Tag: Foreign Office

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

Mrs Harriet King has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of The Gambia in succession to Mr David Belgrove OBE. Mrs King will take up her appointment during September 2023.

Curriculum Vitae

Full name: Harriet Catherine King

Married to: William King

Children: Two

Date	Role
2022 to present	FCDO, Head of Strategic Engagement, Strategy Directorate
2018 to 2022	Rabat, Head, Political Internal and Programmes
2014 to 2018	Dakar, Deputy Head of Mission and HM Consul
2013 to 2014	FCO, Sahel Task Force
2011 to 2012	FCO, Desk Officer for Egypt, Middle East and North Africa Directorate
2006 to 2010	FCO, Head of Crisis Operations and other operational and policy roles, Crisis Management Department
2005 to 2006	FCO, Assistant Board Secretary, Strategy Group
2004 to 2005	FCO, Desk Officer, Strategy Group
2002 to 2004	FCO, Visits Officer, Conference and Visits Group

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

During the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Rita French, the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador, delivered a statement on the situation in Nicaragua.

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

Mr Nic Bowler has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic in succession to Mr Charles Garrett OBE. Mr Bowler will take up his appointment during June 2023.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Nicholas Bowler

Married to: Leanne Bowler

Children: Two

Dates	Role
2020 to present	Kyiv, Head of UK Programmes in Ukraine
2017 to 2020	Occupied Palestinian Territories, Team Leader, Governance and Security
2015 to 2017	Department for International Development, Deputy and Acting Development Director, Kyrgyzstan
2014 to 2015	Kabul, Governance Adviser
2013 to 2014	Coffey International, Evaluation Manager
2008 to 2013	Coffey International and Palladium, Programme Manager and Governance Expert

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

Lord Tariq Ahmad, Minister of State for the Middle East, visited Iraq, including the Kurdistan region, from 28 February to 2 March 2023.

Following his visit to Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, Lord Tariq Ahmad, welcomed the UK and Iraq’s commitment to working together on shared challenges such as climate change, security, human rights and freedom of religion and belief.

During his visit he met President Mr Abdul Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al Sudani, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein, and National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji.

In Erbil, he met KRI President Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, as well as Minister of Interior, Mr Rebar Ahmed; Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Qubad Talabani and KDP President, Mr Masoud Barzani.

Discussions focused on shared challenges such as climate change, security, and human rights; deepening our historic relationship on trade and education; supporting priority areas of economic and digital reform in Iraq; and working together on regional and international issues of common interest, including the global implications of the Russia-Ukraine war.

The shared collective commitment to freedom of religion or belief was central to Lord Ahmad’s trip. He visited some of Iraq’s most significant religious sites and met with a wide range of representatives of Iraq’s religious and faith communities, including Ayatollah Hussein Al-Sadr, in Baghdad and representatives of the Yazidi community at the Lalish Temple.

He also bestowed an MBE on the Reverend Cannon Faez Jerjes of St George’s Anglican Church. Lord Ahmed’s discussions focussed on Iraq’s rich religious and ethnic diversity and the importance of interfaith dialogue in Iraq.

In meetings with senior politicians, civil society and religious leaders Lord Ahmad discussed the human rights situation in Iraq, especially issues facing survivors of Da’esh atrocities. Lord Ahmad welcomed the passing of the Yazidi survivors’ law in 2021 and reiterated the UK’s continued commitment to help the Iraqi government fully implement the law.

During his visit to Duhok, he also discussed the situation for Internally Displaced Persons and the importance of supporting their return and safe integration back into Iraqi society.

During his visit to Erbil, Lord Ahmad met with the President, Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Foreign Minister and Minister of Interior as well as the President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. He visited the Department of Information Technology, where he learned about the support the UK is providing to help the Kurdistan Region of Iraq deliver digital reform.

Speaking at the end of his visit, Lord Ahmad said:

I am delighted to have returned to Iraq and the Kurdistan region to see how the relationship between our 2 countries is continuing to flourish. I am especially pleased that we are working together to address shared challenges such as climate change, human rights and security.

