Tag: Foreign Office

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

The United Kingdom, Costa Rica, Italy and Japan have issued a joint statement following the criminal procedure by the Russian Federation authorities against Prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan and Judges of the Court: Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godínez, Rosario Salvatore Aitala, and Tomoko Akane.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 4 August 2023.

Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States) statement condemning the atrocities in Darfur, Sudan.

The Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States) condemn in the strongest terms the ongoing violence in Darfur, especially reports of killings based on ethnicity and widespread sexual violence by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias.  We call on all parties to immediately cease attacks and prevent the further spread of fighting.  Those responsible must be held to account.  Full access to conflict-affected areas must be granted so that abuses can be properly investigated and so that life-saving humanitarian aid can reach survivors who urgently need it.  We are gravely concerned about reports of a military build-up near El Fasher, North Darfur, and Nyala, South Darfur, where further violence will put more civilians at risk.

The expansion of the needless and ruinous conflict between RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to Darfur has caused incalculable human suffering.  Those responsible for any atrocities against civilians, especially those including Conflict Related Sexual Violence and the targeting of humanitarian relief actors, medical personnel, and other service providers, must be held to account.  We remind the parties to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law related to the protection of civilians.  We call on all parties to the conflict to enable humanitarian access in Darfur and throughout the country.

The SAF and the RSF must silence their guns and find a negotiated exit from the conflict they started.  The security forces must relinquish their hold on power to a civilian transitional government that fulfils the Sudanese people’s aspirations for freedom, peace, and justice.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 August 2023.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on famine.

The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 3 August 2023.

Oliver Christian has today been appointed as His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner to the Middle East and Pakistan and His Majesty’s Consul General to Dubai.

The UK’s Department for Business and Trade has today (Thursday 3rd August) appointed Oliver Christian as His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) to the Middle East and Pakistan and His Majesty’s Consul General to Dubai. He will take up the role in September 2023, while the department undergoes the campaign for the permanent position.

HMTCs lead the UK’s overseas effort to promote UK trade, investment, trade policy and export finance.

As the new Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Pakistan, Oliver Christian will generate business opportunities for the UK while contributing to the growth of sustainable, resilient, and productive economies across the MEaP region.

Prior to joining the UK’s Department for Business and Trade Oliver was the Head of the Prime Minister’s Business Unit at No10, having served four Prime Ministers from 2019 to 2023. He’s overseen over £78 billion of investment and export deals, establishing the UK Global Investment Summit and the creation of the Office of Investment during his time in No10. He also helped to establish the Department for International Trade as the Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State in 2016 to 2019.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 August 2023.

Mr Jeffrey Frank Glekin has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Seychelles.

Mr Jeffrey Frank Glekin has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Seychelles in succession to Mr Patrick Lynch, who will transfer to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Glekin will take up his appointment in October 2023.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Jeffrey Frank Glekin

Place of Birth: Glasgow, UK

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 August 2023.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced that over £38 million of UK humanitarian assistance has saved lives of conflict-affected people in North-East Nigeria.

The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said that over £38 million of UK humanitarian assistance has saved the lives of vulnerable, conflict-affected people in North-East Nigeria – including women and girls. The Foreign Secretary made these remarks whilst visiting the United Nations’ Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) in Abuja, meeting UNHAS staff.

The UN estimates that over 8 million people in North-East Nigeria urgently require life-saving humanitarian assistance due to protracted conflict and crisis in the Lake Chad Basin region.

Earlier this year, the UN launched a special humanitarian appeal to prevent famine and provide life-saving assistance in North-East Nigeria over the critical ‘lean season’ months (June to August). Also, the Nigerian government recently declared a ‘state of emergency’ on food insecurity across the country.

The UK’s humanitarian assistance has been directly responding to these urgent calls for action, in partnership with the Nigerian people and its government.

Over the last 12 months, the UK has provided over £38 million of humanitarian assistance in North-East Nigeria. This funding is helping to protect people, build their resilience to the ongoing crisis, and prevent famine in this extremely food-insecure region.

During his visit to UNHAS – one of several UK humanitarian partners in Nigeria – the Foreign Secretary heard directly from aid workers and government representatives responding to the crisis, including on how UK International Development is delivering assistance to people who need it most.

The Foreign Secretary was accompanied by Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. This ministry is responsible for coordination of the Federal Government’s humanitarian response and aligning stakeholder responses.

