Tag: International Development Press Release

Below is a press release issued by the Department for International Development on 06/03/2020.

The global race to find a vaccine for coronavirus will be bolstered by support announced by the Prime Minister today, funded by the UK’s international development budget.

Supported by UK funding, eight possible coronavirus vaccines are currently under development and efforts are being made to get any viable vaccines from sequencing of the virus to clinical testing in under a year – a record timeframe. Governments around the world could then work with pharmaceutical companies to get vaccines into production and use. Today’s additional support will bring the UK’s investment into COVID-19 research to £65 million.

UK experts are leading the scientific and medical response to the global coronavirus outbreak and the UK was one of the first countries to establish a laboratory test for the virus. However, no country has yet found a method of diagnosing coronavirus without sending samples to a lab for testing – a process that can take several days.

Today the Prime Minister visited Mologic lab in Bedfordshire which is using UK aid funding to develop rapid diagnostic test devices for coronavirus to allow medical professionals or potentially even individuals at home to identify the disease quickly without relying on specialist facilities. This will mean patients can be treated more quickly, reducing the risk of them passing the virus onto others and helping them to recover quickly. The lab is building on extensive experience creating similar tests for other infections.

Efforts to develop a diagnostic test form part of the Government’s work to limit the spread of the virus, investing in and informed by scientific research.

A rapid diagnostic test can also be used by countries around the world that are not currently able to diagnose the virus at all. Low-income countries without the medical infrastructure to conduct laboratory tests or who do not have access to the necessary reagents are not able to differentiate coronavirus from other common causes of fever such as other bacterial, viral and parasitic infections.

The majority of cases in those countries are therefore going unchecked, increasing the risk of the virus spreading both locally and around the world. To ensure access to the technology, the test will therefore be jointly manufactured in the UK and Senegal — the first time a diagnostic has been produced in the continent, supported by UK aid funding.

Today’s announcement builds on the plan set out by the Prime Minister earlier this week to tackle coronavirus in the UK. The Government is doing everything possible, based on the advice of world-leading scientific experts, to prepare for all eventualities. This plan has four strands – containing the virus, delaying its spread, researching its origins and cure, and mitigating the impact should the virus become more widespread.

Today’s funding package, which includes support for the World Health Organization’s Flash Appeal, will also help vulnerable countries prepare for the spread of the disease in other ways.

UK-funded infectious disease experts are working in developing countries which have large urban populations and transport links to the UK and to China and other countries experiencing large outbreaks. Experts will support countries to prepare for and respond to suspected cases, for example by creating effective isolation zones.

International efforts are being coordinated by a new UK Government Coronavirus International Taskforce, bringing together expertise from the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Coronavirus is the biggest threat in countries whose healthcare systems are unable to cope with large outbreaks. Ensuring those countries have mechanisms in place will prevent a surge of cases which would also present risks to us at home.

Today’s announcement brings the UK’s total support to fight the virus internationally to £91 million.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

Keeping the British people safe is my number one priority, and that’s why I’ve set out our four-part plan to contain, delay, mitigate and research coronavirus.

We are ensuring the country is prepared for the current outbreak, guided by the science at every stage. But we also need to invest now in researching the vaccines that could help prevent future outbreaks.

I’m very proud that UK experts – backed by government funding – are on the front line of global efforts to do just that.

International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

The UK is well-prepared to respond to potential cases of coronavirus at home, but a global response is needed to effectively combat the disease.

We are investing UK aid and using the best of British expertise and science to find new ways to vaccinate against, treat and diagnose the virus, and to support global efforts to prevent further outbreaks around the world.

Every action that we take to prevent the virus spreading makes the UK safer.

Government Chief Scientific Officer Sir Patrick Vallance said:

Rapid testing is going to be key to managing this outbreak, but ultimately vaccines are going to provide the long-term protection we need.

The UK has some of the world’s leading scientists and this money will help in our fight to tackle this new disease.

Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said:

The United Kingdom’s support for the global response to the new coronavirus outbreak will protect the health of people in many parts of the world, from assisting countries with fragile health systems to fuelling the fight to find a vaccine.

At this critical time in the battle against COVID-19, the WHO is grateful for the UK’s solidarity and commitment to keeping people safe at home and around the world.

It comes ahead of the UK hosting the “Global Vaccine Summit 2020” in June, demonstrating the UK’s leadership in global health security.

Below is a press release issued by the Department for International Development on 11/03/2020.

Up to £150 million of UK aid funding announced in the Budget to help mitigate the impact of coronavirus on the world’s most vulnerable countries.

Vulnerable countries will be better protected from the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak thanks to support announced by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak in today’s budget.

Up to £150 million of new UK aid will go to the International Monetary Fund’s Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) to help developing countries deal with the short term economic disruption caused by coronavirus, allowing them to focus their spending on tackling the outbreak.

Countries will receive support if they experience a severe decline in national income or falling government revenues as a result of coronavirus. This will help lessen economic disruption, particularly where vulnerable countries might otherwise default on debt repayments and trigger further economic impacts.

COVID-19 has already had a major impact on oil prices and global stock markets in recent weeks. The IMF fund is designed to lessen the disease’s future global economic impact, which will also safeguard the UK economy.

International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

The UK is yet again playing a crucial role delivering greater stability in the face of crisis. We are determined to lessen the economic effect of the coronavirus outbreak on developing countries, which in turn will reduce its global impact.

This support will make a very real difference to those countries which are most vulnerable to coronavirus. It will allow them to focus on battling this outbreak, which should be every country’s first priority.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak when delivering the budget today said:

The Governor of the Bank of England and I are in close contact with our counterparts, around the world, in the G7 and the G20.

And to support the global response, I’m also making new funding of £150m available for the IMF’s relief efforts.

The International Monetary Fund set up the CCRT in 2015 to cope with economic shocks caused by natural disasters or public health emergencies. It successfully helped Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea respond to the Ebola crisis in 2015. The UK was the first country to support this fund and is historically one of its largest contributors.

UK aid is already at the centre of the coronavirus response. Since the outbreak began £91 million of has been invested in the research of vaccines and diagnostic tests, and in supporting the World Health Organization and developing countries to prevent the virus spreading around the world. Today’s announcement brings the UK’s total commitment to the international coronavirus response to up to £241 million.

Below is a press release issued by the Department for International Development on 12/03/2020.

Vital humanitarian aid will provide much-needed relief amid worsening humanitarian crisis in Idlib.

The UK Government has delivered vital humanitarian aid to the Turkey-Syria border, which will provide much-needed relief and protection for Syrians amid the worsening humanitarian crisis in Idlib.

An RAF C-17 carrying 37 tonnes of UK aid landed in Hatay, Turkey, yesterday afternoon. The supplies on board include tents to provide life-saving shelter, hygiene kits, blankets, water purification tablets, cooking equipment and lanterns for around 300 families who have been forced to flee their homes and seek safety in harsh conditions.

This comes as schools, nurseries and hospitals are targeted by Syrian regime bombing.

The aid flight is in addition to £89 million of UK aid for Syria – announced last week – to help protect victims of violence, which included tents, thermal blankets, clothing, food, clean water and medical supplies, among other measures.

The aid supplies are being distributed in the worst affected areas including Idlib in north west Syria, with the cooperation of the Turkish Red Crescent.

It comes as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace visited Ankara today to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, to discuss how the UK can further support Turkey, and those Syrians in desperate need. This follows the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab’s meeting with his Turkish counterparts in Ankara last week to discuss the continuing violence in Syria and the UK’s support to the crisis.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

The people of Idlib have suffered enormously during this conflict and these crucial supplies delivered by our military will provide shelter for hundreds of families in desperate need.

We stand in solidarity with Turkey after the losses they have suffered, and the UK will do what we can to offer support.

For the sake of both nations, the wider region and security across the entire globe, the ceasefire in Idlib must continue to be respected.