I was honoured to visit some of Iraq’s impressive and important religious sites and to meet religious leaders. This underlined the richness of Iraq’s religious and ethnic diversity, the need to protect freedom of religion or belief and the importance of interfaith dialogue.

I was glad to see that progress has been made with the passage of the Yazidi Survivors Law, but from my conversations with survivors it was clear they need continued support and full access to justice. The UK is committed to helping Iraq fully implement the Yazidi Survivors Law.

I was impressed with what I saw at the Kurdistan Regional Government’s state of the art Department of Information Technology I’m delighted the UK is able to support ambitious reform programmes in Iraq and the Kurdistan region. Meeting with business leaders and inspiring young professionals underlined that developing new economic expertise and encouraging bilateral investment and trade is of vital importance.

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

Ambassador Neil Bush expresses concern regarding disruptions to the Lachin Corridor and takes note of the judgement by the International Court of Justice.

Thank you Chair.

The UK Government remains deeply concerned by the continued disruption to the Lachin Corridor, particularly the flow of goods and people.

This issue remains near the top of the international agenda. We have discussed the disruption here in Vienna, multiple times, and at the United Nations Security Council. That this has now been taken to the International Court of Justice, and judgment passed, reinforces the need for urgent action to be taken. The current disruption to the Lachin Corridor is detrimental to efforts to secure peace and stability.

The UK Government has taken note of all the judgements by the Court, and urges immediate action be taken to restore the flow of goods and people into Nagorno-Karabakh. The parties must engage in substantive negotiations, without preconditions, to secure a sustainable and peaceful settlement to the conflict and to resolve all outstanding tensions.

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

UK Ambassador Neil Bush welcomes Secretary General Helga Schmid’s proposals for taking climate and security work further at the OSCE.

Thank you, Secretary-General. I would like to share a few brief reactions to your report.

Firstly, we share your widely-held view that climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, and the urgency with which it needs to be addressed is only becoming more pressing. The security implications of climate change reach right across the OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security. From shrinking glaciers, to increasing aridity, wildfires, droughts and floods, the OSCE region is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change; tackling these risks will require dialogue and transboundary co-operation which in normal times should be intrinsic to this organization.

We thank you and the OCEEA for progressing OSCE’s work on climate change throughout a challenging year, and for your consideration of what more the OSCE could do to advance co-operation in addressing climate-related risks. We welcome your proposals for taking this work further in future.

First and foremost, we share your concern with the devastating impacts that Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine continues to have on people, environment and climate action; and we welcome the Chatham House analysis commissioned on the impact of the war. We support your proposal to learn from and act on the war’s consequences, including how vital climate action can become a victim of war. We support your proposal to look more closely at the risks that tensions and conflicts pose to climate action and climate security, and promote the development of complementary approaches between climate and conflict that recognise the underlying drivers of fragility for climate-vulnerable populations.

We support your idea to bring a climate and security perspective into the climate policy-making, including in strategies and planning for climate finance. And finally, we praise the particular attention the OSCE’s activity pays to the needs of women and their active involvement in work on climate change and security.

Thank you, Secretary-General, for the report and I look forward to the deliberations it has started, including at the rescheduled high-level meeting on climate change.

Thank you.

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

Ambassador Neil Bush says that 141 countries have rejected Russia’s disinformation and stand with Ukraine to demand a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 March 2023.

The UK becomes a member of IDB Invest, the private sector arm of the largest development bank in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The UK has joined IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) focused on development through the private sector, in a move designed to boost the UK’s work reducing poverty and tackling climate change across Latin America and the Caribbean through support for small and medium sized businesses.

Development Minister Andrew Mitchell was joined by IDB President Ilan Goldfajn and IDB Invest CEO James Scriven in London to complete the UK’s membership of the group that provides almost £5 billion of annual finance to businesses across the region. Membership will ensure the UK can influence investments that the institution makes annually and promote the UK’s development objectives through the work of the Bank.

