Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 21 May 2026.

The UK has announced up to £20 million to support communities affected by the deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• Up to £20 million of new UK aid funding to help contain the recent outbreak of Ebola in Eastern DRC.
• Funding will support a DRC-led response to protect frontline responders and local communities. 
• UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to co-chair ministerial group to coordinate Government response.

The UK has allocated up to £20 million in new funding to contain the deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The funding will help the World Health Organisation, UN, international and NGO partners respond rapidly to the outbreak by strengthening disease surveillance, supporting frontline health workers, improving infection prevention and control, and helping affected communities access lifesaving care. 

Most confirmed cases are in the Ituri region of eastern DRC – a region already facing significant humanitarian and security challenges.

Alongside this funding, UK humanitarian partners are already responding to contain the outbreak. The UK has been working with leading international humanitarian organisations to contain the outbreak. Through the Strategic Assistance for Emergency Response (SAFER) consortium, the UK is pivoting funding to improve water, sanitation and hygiene systems, ensuring frontline responders and local communities have vital personal protective equipment, and strengthening Ebola containment measures. 

The UK is also refocusing efforts to protect maternity facilities and support civil society organisations to strengthen prevention and control, and mitigate the risk of increased birth complications and sexual violence during the outbreak.

Today [21st May] the Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care chaired a cross-government meeting to coordinate the UK’s response to the outbreak, including how to protect British nationals overseas and work with international partners.  

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

It is vital we act now to save lives – outbreaks like Ebola do not stop at borders, and neither can we.

This outbreak is a stark reminder that global health threats require a global response. The UK is working hand-in-hand with partners – boosting much needed funding but also sharing our technical expertise,  to contain the outbreak, protect our security, and support those most at risk.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is assessing routes by which travellers enter the UK from the affected countries and will be working with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Department for Transport, and Border Force to ensure information is available to them on Ebola symptoms and how to access healthcare if unwell. The UK has updated its travel advice and advises against all but essential travel to some parts of the DRC.

Additionally, UKHSA has activated the Returning Workers Scheme, which aims to protect and monitor the health of individuals travelling from the UK to affected areas for their work. Organisations deploying workers to affected areas where they may be exposed to Ebola through their work should register those workers with the scheme.  

Dr Mike Reynolds, Incident Director at UKHSA, said: 

While the current outbreak of Ebola affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is serious, the risk it poses to the UK population is low. UKHSA continues to monitor and assess the situation closely and the NHS has safe procedures in place for any such cases and specialist centres where they can be looked after. 

The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team stands ready to activate should requests for support be received from the DRC or Ugandan government, WHO, or other partners involved in response on the ground. 

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 May 2026.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Chargé d’Affaires to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Protection of civilians in armed conflict.

First, it is critical that we press all parties to conflict to not only uphold their legal obligations, but to do all they can to protect civilians and minimise harm. 

We are deeply concerned at the Secretary-General’s reporting of 37,000 civilian deaths in conflicts in 2025, with Gaza and Sudan suffering the highest toll. 

 The scale of reported attacks on medical personnel and facilities is alarming. 

This is all the more horrifying as we mark the ten-year anniversary of Security Council resolution 2286, which demanded an end to these attacks. 

We call on all parties to conflict to comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, to protect civilians.

Second, as conflicts become increasingly complex, we need to hone our tools and evolve our approaches to best protect civilians.

Technological advances, including AI, are changing the way conflicts are fought. 

As the Secretary-General made clear, we are witnessing a rapid expansion in the use of weaponised UAVs in conflicts, including in Ukraine, Sudan, Lebanon and the DRC, with reports of the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure. 

And having listened to the extraordinary intervention of our Russian colleague today, I feel compelled to respond to the hypocrisy. As part of its war of aggression in Ukraine, it has killed over 150 civilians this month alone. Russia is on track to fire more drones into Ukraine this month than any other since the start of the war. Killing dozens, injuring hundreds, and striking homes and civilian infrastructure, including pre-schools.

 But technological advances can also support the protection of civilians. 

For example, UN peacekeeping missions are harnessing technology to improve situational awareness and protection, and we should continue to support this.   

Finally, the protection of civilians depends on our collective action. 

All member states, regional organisations, and the UN play a critical role. 

We should continue using our diplomatic channels to press parties to conflict for humanitarian access and the protection of aid workers, including by supporting the ICRC Global Initiative.

 The United Kingdom will continue using its role in the Council to advance the protection of civilians and accountability. 

And we are also proud to have launched, with international partners, the Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan to support civilians in one of the most destructive conflicts. 

We look forward to continuing this international coordination to support civilians in conflict wherever they are.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 May 2026.

UK Statement for the Explanation of Vote on Lebanon. Delivered at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva.

