The Duke of Cambridge and the Foreign Secretary with leaders of African Commonwealth countries.

Thank you Mr President. Let me also thank our briefers. Let me start with my Swedish colleague and perhaps through her, to all who have done so much on the Peacebuilding Commission in Liberia. I’d like to also thank Assistant-Secretary General Zuev for his impressive and multi-lingual briefing and also to Child Liberty for what I thought was an inspiring and uplifting story. I think your comments show just how important it is that this Council remains very focussed on the impact of conflict on children and on women and I think you really brought that home to us in an inspiring and uplifting way so thank you for that.

Mr President, in 2003, when UNMIL was launched, the then Secretary-General made his first report to the Council based on an assessment mission and he said in his report then:

“Liberia remains highly unstable … as armed groups, militia and criminal elements operate throughout the country … Police officers lack training and have not been paid since early 2002 … Nearly 1 million Liberians, or a third of the population, are displaced. It is estimated that Liberia has some 27,000 to 38,000 combatants, many of whom are children.”

It is clear to us all that the Liberia of today is not the Liberia of 2003 and we in this Council should be united in congratulating Liberia’s leaders and people and in thanking UNMIL for this remarkable achievement.

UNMIL has been able to keep and build the peace since 2003 which a considerable feat given history of exclusion, political instability and cycles of violence and so we pay tribute to all SRSG Zarif, to all UN peacekeepers and staff who have worked in Liberia for their work and their duty. We particularly remember the 202 United Nations Peacekeepers who sadly gave their lives in service to the people of Liberia and in the service of all of us here who send those peacekeepers on those missions.

Mr President, I want to use this moment to reflect on some of the lessons learned for UNMIL, particularly what has gone well but also what could have been done differently. These are important lessons, not only for other peacekeeping missions but also how we sustain peace more generally; a concept that we are all debating in different formats at the moment.

So what has UNMIL done particularly well?

Well, UNMIL encouraged inclusive national ownership and it supported local capacity, which are two key conditions for the sustaining peace. Liberia’s police force –the change wrought in that force from the description by the then Secretary-General in 2003 to what we have now is perhaps an excellent example of this.

UNMIL also coordinated extremely effectively with international and regional actors, especially ECOWAS which remains a shining light in this Council’s engagement and UNMIL’s good offices were very effective at preventive diplomacy. For example, this helped to ensure a difficult election process remained peaceful, in accordance with the constitution and rule of law.

UNMIL demonstrated the strengths of the comprehensive approach to sustaining peace. The joint peacebuilding plan between the Mission, UN Country Team and government set clear and shared priorities to guide the transition. Under Sweden’s leadership, the Peacebuilding Commission has played an invaluable role.

However, we also need to be honest about the shortcomings of the Mission, and learn from those as well.

Arguably, the Mission stayed too long and created an over-dependence on the United Nations. A reluctance to discuss exit meant that transition planning started too late, resulting in funding gaps and UN development actors not stepping up sooner. The mission implementation plan should have included benchmarks and timescales to better focus staffing, resources and effort – and allow the Council to better track progress.

And we perhaps in the Security Council – and I know this is a feature of some of what the Secretary-General has said to us over the last couple of months – perhaps could also have ensured there are more realistic mandates with greater clarity on what a sustainable ‘end state’ was about.

Mr President looking forward, there is a clear role for the UN, through an enhanced Resident Coordinator’s Office, to support the new Government to consolidate stability and promote inclusive development. With its commitment to peaceful, just and inclusive societies, the framework of the SDGs provides a strong basis for this.

The UN will also have a unique role in supporting coordination amongst the international donors in a way which supports the government of Liberia’s priorities.

The UN must be careful that whilst it absolutely must provide that support, must also not to assume the new government’s responsibilities. We would urge the new government to see through the commitments made in the peacebuilding plan.

In 2003, the then-Secretary-General concluded in his report that “The road to lasting peace and security in Liberia is still fraught with multiple and formidable challenges”.

Liberia has certainly faced its fair share of challenges in the past 15 years – but we today should celebrate that with the support of the United Nations, Liberia’s people have overcome them.