Development Minister Andrew Mitchell said:

Unleashing private sector investment across the Caribbean and Latin America is vital to delivering the UK’s International Development Strategy.

Joining IDB Invest will help us promote private sector investment, alleviate poverty and tackle climate change in a region experiencing its most severe effects.

The UK and IDB Invest will build on their existing partnership through the UK Sustainable Infrastructure Programme (UKSIP), which supports Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Brazil to reduce their emissions and transition to sustainable infrastructure.

UKSIP support for IDB Invest projects is expected to raise over £150 million in private finance for the development of two solar power plants and the purchase of 400 electric buses.

The solar plants will produce around 440 GWh per year, the equivalent power required for 230,000 homes in Colombia. Green electric buses are expected to save an estimated 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over their lifetime – the equivalent to taking 100,000 cars off the road for a year.

In the last decade, IDB Invest has listed over £5 billion in bonds on the London Stock Exchange. This demonstrates the strength of its partnership with the City and London’s role as the leading hub globally for green finance – ranked first in the world, for a third consecutive time, according to the Global Green Finance Index.

Last year, British International Investment, the UK’s own development finance institution, made its first investment in the Caribbean for over 20 years, investing alongside IDB Invest and local partners with the aim to deliver thousands of jobs and support productive, sustainable and inclusive economic growth across the region.

During their meeting, Minister Mitchell and President Goldfajn agreed on the critical role of the Bank Group in increasing global climate ambitions. The minister set out the UK’s commitment to international investment in green businesses, stressing its importance in addressing the strategic vulnerability of climate change.

The UK’s International Development Strategy also outlines its commitment to help countries strengthen their energy security and provide affordable, reliable, and clean energy for all, employing the full development finance toolkit, including British International Investment. This put the UK’s strengths – its capital markets, innovation, and expertise in science and technology – to work in mobilising more private finance to advance climate and nature goals.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 March 2023.

UK Minister for Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment, Lord Zac Goldsmith is in Libreville for two-days to attend the One Forest Summit.

The Summit is an opportunity for the UK and international partners from three continents to advance and renew their collective ambition regarding the conservation and sustainable management of the Amazon, the Congo basin and the tropical forests of South East Asia often considered as the heart and lungs of the planet.

International collaboration and coordination between donors and regional countries is paramount to reversing forest and biodiversity loss and promoting sustainable development, and the UK is taking a leading role as Chair of the Central African Forest Initiative and co-chair of the Donor College within the Congo Basin Forest Partnership.

The UK will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Gabon, where both parties will agree to shared priorities in the context of the climate ambition and commitments made at COP26.

Further engagements will include high-level meetings with Heads of State, Government officials, as well as other public and political stakeholders on how to promote the emergence of tangible solutions for a transition to a low-carbon economy, for climate change adaptation and for the protection of biodiversity.

Minister Goldsmith said:

I am delighted to be attending the One Forest Summit on behalf of the UK. This is a fantastic opportunity to work with our partners from across the globe to reaffirm the climate commitment made at COP26 to protect the Congo Basin forests and peatlands.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 March 2023.

The UK’s Ambassador to the WTO and UN in Geneva, Simon Manley, delivered this statement at the 15th WTO Trade Policy Review of Japan on 1 March 2023.

Madam Chair, thank you for leading this important scrutiny of one of the WTO’s biggest economies. In this new era of UK-EU cooperation let me also thank João for setting up our discussion today with such wisdom and linguistic skill. And let me also warmly welcome Japan’s delegation to their Trade Policy Review today, led by Deputy Assistant Minister Okochi.

Madam Chair, our nations enjoy deep historical ties going back centuries and Japan is now one of Britain’s closest partners in Asia. Indulge me a moment, as a lapsed historian, to take stock of the progress we have made together since English seafarers established first trading stations at Hirado Island in the 17th Century.