Thank you, Chair.

The UK voted in favour of this decision.

The conflict in Lebanon has had a devastating impact on civilians. We utterly condemn Hizballah and its attacks against Israel, including against civilian areas. These must cease.

And in Lebanon, Israeli military action has had unacceptable impacts on civilians and medical care. The conflict has led to the displacement of over 1 million people and the closure of several hospitals and health facilities. The WHO has reported over 150 verified attacks against healthcare, with over 100 healthcare workers killed.

We call on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, including in relation to the protection of medical and humanitarian personnel. Damage to healthcare facilities not only causes immediate losses of civilian life, but also deprives communities of critical, life-saving services and can exacerbate long-term humanitarian challenges.

We commend the efforts of the Lebanese government and the WHO in this challenging context. The UK has committed £30m in humanitarian support in response to the crisis. The UK also welcomes the further renewal of the ceasefire.

All parties must take every effort to comply with this agreement and must ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 May 2026.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to lead UK-convened international coalition to tackle global emergency of violence against women and girls.

• mirroring the UK Government mission to halve VAWG in a decade, the Coalition announced at the Global Partnerships Conference will see countries across the globe share expertise and scale up prevention work
• eight countries have signed up to this new Coalition, driven by the Foreign Secretary

Women and girls across the globe will be better protected from violence and abuse, as the UK spearheads a new international effort to drive progress, to be announced by the Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper today at the Global Partnerships Conference in London.  

The new coalition brings together eight countries to work together to prevent violence so that women and girls can live free from fear, no matter who or where they are. Member states will drive practical action to prevent domestic abuse and sexual violence, which affects 1 in every 3 women globally, as well as tackling online abuse, which is on the rise around the world.  

Founding members are the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Morocco, Spain, Jamaica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Australia.  

As the world faces increasing conflict, the International Coalition will also look to strengthen global efforts to prevent sexual violence in conflict and other forms of violence in humanitarian crises.

Next year, the UK will convene a major summit on tackling violence against women and girls where countries can set out further commitments and report on progress.

The Government has already pledged the largest crackdown on violence against women and girls in British history, committing to halve these horrific crimes within a decade and introducing lifesaving policies like Raneem’s Law, which has seen domestic abuse specialists embedded in 999 control rooms.

The Foreign Secretary has exported her domestic experience into foreign policy, declaring women and girls a departmental priority at the FCDO and protecting central spending on tackling violence against women and girls in a challenging fiscal context.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, said:

Violence against women and girls is a global emergency not just a national emergency. We are determined to work across borders to ensure women’s safety is a world wide priority. I visited the Sudanese border in February, and I heard girls speak of rape, abduction and abhorrent sexual violence. I will make sure their voices are heard and fight to end violence for every single one of them – and for the 1 in 3 women globally who will experience sexual or physical abuse in their lifetime.  

I’m delighted to launch this Coalition with countries around the world that share our ambition. Because from the UK, to Brazil, to South Africa and beyond, women deserve to live free from fear of violence. And because there can be no peace, security, or prosperity for any of us until they do.

Through the Coalition, countries will share expertise in tackling the issue and develop national action plans to scale up work to prevent violence, protect women and girls, and hold perpetrators to account. 

Yesterday, the Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper visited Lewisham Police Station, alongside the UK Safeguarding Minister Natalie Fleet and Spanish Secretary of State for International Cooperation. They spoke to Met police officers and saw demonstrations of their V100 programme – a pioneering digital risk assessment using counter-terrorism tactics to identify, target and manage the most dangerous VAWG offenders in London. 

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls Natalie Fleet said:

Violence against women and girls is a global emergency and tackling this issue requires more than warm words.

To create a world where women and girls feel safe from harm, we must build a united, global front and I’m proud to stand alongside international partners today who committed to doing just that.

But we will not stop there. We will deploy the full power of the UK state to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

The launch comes alongside the publication of the UK’s new International Strategic Framework on Women and Girls, which sets out how the UK will defend the rights of women and girls across the world, embedding this across diplomacy, trade, security, and development, using UK partnerships and resources to drive progress. 

The Framework outlines the UK’s increased ambition to ensure women and girls are placed at the heart of everything we do, and includes a commitment that at least 90% of FCDO bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) will have a focus on gender equality by 2030.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 May 2026.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Chargé d’Affaires to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East.

I thank Director General Grossi for his briefing. And I welcome the participation of the permanent representative of the UAE in our meeting today.

Let me also take this opportunity to thank Dr Grossi and staff at the International Atomic Energy Agency for their professionalism and dedication in delivering essential work on nuclear safety, security, and safeguards, often in the most challenging circumstances. 