International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

It is a tragedy that almost a million people – mostly women and children – have been forced to flee their homes in the past 100 days as the ruthless Assad regime and its Russian backers relentlessly bombed their homes and killed their families.

Too many innocent people are struggling to survive in freezing conditions without a roof over their head.

Through UK aid, delivered by our world-class troops, the British people are helping to save lives, boost regional security and stop the cruel suffering of defenceless Syrians in this warzone.

The UK is one of the largest bilateral donors to the Syria crisis, providing more than £3.1 billion to trusted partners in Syria and the region since 2011. From day one, we have been at the forefront of the humanitarian response providing more than 28 million food rations, 19 million medical check-ups and 12 million vaccines across Syria and the region.

The UK has also helped more than 140,000 people to get clean drinking water and provided psychosocial support to almost 28,000 people, including over 1,000 children.

Turkey is the largest refugee hosting country in the world. Working with our European partners, the UK has helped to support the education of more than 635,000 Syrian refugee children in Turkey and provided over 8 million primary healthcare consultations for the most vulnerable Syrian refugees to help alleviate pressure on Turkish communities and maintain regional security.

During his visit to the country, Mr Wallace will also meet other members of the Turkish government and lay a wreath at the Anitkabir Mausoleum, paying his respects to the founder of The Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Below is a press release issued by the Department for International Development on 12/03/2020.

UK aid will fund new international push to challenge dangerous fake news about coronavirus.

Dangerous myths about coronavirus which are hampering the global fight against the disease will be challenged thanks to a new initiative backed by UK aid.

The support from the Department for International Development will challenge misinformation in South East Asia and Africa, which is then spreading worldwide, and direct people to the right advice to help stop the spread of the virus.

False claims and conspiracy theories have spread rapidly on social media, touting ‘cures’ like drinking bleach or rubbing mustard and garlic into your skin. These pose a serious risk to health and can speed up the spread of the virus, by stopping people taking simple practical, preventative steps like washing their hands.

DFID’s £500,000 support will go to the Humanitarian-to-Humanitarian (H2H) Network, which has extensive experience addressing the spread of misinformation during epidemics, for example following the 2015 Ebola outbreak.

The work of the H2H Network will complement UK initiatives by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the NHS to tackle misinformation online.

International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

Misinformation harms us all. By tackling it at source we will help stop the spread of fake news – and coronavirus – worldwide, including within the UK.

H2H will work with partners BBC Media Action and Internews to create verified information in various languages to tackle specific mistruths spreading in South East Asia and Africa. Their work will also support journalists in these regions to write more accurately about the virus using information from the World Health Organization.

Support will also go to Translators without Borders, which monitors false information in various languages and translates validated content from WHO and other health agencies, and Evidence Aid which updates a database of research on diseases each day.

The initiative will analyse social media and online content to identify where the misinformation is coming from and how it is spreading – so victims of fake news can be sent the correct information and directed to official health advice.

H2H will also work with social media influencers – vloggers and bloggers – to help spread accurate health information and reach younger online audiences that are more susceptible to fake news.

Some of the social media influencers being engaged include:

Bianca Gonzalez, a health expert and YouTube vlogger from the Philippines with over 7 million followers on Twitter @iamsuperbianca

Dr Jahangir Kabir, a Bangladeshi health expert and popular TV presenter with over 1 million Facebook followers @DrJahangirkabircmc

@KlikDokter – An Indonesian health blog with over 4 million Facebook followers

Some of the more damaging mistruths being targeted include:

‘Miracle cures’ for the virus, such as drinking chlorine dioxide, an industrial bleach, or urine, eating garlic, gargling saltwater or spreading cow dung and mustard paste. In Myanmar, news websites have reported false claims supposedly from health officials, advising people to sleep next to chopped onions claiming this will “absorb the virus” or to drink ginger juice. It is also falsely claimed you cannot catch coronavirus if you have a mosquito bite. Scammers pretending to be health officials in Myanmar have been selling black pepper seeds as a cure.