And perhaps a reflection for us all around this table: Liberia was once an intractable conflict. It once hosted the United Nations’ largest peacekeeping mission. It once saw terrible violence against women and children, including child soldiers. A quarter of a million people died in the second civil war and there were very familiar issues of IDPs, refugees and food insecurity. We can look across some of the issues on our agenda today and there are similarities in that agenda very sadly. But perhaps the ultimate lesson is that with hard work, sustained engagement and determination from us all, we can see more Liberias out of today’s agenda.

Thank you Mr President.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) trade mission offers UK AdTech and MarTech companies the opportunity to:

• meet with US brands
• connect with influencers in the New York advertising and marketing community
• gain valuable insight into doing business overseas

Recruitment ran across the whole of the UK and focused on companies that have a unique product offering for the US market and some experience with US clients.

Her Majesty’s Consul General in New York and Trade Commissioner for North America, Antony Phillipson, said of the mission:

The UK has developed a robust, advanced digital advertising market that has driven innovation in the field. The US market, valued at £140 billion in 2017 (source: MAGNA Global, 2018), presents a tremendous opportunity for innovative British companies.

As successes of past trade mission companies have shown, pioneering businesses are well-positioned to provide digital advertising solutions for this market.

The UK trade mission to SMW offers participants multiple business-building opportunities, including attendance at the 4 day SMW conference, a guaranteed speaking slot on one of SMW’s main stages, and one-to-one meetings with US buyers.

Previous missions have seen UK companies learn best practices about US expansion strategy, generate sales in the US market, and network with top-level industry executives.

Founder and Executive Director of Social Media Week, Toby Daniels, said:

Social Media Week offers exciting opportunities for brands to connect and engage with senior-level professionals at the intersection of media, marketing and technology across a range of industries.

Brands can showcase their products and services, generate leads, and raise awareness at this premier, global event.

The quality of the delegation reconfirms the strength of the UK Adtech and MarTech ecosystem and the importance of these transatlantic programmes.

The 2017 mission to SMW led to immediate benefits for UK participants, with companies generating over £1 million in contracts to date.

Co-founder of WIREWAX interactive video, Dan Garraway, said of being part of the 2017 DIT delegation:

Social Media Week and the Department for International Trade have become by-words for quality networking and introductions to WIREWAX.

We’ve pitched alongside peers, spoken to executives at the world’s leading brands, and met with decision makers across key verticals that have now driven sales. An outstanding, successful partnership.

Adludio Inc. is an advertising platform that delivers exceptional creative on mobile devices by using touch, haptic, and augmented reality experiences designed to deliver memorable brand engagement.

Circus Street is an online education company providing an interactive e-learning tool that teaches people how to do business in a digital world. Their lessons cover the changes digital brings to marketing, media, and online advertising.

Croud is a digital marketing agency that delivers PPC, SEO, content, paid social, programmatic, and analytics services through the world’s first crowd-sourced network of digital experts. Its ‘Croud Control’ technology platform and network of 1,200 ‘Croudies’ help automate the digital marketing process.

Culture Trip utilises the latest technologies, alongside producing innovative content, to help people explore the world.

Flashtalking is a data-driven ad management and analytics technology company. They use data to personalise advertising in real-time, analyse its effectiveness, and enable optimisation that drives better engagement and return on investment (ROI) brands.

GlobalWebIndex provides audience profiling data across 42 countries to brands, marketing agencies, and media organisations. They maintain a global panel of more than 18 million consumers, which they leverage to create 20,000 data points on the behaviours of internet users around the world.

Pugpig is a mobile engagement platform that powers apps for brands including The Economist, Vogue, Net a Porter, and IBM.

SUITCASE Group is a travel and lifestyle media brand comprised of SUITCASE Magazine, a multi-channel publication for the modern traveller, and SUITCASE Media, a content marketing agency for travel and lifestyle brands.

Tailify is an influencer marketing platform which enables brands to work with social media influencers at scale, allowing brands to purchase influencer marketing in a professional and transparent way.

