Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 March 2025.

Extra detail on the UK’s international development budget up to March 2030 has been set out in yesterday’s Spring Statement.

• modernised approach to development to help provide best value for money for UK taxpayers and deliver mutual benefits at home and overseas
• aid budgets across Spending Review period to be based on Spring Statement 2025 Gross National Income forecasts with gradual reduction to 0.3% by 2027 – and will no longer automatically fluctuate in line with economic conditions, providing predictability
• Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office budgets will no longer be automatically adjusted for unforeseen changes to the ODA budget, such as if asylum forecasts change, improving stability

Extra detail on the UK’s international development budget up to March 2030 has been set out in yesterday’s Spring Statement, alongside new plans to ensure it is focussed on UK objectives and provides the best value for money.

This follows the Prime Minister’s announcement last month that the UK government will increase spending on defence to 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from April 2027, funded from reductions in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.

Figures set out in the Spring Statement show how the UK will go from spending around 0.5% of the UK’s Gross National Income (GNI) on international development this financial year (2024 to 2025) to 0.3% of GNI by April 2027, with the budget gradually reduced over three years to help smooth the transition.

The government is to accelerate plans to modernise the UK’s approach to development, putting partnerships first, and mobilising private capital for international development and climate projects by strengthening links with the financial sector and international partners.

The statement also confirmed the UK will now set annual aid budgets from 2027 onwards in cash terms and based on GNI forecasts at the Spending Review, and these budgets will not be adjusted for GNI fluctuations in future years.

Minister for Development Baroness Chapman confirmed as a result of this change, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will no longer hold the ODA ‘spender and saver of last resort’ role. This will bring more stability and certainty.

It will also increase the predictability of international development budgets, which will no longer be automatically exposed to the volatility of GNI fluctuations or spending by other government departments, including demand-driven refugee and asylum costs in the UK.

Minister for International Development, Baroness Chapman, said:

Our work on development is critical for the UK’s interests, making the world safer, more secure and better off. We have to work harder than ever to make sure it delivers for the British public and our Plan for Change.

We are committed to modernising our approach with less money: working with our partners in new ways to maximise our impact. These latest changes to the ODA budget will give greater certainty and stability, helping us provide the best value for money for taxpayers.

She has set out the changes in a letter to the International Development Committee (IDC). For 2025 to 2026, the letter confirms FCDO’s plans to allow for critical development work to continue, to honour live contractual agreements with partners, and to deliver on the Prime Minister’s commitment for the UK to continue to play a key humanitarian role.

Our development investment is part of our hard power, building a stable international environment that strengthens UK safety, security and prosperity, necessary for the delivery of all the UK government’s Missions.

In her letter to the IDC, Baroness Chapman also confirmed a new review of cross-government development programming to ensure it delivers on UK objectives and provides best value for money.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 March 2025.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine.

I would like to start by thanking Assistant Secretary-General Joyce Msuya for the briefing today.

Colleagues, last month marked three years since President Putin launched his illegal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The invasion displaced over 10 million people. Today, 12.7 million remain in need of urgent humanitarian support.

The suffering caused by Russian forces is well known to this Council: war crimes, torture of civilians and prisoners of war, mass killings, the forced deportation of thousands of children, the forced cleansing and Russification of areas under their illegal control.

It is a shocking record for any state, let alone a Permanent Member of the Security Council.

In recent weeks, Russian drone and missile attacks have intensified nationwide, with daily reports of damage to residential areas and civilian infrastructure across multiple Oblasts.

According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mechanism of Ukraine, in one attack which took place on 7 March, two ballistic missiles hit a residential area in Donetsk Oblast killing 11 people and destroying homes.

Emergency responders who arrived to treat the wounded were then targeted by further strikes.

This has to stop.

The UK is clear that we want to see an end to the fighting and to the killing. We must have enduring peace in Ukraine.

Putin could bring about peace tomorrow by withdrawing his forces and ending his illegal invasion.

President, we welcome US efforts towards just and lasting peace. And we welcome President Zelenskyy’s clear commitment to peace and readiness to move quickly towards a comprehensive and lasting settlement.

In agreeing to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire, Ukraine has shown that it is the party of peace.

Russia must now agree to this without further delay.

Ukraine’s humanitarian needs are immense, and the UK will continue to do what we can in support.

To date, we have committed £477 million in humanitarian support to Ukraine, providing its people with food, water, shelter, and medical care, alongside support to safeguard the rights, dignity, and well-being of civilians.

We repeat our call on Russia to end its brutal war, withdraw from Ukrainian territory within its internationally recognised borders.

Until that day comes, the UK will continue to work with Ukraine and our international partners to achieve a just and lasting peace, which ensures Ukraine’s future security and upholds the core principles of the United Nations Charter.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 26 March 2025.

Politico-Military Counsellor, Ankur Narayan, commends Ukraine as the party of peace for proposing a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire – and urges Russia to agree to this without further delay.