Undermining health officials: In Tanzania, people have received a WhatsApp message claiming to be from the health ministry and telling them drinking warm water every few minutes will prevent infection. The exact same message has also appeared in French throughout West Africa, claiming to be from the Canadian Health Ministry. Messages like this are undermining the efforts of real health officials to contain the virus, damaging trust in official advice and confusing people.

Promoting violence: Rumours that the virus was created or spread deliberately have already led to reported attacks on Chinese nationals across South East Asia as well as in the UK. A video claiming to show Chinese officials shooting coronavirus victims and alleging tens of thousands were executed went viral on social media sites worldwide, after the celebrity sister of a prominent Bollywood actor in India shared them. The video was in fact edited from four completely unrelated clips, including one of Chinese police shooting a rabid dog.

Public Health England is regularly updating its advice on coronavirus, including how people can help stop the spread of infection. Individuals are also being advised to call NHS 111 or contact the NHS dedicated 111 online coronavirus service if they are concerned about any symptoms or any contact they may have had with someone who might be infected.

Below is a press release issued by the Department for International Development on 26/03/2020.

New £100 million campaign to reach up to a billion people globally will help stop the spread of coronavirus.

The UK government is working with Unilever to fund a global programme to urgently tackle the spread of coronavirus.

The programme will reach up to a billion people worldwide, raising awareness and changing behaviour, to make sure people are washing their hands with soap regularly and disinfecting surfaces.

It is backed by funding of up to £50 million each from both the Department for International Development and Unilever. The programme will also provide over 20 million hygiene products in the developing world, including in areas where there is little or no sanitation.

Such support is vital to stop the spread of the disease in the developing world and will also limit its further potential spread in the UK. Tackling the disease in developing countries will also reduce its potential future impact on the global economy and travel.

Over half a billion pounds of aid from the UK government is already being used to help slow the spread of the virus in developing countries. This includes support for research into vaccines and tests, as well as humanitarian support for developing countries.

International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

Health experts have said washing your hands regularly and staying away from other people are the most effective ways to stop this virus from spreading and to save lives.

Many people in the poorest countries lack access to basic handwashing products, such as soap, or are not aware of the urgent need to change their behaviour. The UK Government’s partnership with Unilever, will make a real difference, helping to protect both developing countries and the UK from further infections.

The mass awareness campaign will run across TV, radio and print, social and digital media to help change people’s behaviour in countries across Africa and Asia, like Kenya, Ghana and Bangladesh. Messages will be tailored to communities in these countries to ensure they are effective.

The initiative will be led by Unilever’s hygiene brands Domestos bleach and Lifebuoy soap, which have been driving large scale hygiene behaviour change programmes for decades.

The announcement builds on a series of actions announced by Unilever in recent days to tackle the coronavirus outbreak globally. The company employs over 6,000 people in the UK.

Unilever CEO, Alan Jope, said:

Lifebuoy and Domestos have a proven track record of running hygiene awareness and education programmes successfully, and we hope that the work we will be able to drive jointly with UK aid will help save lives that could otherwise be impacted by coronavirus.

As the world’s biggest soap company, we have a responsibility to help make soap and hygiene products more readily available, and to use our expertise to teach people to wash their hands effectively, whichever brand they choose to use.

The initiative will support British and international NGOs and other partners to run programmes to tackle the spread of coronavirus, through increasing access to hygiene products; a mass public awareness campaign on the importance of handwashing; and a hygiene behaviour change programme. It will also harness the expertise of leading academics, including from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to analyse and ensure the programme is targeted where it has the biggest impact.

DFID and Unilever will work closely with partners to curb the spread of coronavirus in vulnerable countries with poor health systems, saving lives in the process.

Below is a press release issued by the Department for International Development on 17/01/2020.

Announcement comes as African government and business leaders arrive in London ahead of the UK-Africa Investment Summit.

Billions of pounds of investment in Africa will be generated by the City of London under initiatives announced by International Development Secretary Alok Sharma today (Friday 17 January 2020).