TWO GOATS is an immersive content creation studio specialising in content, marketing, and production. They have produced shows, live events, and AR/VR/MR/360° experiences for Fortune 500 lifestyle brands and entertainment.

WIREWAX powers 90% of the world’s interactive video, helping make video as connected and accessible as the rest of the information in the internet through computer vision and artificial intelligence.

The free government recruitment service – now operated by Adzuna – will continue to connect jobseekers with thousands of employers across the UK.

The change will come into effect on 14 May, and access to existing ‘Universal Jobmatch’ accounts will be available up until 17 June 2018.

The Minister for Employment, Alok Sharma, said:

With the employment rate the highest it has been since records began, I want those still looking for work around the country to have the very best opportunity to find a role that suits their needs.

Our new Find a Job service offers one of the largest free job search functions out there – and with a near record number of vacancies, there are plenty to choose from.

The service will offer jobseekers and employers a simpler and more streamlined way to log in and access their information. The site will continue to allow jobseekers to search for work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Through the creation of an account, they will be able to track their activity, create tailored job alerts and store multiple CVs, to ensure their applications are the best they can be when applying for roles.

Following a competitive procurement process, Adzuna has been providing the new service from early 2018. The site will offer a faster, more efficient experience. A more powerful search using Adzuna’s technology will match jobseekers to employers’ available roles quickly and effectively.

The unemployment rate (4.2%) has not been lower since 1975 and the number of people out of work is down by 136,000 compared to a year ago. This shows the enormous progress that is being made to help even more people benefit from being in work.

This change will incur no extra cost for the Department for Work and Pensions.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 3267 5144

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Chancellor Philip Hammond will use the G7 and IMF meetings in Washington this week to call on the international community to tighten the screws on dirty money that is used to fund rogue regimes and illicit activity, through more effective sanctions on North Korea and greater IMF scrutiny.

International sanctions are an effective defence against illegal behaviour, but criminals and regimes can adapt. The international community must now refine its approach to tackling corruption, which costs the global economy $2.6 trillion.

The Chancellor is today (20 April 2018) announcing three steps at the IMF Spring Meetings. These measures include securing G7 agreement on denying North Korean access to finance, a call on the IMF to target global corruption and an increase in funding for the Treasury’s sanctions team.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond said:

We must tighten the financial screws on rogue regimes and corruption.

My priority is to secure international agreement on how to tackle dirty money. We must shine a light into the darkest corners of global finance, crack down on corrupt cash and ensure that as terrorists and criminals become ever more sophisticated, the international community stays one step ahead.

UK secures G7 agreement on North Korean sanctions

The UK provided strong support this week for a G7 finance ministers agreement that calls for:

• a crack down on North Korean illicit finance which aims to stop access to the international financial system via a back door of bogus companies and artificial ownership structures. Failure to spot and stop this means money for weapons of mass destruction

• all countries must now push their banks and insurance companies to do more to prevent this dangerous fraud by ensuring that they are alert to new and more advanced methods of deception

• the UK is already a world leader in this area, engaging with firms about new risks through the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation and the Joint Money Laundering Intelligence Taskforce

The G7 agreement is set out here. Examples of the above type of fraud are in Section 5 of this UN report.

Chancellor calls on the IMF to target international corruption

The Chancellor has called on the IMF to harness their global expertise and use their Article IV assessment to target corruption. The IMF Article IV assessment process is an invaluable tool that speeds up economic reform. Since 2016 the UK has been calling for the IMF to harness its power and insight to tackle corruption. Recent international events have reinforced this message and underlined that the global community needs to use all available avenues to stamp out corruption for both criminal and economic reasons. The Chancellor today announced that the UK would be one of the first to volunteer for this new level of scrutiny.

Increasing the Treasury’s sanctions team

We are increasing the size of the Treasury’s sanctions unit by almost 20% to nearly 40 people. The Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) detects and investigates breaches of sanctions, bringing financial crime and law enforcement experts into the heart of the Treasury.

Advice from OFSI for businesses about how to manage risk over North Korean sanctions can be found here.