Thank you, Mr Chair. Our Helsinki Final Act commitments include sovereignty, territorial integrity and the non-violability of borders. As per the first line of the Helsinki Final Act, these principles are designed to protect “true and lasting peace” in our region. This is why we remain unwavering in our support for Ukraine defending its territorial integrity, its right to exist, its sovereignty, and its independence.

We welcome the progress President Trump has made towards a ceasefire in Ukraine and in negotiations with Russia and Ukraine. We are in close contact with US and Ukraine following the conclusion of talks in Riyadh yesterday. President Zelenskyy has already shown Ukraine is the party of peace by proposing a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.  We hope that President Putin will agree to this without further delay.

Any lasting peace must ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty and security – in line with the Helsinki Final Act and the UN Charter. With robust security arrangements to ensure Russia is never able to invade again. The UK will play its full part – and is already taking a leading role, alongside France, to build a coalition of the willing to support Ukraine’s future security.

Over the last week, Russia has continued to launch brutal attacks that cause daily suffering for innocent Ukrainians. The drone strike on Kyiv on March 23rd exemplifies another horrific assault, tragically killing a 5-year-old girl and severely injuring ten others. A Russian missile strike on Sumy in northeastern Ukraine injured 88 people, including 17 children. In Donetsk, Russian shelling over the past three days across the eastern Oblast province has resulted in the deaths of seven civilians. We must emphasise the need for accountability for these actions and renew our commitment to collaborating towards achieving enduring peace.

Mr Chair, we are absolutely committed to securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and are engaging with key allies in support of this effort. A just and lasting peace is vital for Ukraine and for wider Euro-Atlantic and international security and prosperity.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 March 2025.

UK Statement at Australia’s World Trade Organization Trade Policy Review. Delivered by the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, Simon Manley.

Thank you very much Chair. Let me join others in offering a very warm welcome to the Acting First Assistant Secretary and his team here in Geneva and Ambassador Baxter. We are very grateful to Australia and to the WTO Secretariat for their reports, and to you Chair and to the Discussant for your insights.

Chair, it would have not escaped your notice that Australia is one of the closest allies and our relationship continues to go from strength to strength, underpinned by the strong security, trade and investment links, close personal ties – and of course our mutual passion for cricket, Kylie Minogue and indeed Neighbours. We are both members of the Commonwealth, the G20, the OECD, and, with thanks to Australia’s recent ratification of the UK’s accession, the CPTPP. We share a similar outlook, as reflected in the First Assistant Secretary’s comments this morning, driven by the pursuit of open, values-based democracy and a rules-based international system.

Bilateral Trade

We have a consistently strong economic relationship: bilateral trade worth £22 billion each year and mutual investment in excess of £800 billion. And our trade relations have been clearly furthered by the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement, which was referred to this morning. That deal eliminates tariffs on the vast majority of bilateral trade, makes it easier to travel between our two countries and guarantees an equal footing for many of our investors and services providers. Our work together on that FTA resulted in, as we look upon, as a modern and comprehensive trade agreement between our countries, which provides, we hope, a strong basis for our trade and bilateral relationship with Australia, and also to the growth of our relations in the future.

Chair, I would like to highlight the progress we have made through the Strategic Innovation Dialogue to highlight one of our successes, found in the world’s first Innovation Chapter in a Free Trade Agreement. Discussions focusing on key areas such as Future Health, Offshore Wind, Battery Manufacturing and the Interoperability of AI enabled goods, have been channelled through a joint-work programme, that brings together representatives from government, the private sector and academia to explore the impact of innovation on trade and trade policy.

And our shared values include our joint recognition of animals as sentient beings and the connection between improved welfare of farmed animals and sustainable food production systems. Together, we established a world-leading precedent for a standalone animal welfare chapter in a Free Trade Agreement, which sets out our commitment to sharing expertise, to improve practices, through an Animal Welfare Working Group.

And as part of that FTA, we have agreed to deepen cooperation to advance gender equality and the human rights of all women and girls, including through a strategic dialogue on gender equality. That marks, I believe, Australia’s first FTA to feature a dedicated chapter on gender equality, and that chapter complements provisions which advance gender equality throughout the Agreement in the chapters on Labour, SMEs, Digital and Financial Services.

As a Co-Chair of the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender, I would like to welcome and pay tribute to Australia’s role as a founding member of the IWG and their active engagement in that Group. And indeed Australia was amongst the five winners of our first International Prize on Gender Equality in Trade, with a programme which is having a transformative impact for advancing women’s economic empowerment across Southeast Asia. Thank you and congratulations for that.

Economic Security

Chair, our strong, allied collaboration extends to our shared priorities of upholding international rules and deterring hostile actions. We recently held a second UK-Australia Economic Security Dialogue, which champions our joint work on this matter, aiming to deepen our shared understanding of the current global economic security challenges and to share lessons on approaches and partnerships to strengthen our economic security and our bilateral partnership.

