be delivered by the next Board of Governors at the latest.

If Iran fails to implement by the next Board the essential and urgent actions contained in the November 2022 Resolution and the March Joint Statement in full, the Board will have to be prepared to take further action, including if necessary making a finding on whether the Agency is not able to verify that there has been no diversion of nuclear material. We reiterate that we are looking forward to Iran clarifying all outstanding issues as soon as possible and that if the IAEA Director General confirms that these issues have been duly addressed we will not deem further reports on developments necessary.

We would like to thank the IAEA for their impartial and professional work on this issue.

We encourage the Director General to continue reporting to the Board of Governors and welcome making the report contained in GOV/2023/26 public, consistent with long-standing practice.

Thank you, Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 June 2023.

UK military advisor, Ian Stubbs, says the Kremlin’s intellectually bankrupt recourse to attritional warfare shows its appalling willingness to sacrifice the Russian people.

Thank you, Madam Chair. In the early hours of yesterday morning, the dam at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant suffered significant damage. Reports indicate that an explosion occurred at the dam causing the entire eastern portion of the dam and much of the hydro and utilities infrastructure to be swept away resulting in significant flooding in the local area. We note that the water level in the Kakhovka Reservoir was at a record high before the collapse, resulting in a particularly high volume of water inundating the area downstream. The dam’s structure is likely to deteriorate further over the next few days, causing additional flooding.

We express our deepest concern regarding the potential impact of this damage on communities living in the downstream areas, the provision of clean water supplies, the longer-term safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and the wider ecological consequences from the destruction of the dam. Reports that Russian forces shelled the city of Kherson during evacuation efforts, if correct, are particularly egregious. We are clear; the destruction of the Kakhovka dam is yet another devastating example of the terrible consequences of Russia’s unprovoked, illegal and full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Madam Chair, Russia’s continued attempts to break the will and resolve of the Ukrainian people with repeated barrages of missile and drone strikes on towns and cities across Ukraine are deplorable and heinous acts. They are the desperate actions of Russian military leaders who have run out of ideas, consistently overestimated their force capabilities and underestimated the strength and resolve of the Ukrainian people.

Over the course of May, Russia launched over 300 of the Iranian Shahed one-way attack UAVs against Ukraine. This is its most intense use of this weapon system to date. But Russia’s attempts to deplete Ukraine’s advanced air defences, including those gifted by international partners, through these “swarm” tactics are unlikely to have been notably successful. Ukraine has neutralised at least 90% of these UAVs mostly using its older and cheaper air defence weapons and with electronic jamming.

Madam Chair, over the last 72 hours there has been a substantial increase in fighting along numerous sectors of the front, including those which have been relatively quiet for several months.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on the 24 February 2022 one of its objectives appears to have been the complete capture of the whole of the Donbas region within 10-14 days. Over 15 months later, Russia’s grinding offensive in the Donbas has stalled at a cost of extraordinarily high casualty rates. Since May last year, up to 60,000 Wagner and regular Russian forces have been killed or wounded in the area around Bakhmut alone. Russia has suffered nearly half of those casualties, almost 30,000 killed or wounded, in the last three months since March. These staggering losses have achieved at total advance of just 29 kilometres. That is for every 48 centimetres of ground Russia gained, one of its soldiers was killed or wounded.

Madam Chair, it is well over a year since Russia’s military leaders were forced to abandon their aspirations to deliver an overwhelming decisive victory through modern combined arms manoeuvre warfare. For over a year, we have watched those decision makers double down on their similarly ill-fated contingency plan – the blunt edged, intellectually bankrupt recourse to attritional warfare. This has resulted in an appalling demonstration of the Kremlin’s willingness to sacrifice the Russian people, including its mobilised citizens, by the thousands in the name of Putin’s horrendous and contrived war of choice.

Last week, our Russian colleague continued to insist on the delusion that the so called “Special Military Operation” was going to plan, that all objectives would be achieved. We all know that Putin’s war of choice in Ukraine is built on lies but the reality: Russia’s stalled invasion, the thousands of Russian casualties, and the significant degradation in Russia’s combat effectiveness, clearly demonstrates this is anything but true.