The announcement comes as African government and business leaders arrive in London ahead of the UK-Africa Investment Summit on Monday 20 January – the first event of its scale.

More African businesses are listed on the London Stock Exchange than any other finance centre outside the continent. But African assets still only account for around 1% of total investments managed by the City.

Today’s announcements will help more money from private investors like pension funds flow into Africa by making it easier, quicker and more secure to invest. This will also ensure that money is going directly to support green and sustainable development.

The three new initiatives, backed by almost £400 million of UK aid support, include:

Extra support to the UK’s Financial Sector Deepening Platform which will improve the financial systems and regulations of 45 developing nations in Africa, to build more confidence for international investors; lead the way to boost green finance products and improve access to bank accounts and loans for African entrepreneurs.

Collaboration with the City of London on a competition for fund managers to identify new investment products for Africa, which could be listed on major stock exchanges like London, making it easier and more appealing for global investors to put money into African projects at scale.

A new facility with the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) to develop more local currency bonds, allowing businesses and governments in Africa to raise investment in their own currencies and reduce the risks and costs associated with borrowing in foreign currencies, because of potentially damaging exchange rate fluctuations. This will help African countries better plan and invest in their future.

International Development Secretary Alok Sharma said:

“Africa’s substantial investment potential is clear, with many African countries outstripping global economic growth in recent decades. The UK is already the top financial exchange for Africa’s businesses and we want investors to seize the exciting opportunities that Africa offers.

These new initiatives, announced ahead of the UK-Africa Investment Summit, will make it easier, greener and more secure to invest in Africa, mobilising billions of pounds of sustainable investment to help end poverty.

These announcements come on the same day that a new World Bank Group International Development Association (IDA) Sterling bond will be listed on the London Stock exchange, which is expected to raise hundreds of millions of pounds for high impact investment across Africa.”

President of the World Bank Group David Malpass said:

“By 2050, one in four global consumers will be African. But Africa currently attracts less than 4 percent of global Foreign Direct Investment. Strong actions from countries to improve rule of law and take on vested interests could create the right incentives to spur investment by strengthening financial systems, building confidence in financial markets, and enabling more productive private sector activity.

On behalf of the World Bank Group, I’d like to thank the UK government for their leadership in supporting investments in Africa. Working together with us in global cooperation, the countries of Africa can meet their ambitions to boost growth, create jobs, and lift people out of poverty.”

Minister for Investment Graham Stuart said:

“The UK’s position as a world centre for finance makes it well positioned to support increased private sector investment into Africa, creating more jobs, driving economic growth and financing vital infrastructure projects. Today’s announcements are a brilliant step forward in supporting that objective.”

Notes to Editors

For details on the UK-Africa Investment summit click here.

Over £17 billion has been raised on the London Stock Exchange by 112 African companies in the last 10 years which today are worth more than £125 billion.

Here is further information on the three initiatives announced today:

UK Financial Sector Deepening Platform – £320 million

Since its foundation by the Department for International Development in 2002, the Financial Sector Deepening Platform has strengthened financial markets across developing countries, benefiting over 41 million African consumers and entrepreneurs with improved access to banking and financing.

The new £320 million UK aid will run over the next five years, supporting a further 22 million people and 3.9 million small businesses across 45 countries in Africa, including giving them access to mobile banking for remote communities.

It will support developing African economies like Kenya and Uganda to strengthen financial structures and regulation, encouraging more global investment, as well as supporting countries like Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe to build new financial systems following conflict or economic hardship.

The Financial Sector Deepening Platform will also build stronger financial links across African nations, allowing UK investors to invest in multiple economies with greater security, and develop new financial products aimed at supporting local small businesses, especially those run by female entrepreneurs, to access financing.

It will also build on successes in Kenya and Nigeria to create more green investment opportunities in Africa – supporting local regulators, issuers and policy makers to develop green bonds.