The United Kingdom condemns this attack on the Barakah nuclear facility in the United Arab Emirates, in the strongest terms.  

This was a reckless attack which could have had severe consequences for nuclear safety and for regional security. 

We welcome reports that radiation levels remain normal and that no injuries have been reported. 

We call on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to apply, respect, and uphold international law, including the UN Charter and international humanitarian law. 

Such actions risk further escalation at a time of heightened tensions.  

President, looking to the wider region, we welcome action from the Council, led by the Gulf, to address increased tensions and instability.   

Resolution 2817 is clear. Iran must cease all attacks, including in the Strait of Hormuz.  

These attacks continue to threaten global security and prosperity, increase economic pressure on the most vulnerable, and put civilian lives in danger.  

The United Kingdom stands firmly alongside the UAE and all our partners in the region in support of their sovereignty, security, and protection of critical national infrastructure.

We will continue to pursue all diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, including here in the Security Council while providing practical support to help defend our friends in the Gulf.  

Colleagues, the situation in the Middle East remains fragile.  

We all want to see a de-escalation of tensions in the region. 

Together, we must do all we can to support and sustain the ceasefire. 

We call on Iran to engage meaningfully in negotiations, and to move towards lasting and sustainable peace.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 May 2026.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Chargé d’Affaires to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine.

This Council exists to uphold international peace and security. 

Yet we meet again because the actions of a permanent member over the last two weeks have made one thing clear: Russia has no interest in peace.

Despite repeated global calls for a ceasefire, President Putin has continued his deadly attacks on Ukraine, accepting a ceasefire only when it suited him: a pause long enough to protect his Victory Day parade.

The moment the parade ended, the killing resumed. 24 people killed by a single strike on a block of apartments. Russia is lashing out in desperation.  A state that needs a spectacle to mask its insecurity, and missiles to silence diplomacy, is not acting from confidence. It is acting from fear. Fear that Ukraine will endure and Russia’s aggression will fail.

This disregard for life extends to those trying to save it. As we’ve heard today, last week, a clearly marked UN vehicle on a humanitarian mission in Kherson was struck twice by drones, endangering humanitarians delivering vital aid. This is not an isolated incident. OCHA reports over 50 incidents affecting humanitarian personnel and operations so far this year. These attacks are straining a response on which millions rely.

President Putin continues to choose deadly violence because he is desperate. Russia has killed over 150 civilians this month alone. His objectives remain unmet after over four years, and conditions at home continue to deteriorate. Russia’s economy is increasingly subsumed by defence spending. Yet he continues, despite clear evidence that Ukraine is resisting effectively and imposing significant costs.

As the Council marks Protection of Civilians week, we remind Russia of their obligations under international law. We echo the Secretary General’s call for a comprehensive ceasefire, and a just and lasting peace.

But peace begins with truth: this war could end the moment Russia stops its invasion.

President Putin cannot achieve his goals by military means.

Russia is losing more soldiers than it is recruiting.

And at the rate it is seizing territory, it would take decades to achieve its war aims. 

So he is desperate to convince us all that Russia’s victory is inevitable. That our support is a lost cause. But no one is falling for it. Europe’s support is here to stay.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 May 2026.

UK National Statement for the 2026 World Heath Assembly as delivered by the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, Kumar Iyer.

Thank you President, dear friends,

At this very moment, World Health Organization staff are saving lives on the frontlines of crises, responding to public health challenges like Ebola, and are often working in the world’s most dangerous and demanding conditions.

Whether in Ukraine, Sudan or Palestine, their work embodies what this organisation stands for: science, solidarity, and service. It also serves as a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to protect everyone, and the essential civilian infrastructure that makes that care possible.

I reiterate that the United Kingdom unequivocally condemns all attacks on civilian infrastructure.

It is precisely because of these realities that the World Health Organization remains indispensable. At a time of profound and intersecting global challenges, its leadership, grounded in science, technical expertise, and evidence-based action has never been more important. We saw the power of that global technical expertise and collaboration in the response to the Hantavirus outbreak.

The WHO’s role in convening countries, setting global standards, and providing impartial advice is fundamental to strong health systems worldwide, and the UK is proud to support it.

To meet the demands of today’s crises and those ahead, the WHO must continue to uphold the highest standards of technical excellence. In that spirit, like others, we call for Taiwan to have meaningful access to all relevant technical WHO meetings and to observe the World Health Assembly, as it did from 2009 to 2016.

The United Kingdom is committed to translating science and innovation into real-world impact, including through our 66 WHO Collaborating Centres. We also commend Member States working to agree an effective and equitable Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex to the Pandemic Agreement.

We must now act with urgency on antimicrobial resistance, one of the most serious threats to global health, and on the destructive power of nicotine, where the UK is taking bold steps to create our first smoke-free generation through our Tobacco and Vapes Act.