Madam Chair, the UK and its international partners are steadfast in our support for Ukraine as demonstrated by the continued provision of military assistance. Ukraine has regained territory and liberated thousands of Ukrainian people thanks to the awe-inspiring bravery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the resilience of the Ukrainian people and overwhelming international support. Together, the UK and partners are ensuring that Ukraine will win. Our united approach of providing Ukraine with the support it needs to defend itself and push Russia out of Ukraine’s sovereign territory is the swiftest, and only, path to a just and lasting peace. Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 June 2023.

The Foreign Secretary has travelled to Kyiv ahead of the UK hosting the Ukraine Recovery Conference in June 2023.

• Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has travelled to Ukraine to underline the UK’s unwavering support for the country
• comes ahead of major recovery summit set to be held in London later this month to spur the country’s economic recovery
• Foreign Secretary meets President Zelenskyy in Kyiv, following the Prime Minister’s bilateral with him in Moldova last week

Ukraine can count on the UK’s support, both on the battlefield and during its recovery, the Foreign Secretary has told the country during his second visit to Kyiv.

The visit comes as the UK prepares to host the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London later this month, which will bring together world leaders, business chief executives, NGOs and the Ukrainian Government to discuss how to rebuild and bolster the country’s economic outlook.

While in Ukraine the Foreign Secretary met President Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to discuss how the UK can continue to best support Ukraine, from the battlefield to banking guarantees.

It is the fourth meeting President Zelenskyy and senior UK ministers have held in as many weeks, with Prime Minister holding bilaterals with President Zelenskyy at the meeting of the European Political Community in Moldova last week, in Japan at the G7 Summit in May, and at Chequers in the UK the week before the Hiroshima meeting.

The Foreign Secretary’s Kyiv visit builds on his engagements in Estonia last week and a meeting of the NATO Foreign Ministers in Norway, where he reiterated the UK’s call for Ukraine to join NATO and for the Alliance to be made even stronger with the swift accession of Sweden.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

As Ukraine continues its sustained fightback against Russia, I was able to see for myself the true horrors and devastation of what Russia has wreaked on this sovereign state.

Forcibly deporting children, razing cities like Bakhmut, Izium and Mariupol to the ground and committing atrocities are not the acts of a responsible international state. They are the actions of a hostile regime that is in violation of the UN Charter.

Ukraine will win this war and can count on our support.

This is the second time the Foreign Secretary has visited Ukraine since Russia’s illegal invasion, last visiting in November 2022 to discuss the UK’s support for the country. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has also visited the country twice, most recently in May 2023.

During this week’s trip, the Foreign Secretary visited a site that was under Russian occupation for most of March 2022. The farmland site was a part of Ukraine’s agricultural infrastructure and since being reclaimed, is now in the process of being demined by the HALO Trust. Demining will help the agriculture sector’s recovery in Ukraine by making large areas of land safe to access again.  It is estimated that 30% of Ukraine’s territory (174,000 square kilometres) has been exposed to intense combat operations, and so may be contaminated by landmines and other explosive remnants of war. We have provided HALO Trust with £2.5 million of funding to protect the most at risk communities and help the Ukrainian people take back their land and lives from the threat of landmines and explosive remnants of war.

The Foreign Secretary visited a pioneering rehabilitation hospital supporting veterans of the fighting, which makes prosthetics on site. Its work is helping Ukrainians to rebuild their lives. The hospital is just one example of Ukraine’s ability to adapt through technology despite the war.

The Foreign Secretary also met children who were forcibly deported to Russia and listened to some survivors’ accounts at a centre supporting their return to life in Ukraine. Last year, the UK announced sanctions against the Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, for her alleged involvement in the forced transfer and adoption of Ukrainian children. She has since become subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.

The UK has been unwavering in its support for the people of Ukraine as they resist a brutal and unprovoked invasion. Last year the UK provided £2.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine – the largest package of support of any European nation and second only to the United States’ support. This includes the delivery of StormShadow missiles to help its military to push back Russian forces based on Ukrainian sovereign territory.

We have also pledged £1.5 billion in economic and humanitarian support, which has funded the delivery of more than 11 million medical items.