For us, for both of us, a rules-based international order and open global economy are fundamental; fundamental to our economic and national security and to our customers, our workers and our businesses so they can continue to enjoy the benefits of the multilateral trading system. International trade plays a central role in both our economies, with trade activity supporting one in four trade jobs I believe in Australia, and we applaud Australia’s focus on building economic resilience and challenging unfair trading practices to support global growth.

Climate Leadership

Chair, Australia’s increased ambition on climate policy over the last three years extends well beyond this organisation. We are delighted to endorse Australia’s bid to host COP31 in partnership with other Pacific Nations. And we welcome the Australian government’s Net Zero Plan, including increased investment in renewables and the phasing out of coal-powered electricity generation, and we look forward to sharing our knowledge on emerging sectors like offshore wind or carbon capture and storage.

Market Access Barriers

Chair, our bilateral trade discussions also continue in FTA subcommittees including our Professional Services Working Group and Legal Services Regulatory Dialogue. So let me take the opportunity to celebrate recent bilateral agreements for architects and auditors. We also welcome Australia’s willingness to engage on mutual recognition of professional qualifications, to ensure successes such as these continue. Going forward, we would like to hear more from Australia on its ongoing priorities and approaches, including the efforts at State level.

We also support Australia’s ongoing tax reforms which focus on prosperity, productivity and fairness, goals shared by my government. Regarding taxes, in the continued absence of a specific and satisfactory policy rationale, we would like to reiterate our concerns about domestic taxes which disproportionately affect imports, such as the Luxury Car Tax and Alcohol Excise Duty. We would like to hope Australians are able to treat themselves to Scotch Whisky and drive our luxury cars… but perhaps not at the same time.

WTO

Chair, the close ties between our two countries extend of course to this organisation where we work so closely alongside each other and share so many policy objectives. We work together, along with many developing and developed Members, to ensure the sustainability of fishing stocks and to enable the potential of trade in green goods and services.

Australia has, as similarly many others have said this morning, demonstrated its commitment to this organisation and the system by consistently pushing forward concrete outcomes for businesses, for workers and consumers, as is evident in their enthusiastic leadership and participation in the WTO Joint Initiatives. Their efforts as co-convenors of the negotiations on the E-commerce Agreement highlight that and I think led to a large part of the successful stabilisation of that Agreement back in July last year.

Australia’s strong ambitions on climate policy are showcased by the commitment to discussing Trade and Environment in this organisation. Their ambitions are underpinned by the efforts to foster dialogue on such issues in their co-coordinator role in the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution.

As the Chair of the Cairns Group, Australia has been a loud, constructive voice in agriculture negotiations in this house, helping discussions progress, including through the Cairns and Africa Group informal discussions. While the UK and Australia don’t always agree on preferred outcomes in that area, our strong bond and shared focus on finding solutions brings us together when needed.

Conclusion

Chair, let me conclude by discussing how the relationship between Australia and the UK goes from strength to strength, and let me conclude on that same note. Our relationship has strengthened enormously in the past few years, and we admire Australia’s leadership in this organisation, its commitment to Net Zero, and its views on free and open trade. We continue to host a large, extraordinary number of each other’s citizens, enriching both our countries with vibrant exchanges, cherished memories, and of course Tim Tams and Penguins. And, as we look forward to the oldest and greatest rivalry in the sporting world, the Ashes, we can say, with utter confidence, let the best team win. Which of course will be England.

Thank you, Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 March 2025.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on cooperation with the EU.

The United Kingdom welcomes the EU’s ongoing commitment to championing multilateralism, tackling global challenges and assisting the Security Council’s work.

With multiple global crises threatening the foundations of international peace and security, cooperation between the EU and UN is more important now than ever.

Nowhere is this truer than in Ukraine.

Three years on from Russia’s brutal invasion, the EU continues its critical role in supporting Ukraine and countering Russian aggression.

This includes its enhanced level of economic, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine, and willingness to further contribute to security guarantees.

The UK will continue to work closely with the EU to ensure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine that secures its sovereignty and security.

In the Western Balkans, the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue plays a vital role in normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo, and EUFOR ALTHEA continues to help provide stability and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The UK continues to support the region’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations as a driver for reform and economic growth.

Beyond Europe, the UK welcomes the EU’s commitment to stabilisation in the Middle East, including its efforts toward securing a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace.

EUBAM Rafah is a vital third-party presence, allowing individuals to access urgent medical care.

The EU is also helping support an inclusive political transition and economic recovery in Syria, and we welcome its recent sanctions suspensions to this end.

The EU is a valued partner for UN efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. We are pleased it is among the co-hosts of April’s Foreign Minister-level discussions in London, which will foster consensus on ending the conflict and improving humanitarian access.

We also welcome the EU’s commitment of €60 million in new humanitarian aid in response to the recent eruption of conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

President, the UK looks forward to continuing to build on the UN’s ambitious and cooperative relationship with the EU to promote responsible multilateralism and to act as a force for good in the world.