The United Kingdom remains steadfast in our commitment to multilateralism. Together, we can strengthen an effective global health system that delivers for those who depend on it most.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 May 2026.

Foreign Secretary warns the world cannot wait any longer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as food security crisis looms for countries already on the edge.

• the world needs fertiliser to be moving in weeks not months, damage has begun to be priced in to the agriculture market for the next year as harvests suffer and food prices rise
• global conference brings governments, investors, international organisations, technology leaders and civil society together to agree new ways of working on shared global challenges, including directly combating the impact of the ongoing Iran conflict
• new investment unlocked at scale to strengthen economies and build resilience, including billions mobilised by British International Investment to tackle the climate crisis

Today at the Global Partnerships Conference, in London, Britain’s Foreign Secretary is bringing together countries from all over the world to build new partnerships and setting out the UK’s new approach to development as the crisis in the Middle East continues to wreaks havoc on global energy and food security. The World Food Programme estimates that almost 45 million more people could fall into acute food insecurity if the conflict does not end by the middle of this year.  

This is a critical time in the agriculture calendar, not just the diplomatic one – if global partners don’t get fertiliser moving there will be shipments of critical emergency aid needed not just external investment and technology. 

People around the world will benefit from a new era of cooperation on international development, after a broad coalition of partners pledge new ways of working to build resilience and tackle global challenges as the UK co-hosts the Global Partnerships Conference. 

The world is changing faster than the system designed to support it. The current conflict in Iran has significantly driven up global oil and gas prices, shocks like these can stretch public finances and push more households into food insecurity, underlining the need for countries to build stronger systems, partnerships for growth, and response mechanisms to stop risks becoming crises. 

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper MP said: 

The world is sleepwalking into a global food crisis. We cannot risk tens of millions of people going hungry because one country has hijacked an international shipping lane. Iran’s continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz while the agriculture clock is ticking shows why we need urgent global pressure to get the Strait reopened, fertiliser and fuel moving and ease the costs of living pressures. That is why we will continue to lead calls for the immediate and unrestricted opening of the Strait and advance plans for the Strait of Hormuz Multinational Mission to support any agreement. 

This crisis is affecting developed and developing countries, the private and public sectors alike. It shows why we need a new approach to global partnerships, to drive international development to prevent crises in the first place.  

The world has changed faster than the international system can support it. This conference reflects our modern approach to development working in a new spirit of partnership and building new coalitions to drive a world free from poverty on a liveable planet.  

Our commitment to international development reflects our values and our national interest. In an increasingly interconnected world, instability abroad affects us here at home, from energy prices to food security. Building resilience abroad makes the UK stronger, that’s what this week’s conference is about.

Global challenges, such as the Iran crisis, do not stop at borders and neither do their solutions. 

That is why the UK, alongside co-hosts South Africa, British International Investment (BII) and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), has convened a  broad coalitions of partners, from governments, international organisations, business, technology philanthropy, and civil society to rethink how to combine strengths in addressing global challenges such as economic, climate and health shocks.  

Across the week, this will include events that address the economic and human impacts of the Iran crisis directly, focused on global resilience and effects of energy and supply chain disruption, such as fertiliser supply and food security risks, and how to ramp up early action where pressures are greatest. 
 
The Foreign Secretary will also use key moments across the conference, including a keynote speech on Tuesday, to set out the case for a more shock-resilient model of international co-operation. 

At the centre of the Global Partnerships Conference is a shared agreement – the Global Partnerships Compact – to work together differently, faster, more openly, and in genuine partnership. It will aim to create a system of international cooperation that not only responds to shocks like the Iran crisis and its global impacts on energy, fertiliser and food prices, but also builds a system that’s resilient in the face of the crises of the future putting countries at the forefront of their own growth. 
 
Minister for Development Baroness Chapman said: 

We have heard what our partners have been calling for. They want to work in partnership with the UK. Countries want to have more control, move beyond aid, attract investment, strengthen their own health and education systems, and take charge of their own futures. 

Traditional development finance alone cannot meet that call, indeed it never could. Nor can it respond to the scale of today’s challenges. We need to bring new ideas and a broader coalition of partners to the table, 

The decisions that come out of this conference will benefit everyone: stronger economies, fewer crises, and a more stable and prosperous future that unlocks opportunity.

The conference aims to unlock billions of pounds in innovative finance, harness technology including AI, and build new partnerships that help countries strengthen systems, manage risk earlier and become more self-sufficient in the face of future shocks.
 
Commitments will push forward reforms and new measures with a strong focus on countries setting their own priorities and partners shifting resources and decision-making towards locally-driven plans.