Competition to identify and develop new investment products for Africa – up to £45 million

A new collaboration with the City of London will identify and develop new listed investment products which boost development in poorer African nations, with up to £45 million UK aid support.

Subject to a successful competition, UK aid could be used to support the development of the new investment products that are created, or invest in them, with DFID funding going directly to projects in Africa, like funding new hospitals or clean energy power, which will generate further private investment.

The products will be able to be traded on public stock exchanges like the London Stock Exchange, boosting overall investment potential, and will be available to pension funds, other institutional investors and eventually retail investors.

With this initial financial backing from UK aid, the new investment products will bring opportunities to invest in Africa to more institutional investors, who are responsible for much larger sums of capital then is currently available to developing African countries.

IFC Cross-Border Risk Facility – £30 million

Backed by £30 million funding from the UK, DFID and the IFC are working on creating a new facility to deliver £80 million of local currency finance for a greater number of currencies across Africa.

This will help to build the market for local currency finance ensuring that international financial markets work better for the needs of developing countries and generate new opportunities for UK-based investors.

Local currency finance helps to reduce the risk and costs of damaging exchange rate fluctuations, helping African countries better plan and invest in their future.

This builds on the success of UK-aid backed local currency bonds, including the Kenyan green bond:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/alok-sharma-heralds-green-cities-of-the-future-on-kenya-visit

Below is a press release issued by the Department for International Development on 21/01/2020.

– over £50 million invested in innovative, clean technology as the UK works with African countries to develop sustainable energy sources, providing thousands of people with clean energy

– UK will share expertise in green finance and science and innovation to develop solar farms and battery storage projects

– African energy demand is set to rise 60% by 2040 – clean energy will be central in powering Africa’s growing economies and increasing access to electricity

Green energy supply in Africa is set for a major boost after the UK government announced winners of an investment package for the continent’s clean energy infrastructure at the African Investment Summit today.

Solar farms in Kenya, geothermal power stations in Ethiopia and clean energy storage across sub-Saharan Africa will receive funding and see leading UK scientists and financial experts working with their African counterparts to realise the continent’s huge potential for renewable energy.

With African energy demand set to rise by 60% by 2040, UK experts will help deliver green solutions for the continent’s growing energy needs, bringing clean energy to thousands of people and creating jobs and increased prosperity.

Business and Energy Secretary Andrea Leadsom said:

“Our world-leading scientists and financial experts will work hand in hand with African nations to support their quest for energy security, powering new industries and jobs across the continent with a diverse mix of energy sources while promoting economic growth.”

Speaking at the summit, Ms Leadsom emphasised the opportunity for many African countries to leapfrog coal power to cleaner forms of energy but stressed that more needed to be done to unlock investment.

A world-leader in reducing carbon emissions at home, today’s investment in global clean energy comes after the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced the £1 billion ‘Ayrton Fund’ for British scientists last Autumn to help developing nations reduce reliance on fossil fuels and reduce their carbon emissions.

As part of the initiatives announced today, the UK will support African countries with the technical skills and expertise they need in order to attract investment in renewable projects, getting innovative projects like wind and solar farms up and running. Close collaboration with African countries will be key as the UK gears up to host the UN climate talks (COP26) later this year.

UK funded projects in Africa include winners of the Energy Catalyst Competition, which has seen solar plants, energy storage batteries and hydro-power built in countries such as Botswana and Kenya; a £10 million programme which matches UK based green finance experts with project developers from developing countries to facilitate investment in clean energy projects; and the Nigeria 2050 calculator, a modelling tool designed by UK scientists to support the Nigerian government’s sustainable development planning.

Kenya is also set to benefit from a £30 million government investment in affordable energy-efficient housing which will see the construction of 10,000 low-carbon homes for rent and sale. This will support the creation of new jobs in Kenya’s green construction industry and help tackle climate change.

Over 50% of the UK’s energy production came from renewable sources last year, and with London’s expertise as the global hub for green finance, the UK is best placed to be Africa’s leading partner and help it harness its wealth of renewable sources as it moves away from coal power.