Today, Japan is a key partner with whom we share a vibrant bilateral trading relationship. Decades of partnership in automotive and electronics manufacturing, IT, energy, life sciences and financial services have provided the foundations for a dramatic expansion of industrial ties. From 2012 to 2020, Japanese Foreign Direct Investment in the UK almost tripled. In 2021, Nissan chose the great city of Sunderland as its flagship global EV Hub, investing £1bn in EV manufacturing and a gigafactory. Japanese firms contribute to the UK’s leading position in offshore wind. A Marubeni consortium is developing one of the world’s largest floating offshore wind farms in Scotland. From large tech to pharma to megabanks, there are now around a thousand Japanese companies operating in the UK.

Our association is deep and wide-ranging, underpinned by our bilateral FTA, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which came into force last year, further updating our collaborative and reciprocal relationship for the 2020s and beyond. The UK and Japan have also shown ambition in areas dear to the heart of the DG and vital to supporting trade like digital, on which we launched our Digital Partnership, in December 2022.

When our two Prime Ministers met at the Tower of London on 11 January, Prime Minister Sunak spoke of “an unbreakable bond that reaches halfway around the world”. And that’s why, recognising that our security is shared and indivisible, they signed a landmark deal on military cooperation – the Reciprocal Access Agreement.

And we hope that our membership of CPTPP will further elevate the ties between the UK and its Pacific partners, including Japan, to a new level. We are grateful to Japan for their support to the UK in that process and hope that this will not only promote trade and investment between our two great nations, but also demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.

Madam Chair, we commend Prime Minister Kishida’s agenda of driving the transformation of Japan’s economy by digitisation and investments in green technology and human capital. And we encourage Japan to match its high ambition with corresponding actions. As identified in our Advance Written Questions, there are several strategic areas where we would like to collaborate even more closely with Japan. Some of these are global issues, like decarbonisation and digitalisation, where all countries need to do more. But to realise ambitions in this area, we must focus on ensuring that businesses can make the most of these opportunities, by tackling the practical challenges that they still face: streamlining bureaucratic processes is a key example of this. Across the piece, we hope the UK can provide valuable expertise and support, and we look forward to continuing to work with Japan on realising these mutual opportunities.

Chair, we are glad to see that maintaining and strengthening the multilateral trading system is a key pillar of Japan’s trade policy. And I pay tribute to the wise guidance that Ambassador Yamazaki provides to his team in this House. Plurilateralism has brought much-needed energy and dynamism to this organisation. We are grateful for Japan’s cooperation in plurilateral initiatives, in particular as one of the co-convenors for the E-Commerce JI, which will deliver modern global rules on digital trade that are fit for purpose in the 2020s and support the digital economy. This is a top priority for the UK and we look forward to working with Japan to conclude substantive negotiations in 2023. We also appreciate Japan’s efforts to launch certification requests for the Services Domestic Regulation JI last December 2022.

We wholeheartedly agree with Minister Nishimura’s assessment in his speech to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies that we must never allow ourselves to fall into protectionism and using industrial subsidies to compete against one another. Our countries support a robust and effective multilateral trading system, crucial to the future functioning of the international order, and we must ensure our industrial policies do not disrupt these important trade links. The UK will support Japan in holding high the banner of free trade.

We therefore welcome Japan’s focus under their G7 presidency on global economic recovery, strengthening economic security, and improving cooperation with the Global South. In the past year we have stood side by side with Japan and all G7 partners in supporting Ukraine against President Putin’s unprovoked aggression, and we will continue to stand together for Ukraine’s freedom, for international law, and our rules based multilateral trading system.

We are pleased that the G7 Trade Track is now in its 3rd year, an initiative pioneered under our own 2021 Presidency. We will support Japan to achieve practical outcomes particularly in the development of a comprehensive package on economic security that will help create a more resilient global trading system in the interests of all WTO Members.

Chair, to conclude, as the annual cherry blossom viewing season approaches, we wish Japan a similarly serene review and a florescence of success in their strategic trade programme, with the UK as a close partner.

And, in the spirit of a belated Trade Valentines, permit me to close with a short verse of optimism in the best of Japanese tradition:

Trade friendship blossoms,

Rooted in our shared values,

Garden of Progress.

Thank you, Chair.