The Foreign Secretary was also accompanied by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale; the Deputy Country Representative of UN World Food Programme Guy Adoua; Country Representative of UNICEF Cristian Munduate; ICRC’s Head of Delegation in Nigeria Yann Bonzon; and Trond Jens, Head of Office of OCHA in Nigeria.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, said:

I am very proud of the UK’s humanitarian partnerships in North-East Nigeria. The £38 million we have contributed over the last 12 months is saving the lives of vulnerable people, including women and girls, who are demonstrating extraordinary resilience in the face of this protracted crisis. We will continue to work with the new Nigerian government and other partners to support North-East Nigeria so the whole country can reach its potential. The whole international community must support these efforts.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale, said:

On behalf of the humanitarian community, I am deeply grateful for the £38 million contribution of the UK for humanitarian action in the North-East, which is contributing to giving countless people and, notably vulnerable women and children, a second chance. We are facing further funding challenges and are hoping that partners will step up their support to prevent further deterioration of the dramatic food insecurity and malnutrition situation.

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, said:

We are keen to intensify cooperation with the UK government, particularly on increasing coordination between our new ministry and other ministries and partners across the humanitarian response. We particularly appreciate the UK’s humanitarian assistance because it is not only financial, but also based on strong coordination, which we are keen to develop further.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 August 2023.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced a £55 million Propcom+ contract and £2.89 million grant, which aims to support the transformation of Nigeria’s rural economy.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced the launch of its Propcom+ programme supporting climate and growth by addressing environmental, social, and economic challenges in the country’s food and land-use system.

A £55 million contract and £2.89 million grant were announced as part of the £95 million Propcom+ eight-year UK International Climate Finance programme aimed at supporting climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture and forestry that benefits people, climate, and nature.

The programme aims to support more than 4 million people, 50% of whom will be women, to adopt and scale sustainable agricultural practices that increase productivity and climate resilience while reducing emissions and protecting natural ecosystems.

Propcom+ builds on the UK government’s investment in agriculture through the Propcom Mai-karfi programme which ended in March 2022 after supporting over 1.25 million people with improved incomes through key market reforms and policies that benefitted poor women and men in Northern Nigeria.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also highlighted how UK support will help to unlock $210 million of financing from the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) for participating Nigerian states for the development of critical infrastructure and related activities under the Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme.

Speaking after the event, British High Commissioner to Nigeria Richard Montgomery, said:

Tackling the effects of climate change and lowering emissions is a key priority for the UK government and we remain committed to building sustainable pro-poor climate-resilient growth in Nigeria through the new Propcom+ programme, which will address environmental, social and economic challenges in the country’s food and land-use systems.

It will do this by working through strategic market actors to increase productivity of smallholder farmers, improve nutrition and food security, enhance climate resilience, pursue lower emissions, and protect and restore nature, while also tackling some of Nigeria’s underlying drivers of conflict and insecurity.

The new programme, which kicked off in May 2023 is implemented by The Palladium Group.

The programme has initial focal states in Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Edo, and Cross River where it will deliver climate-smart agricultural interventions to help the poor and climate vulnerable. It will also work in some Southern Nigerian states to address issues around deforestation, to foster sustainable land-use management.

Propcom+’s Political Director and Country Representative Adiya V. Ode, said:

Propcom+ will work as a market facilitator to identify constraints in market systems and will implement interventions through three broad-based inter-linked pillars. Pillar one will scale-up a focused basket of proven climate-smart interventions around agriculture and primary processing and storage practices and models for adoption by millions of poor and vulnerable smallholder farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs using a market-systems approach.

Pillar two will build, pilot and scale new business models that improve productivity, enhance resilience to climate change, reduce emission and improve nutrition outcomes and pillar three will seek to support a strengthened enabling environment for sustainable food and land-use systems through enabling policies.

The new Propcom+ programme reinforces the UK government’s commitment to working with the Government of Nigeria to increase the depth of investment in the agricultural sector, this time, helping the vulnerable to build resilience and adapt to the effects of climate change.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 August 2023.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visits Zambia and announces new targets for the UK-Zambia Green Growth Compact.

• the Foreign Secretary will announce a UK clean energy partnership with Zambia today at the end of a 4-day visit to Africa
• new ambitious targets set for green investment include up to £2.5 billion of UK private sector funding and up to £500 million in UK government backed investments
• in the first Foreign Secretary visit to Zambia in over 30 years, James Cleverly will also tour a copper mine and sign a memorandum of understanding on critical minerals

The UK will boost its commitment to a green economic partnership with Zambia today [3 August] as the Foreign Secretary sets out ambitious new targets to drive green investment.

The new targets will be delivered through the UK-Zambia Green Growth Compact, which aims to drive investment in Zambia’s green economy, strengthening the growing economic partnership between Zambia and the UK, tackling climate change, creating jobs and new business opportunities in both countries.

Supporting the Foreign Secretary’s drive to prioritise future-focussed, mutually beneficial partnerships on his visit to Africa this week, these new targets include generating up to £2.5 billion of British private sector investment in Zambia’s mining, minerals and renewable energy sectors, delivering up to £500 million of UK government-backed investments and mobilising up to £150 million of private sector investment into small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). UK and Zambian firms will benefit from the commercial opportunities, growing the economy of both countries.