Background

The Ukraine Recovery Conference will be held in London on 21 to 22 June 2023 and will bring together governments and industry leaders to develop a concerted multi-sector plan to help Ukraine to recover from Russia’s illegal invasion.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 June 2023.

Dr Liane Saunders OBE has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman in succession to Mr William Murray who has retired from the Diplomatic Service. Dr Saunders will take up her appointment during June 2023.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Liane Saunders

Place of Birth: Cardiff, UK

Date	Role
2021 to 2023	FCDO, Staff Counsellor
2017 to 2021	FCDO, Strategy Director and Strategic Programmes Coordinator
2015 to 2017	Cabinet Office, Director General, Capabilities and Engagement, National Security Secretariat and Chilcot Lessons Learned Coordinator
2014 to 2015	Cabinet Office, Acting Deputy National Security Adviser
2012 to 2014	Cabinet Office, Director, Foreign and Defence Policy, and Afghanistan/Pakistan Coordinator
2011 to 2012	FCO, Additional Director, Middle East and North Africa Directorate (MENAD)
2009 to 2010	FCO, Head, Counter Proliferation Department
2006 to 2009	FCO, Head, Consular Crisis Group
2005 to 2006	FCO, Strategic Challenges Lead, Comprehensive Spending Review Team
2003 to 2004	Northern Iraq: Secondment to US northern region team, Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, latterly Regional Coordinator (Northern Region), Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq
2000 to 2003	Ankara, First Secretary (Political) later Head of Political Section, and British negotiator for the Northern Iraq Kurdish Peace Process
1993 to 2000	Postings to Kuwait and Egypt; Desk Officer for Central America; secondment to the United Nations Observer Team in El Salvador

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 June 2023.

The UK’s new Developing Countries Trading Scheme comes into force this June, improving Philippine businesses’ access to the UK market.

On 7 June 2023, the UK government launched the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) in Manila – a major milestone in opening up new trade and investment opportunities between the two countries.

His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils opened the event, with the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual joining as the guest of honour. Representatives from the Philippine government, exporters to the UK, and industry associations were also in attendance. The launch was delivered in partnership with the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (BCCP).

Speaking at the launch, His Majesty’s Ambassador, Laure Beaufils said:

I am delighted to announce that the UK’s new unilateral preferences scheme, the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), will come into effect on 19 June 2023. The DCTS will cut tariff, remove conditions and simplify trading rules. It will increase trade and strengthen the trade relationship between the UK and the Philippines.  I strongly encourage businesses to take full advantage of this new scheme.

Trade Preferences Policy Advisor Sabiha Ahmed delivered a keynote highlighting high potential value chains and products that can benefit from the new scheme. This was based on research into UK retailers’ and consumers’ buying considerations, and insights from Filipino producers, financiers, trade programmes and policymakers. The programme also included presentations on customs processes and agricultural standards for Philippine exporters.

Trade between the Philippines and the UK reached an all-time high of £2.4 billion in 2022. The Philippines exports a range of high value products to the UK including tuna, shirts, and starch, which benefit from significant tariff reductions under the DCTS. . DCTS has the potential to save Philippine businesses over £20 million a year on UK export tariffs.

Philippine exports to the UK can benefit from an additional 150+ tariff cuts under the DCTS. DCTS Enhanced Preferences offer generous tariff preferences and facilitate access to the UK market for Philippine businesses across a wide range of industries.

Also present during the launch was Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Fred Pascual. In his opening message, he said:

The UK-DCTS, as one of the most generous trade preference schemes in the world, enables the Philippines to have continued access to enhanced preferences. We look forward to our country having access to duty-free, quota-free trade on 92 percent of our eligible goods—or 99 percent of our exports to the UK.

The UK Government is launching the DCTS to replace the Generalised Scheme of Preferences with the aim to grow free and fair trade with selected countries. It offers one of the most generous sets of trading preferences in the world and demonstrates the UK’s commitment to building long term, mutually beneficial relationship with the Philippines.

The Trade Preferences Policy Advisor also delivered information sessions to DTI, BCCP, and other industry associations. The sessions focused on sharing insights on current trends, UK market purchasing criteria, barriers to trade and what can be done to unlock the Philippines’ trade and investment potential. Attendees also learnt about other key trade-related information including quality certification and customs requirements.