The Foreign Secretary will also tour the Mimbula Copper Mine, where British firm Moxico Resources will invest an additional $210 million (around £164 million) of private sector funding to expand production at the site, increasing exports, and economic growth in both Zambia and the UK.

James Cleverly will also sign a memorandum of understanding on critical minerals which will lay the foundation for further UK support for the responsible mining of copper, cobalt and other metals essential to the global clean energy transition.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

Working together with our partners in Zambia, the UK is driving the clean energy transition. The UK-Zambia Green Growth Compact and our landmark agreement on critical minerals will support investment between UK and Zambian business, creating jobs in both countries, and improving environmental and social standards.

Together we will build a stronger, greener, more prosperous future for both countries, which benefits us all.

More broadly, the Foreign Secretary will see how UK support is making a difference to communities across Zambia. In Ndola, close to Zambia’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, he will open a secondary school which is part of the UK-supported Promoting Equality in African Schools initiative and supports children to access high quality secondary education.

At Kasengu Market, he will meet beneficiaries of the UK-funded Social Cash Transfer Programme to see first-hand the positive impact UK aid is having for those most in need in the country. In Lusaka, he will discuss with President Hichilema and Foreign Minister Kakubo a wide range of issues relevant to the UK-Zambia partnership, including support for debt restructure and IMF-backed reform programme, regional security cooperation, and our joint desire for a fairer and more responsive international financial system.

The Foreign Secretary’s visit to Zambia concludes a 3-country tour, where he boosted the UK’s future-focussed, mutually-beneficial partnerships with Nigeria and Ghana and reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to advance trade, investment and green growth in Africa.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 2 August 2023.

Mr Nigel Casey CMG MVO has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation in succession to Dame Deborah Bronnert DCMG, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Casey will take up his appointment in November 2023.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Nigel Philip Casey CMG MVO

Place of Birth: Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, UK

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 2 August 2023.

FSD Africa Investments injects £10m in innovative risk-sharing facility in partnership with InfraCredit to support Nigeria’s sustainable climate infrastructure

FSD Africa Investments, in partnership with InfraCredit, have invested £10m into a first-of-its-kind risk-sharing backstop facility, designed to unlock local currency funding for sustainable infrastructure development in Nigeria.

The Risk Sharing Backstop Facility (RSBF) will address the challenge of low credit enhancement by mobilising local institutional investment via bonds into viable early-stage or green-field climate-aligned infrastructure projects.

By increasing the accessibility of finance for climate-aligned infrastructure projects, the facility will help Nigeria accelerate social and economic development, green economic transition as well as deliver on climate goals.

Backed by the UK International Development through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), FSD Africa Investments (FSDAi) is pleased to be undertaking this £10m investment in partnership with InfraCredit – an established player in the sustainable infrastructure financing space.

InfraCredit’s current investments and project pipeline demonstrates the breadth and variety of projects this facility will support, with projects ranging from distributed renewable energy services for urban residences, to commercial and industrial renewable projects, edge-certified green housing and e-mobility infrastructure.

The RSBF will raise funding in series, initially from FSDAi, and eventually from other funders – aiming to reach a total capital base of up to US$50m.This investment therefore aligns with one of FSD Africa’s primary objectives – developing capital markets by tackling blockages in the system.

UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, said:

This investment further demonstrates the UK’s commitment and contribution to Nigeria’s transition to clean energy and builds on decades of UK leadership in mobilising support for climate-related infrastructure challenges. Just like the successes of British International Investment (BII) and our Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), I am optimistic that InfraCredit will continue to grow and mobilise even more private sector capital to invest in better, greener infrastructure.

Chief Investment Officer, FSD Africa Investments, FSD Africa, Anne-Marie Chidzero, said:

FSDAi’s partnership with InfraCredit on the bridge-to-bond facility introduces a derisking financing solution to mobilise short and medium-term local institutional investment into critically needed infrastructure projects that are currently considered un-bankable without alternative credit enhancement. Moreover, as Africa’s economies struggle to mobilise capital to develop key climate mitigation and sustainable power generation projects, this facility comes as a timely and much-needed intervention for Nigeria’s infrastructure landscape.

Chief Executive Officer, InfraCredit, Chinua Azubike, said:

I am delighted to work with FSD Africa Investments on an innovative facility which will support much needed, but underfinanced projects realise their ultimate goals and purpose.

Smart use of catalytic capital can dramatically increase the role of private capital and local intermediaries in investing in Nigeria’s sustainable infrastructure space and help the country develop responses to the significant challenges which confront it from the deteriorating environment and ecology to an unstable energy mix and severe social inequality.