Thank you Mr President, first of all for convening this debate and for your contribution at this most opportune and important time.

May I also take this opportunity to thank Secretary-General Guterres for his leadership and his commitment to reform on peacekeeping; Chairperson Faki; and to Ms Touré. You gave a passionate, powerful and poignant reminder through your reflections on the role of peacekeeping and how its effectiveness can be improved . And I am sure we all heard your voice, your plea and your contribution in very clear terms.

Mr President, as we mark 70 years of UN Peacekeeping, it is right that we pause, we reflect, on the many lives saved, and on the regions and countries that have been stabilised over the years. There are millions of people living in some of the most challenging places on earth. They have been given hope, they have been given opportunity. This is the proud legacy of the toil and sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of men and women who have put their lives at risk. Some indeed have lost their lives. And why? To protect the most vulnerable.

In this 70th anniversary year, we salute their service and the service of those who support UN efforts through regional bodies, like the AU Mission in Somalia. Over the past 70 years, the challenges that peacekeepers have faced have evolved: disputes are increasingly complex; mission settings are increasingly dangerous; and too often, our collective contribution in this building has failed to keep pace.

Mr President,

UN Peacekeeping is far too important to fail. In recent years, we have indeed made progress – for example in planning and force generation. The Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial Meetings in London in 2016 and Vancouver in 2017 delivered 80 new pledges of personnel and capability. This progress must continue. We welcome the Secretary-General’s call to action this year and also I welcome his statement today on the sharpened focus on the safety and security of peacekeepers, and the UN’s Action Plan to implement some of the recommendations is also very timely. I also welcome the Secretary-General’s statement today to provide regular updates on the delivery of this Action Plan.

And as we embark on this collective effort to improve UN Peacekeeping, the United Kingdom would suggest three areas on which to focus:

Firstly, the Security Council must take its responsibilities seriously, and have the information available in order to do so. We must set clear, achievable objectives for Peacekeeping Operations, and not be afraid to sequence, so that mandates provide the right direction, the right resources, at the right time. We should go further, setting mandates that are more strategic and take a longer-term view. To do this, the Council needs high quality, timely, and accurate information and analysis. We need to work together better to achieve this – both states and institutions.

Secondly, to succeed, Peacekeeping Operations need to be complemented by all the tools that the UN and international community have at our disposal. We need better coordination – at headquarters and in the field – with peacebuilding, better development, and all the other arms of the UN to support. This is why we support the vision and themes underpinning the Secretary-General’s Sustaining Peace Proposals and his Peace and Security Architecture reforms.

And thirdly, we must, we must, improve performance, and strengthen accountability for underperformance. There needs to be a better match between the capacity of the troops, and the tasks they are asked to perform. This requires the Department for Peacekeeping Operations to reinforce work on force generation, on training, and on performance monitoring and indeed on evaluation. It also requires Member States to deliver the capabilities they have committed. We must continue to recognise the essential role of women in ensuring the successful delivery of peacekeeping and engage more women in all components of all missions.

And above all we must, we must stop sexual exploitation and abuse by those sent to protect civilians, and we must offer real protection for women, children and indeed all vulnerable communities, as Ms Touré highlighted in her contribution.

Furthermore, addressing conflict-related sexual violence is equally crucial. The United Kingdom is looking to host an international meeting in 2019 marking progress and next steps, five years on from the Global Summit on Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict. And whilst welcoming the progress made, in particular the UN’s new victim-centred approach, there still remain too many incidents of concern across the UN system.

Mr President,

Through the leadership of the Secretary-General, we have an opportunity to make UN Peacekeeping fit for our times. It is the responsibility of all of us to work together to seize that opportunity – that means the Council, the Secretariat, regional and sub-regional bodies, host states, and those who provide troops, police and financing. And let us not forget those UN Peacekeepers, under the banner of the United Nations, act in the name of each and every one of us. It is therefore our responsibility to ensure they embody the ideals of the UN Charter, because through them we ultimately “unite our strength to maintain international peace and security”.

Thank you.

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A UK case of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with high-level resistance to azithromycin and resistance to ceftriaxone has been acquired abroad.

Dr Gwenda Hughes, Consultant Scientist and Head of Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Section at Public Health England (PHE), said:

We are investigating a case who has gonorrhoea which was acquired abroad and is very resistant to the recommended first line treatment. First line treatment for gonorrhoea is a combination of 2 antibiotics (azithromycin and ceftriaxone). This is the first time a case has displayed such high-level resistance to both of these drugs and to most other commonly used antibiotics.

We are following up this case to ensure that the infection was effectively treated with other options and the risk of any onward transmission is minimised. PHE actively monitors, and acts on, the spread of antibiotic resistance in gonorrhoea and potential treatment failures, and has introduced enhanced surveillance to identify and manage resistant strains of infection promptly to help reduce further spread.

It is better to avoid getting or passing on gonorrhoea in the first place and everyone can significantly reduce their risk by using condoms consistently and correctly with all new and casual partners. Anyone who thinks they may have been at risk should seek an STI screen at a sexual health clinic.

Read the full Multi-drug resistant gonorrhoea in England: 2018 report.

Published 28 March 2018

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Prime Minister Theresa May spoke with President Trump of the USA.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

Prime Minister Theresa May today spoke with President Trump to welcome the US decision to expel 60 Russian diplomats in response to the use of a nerve agent in Salisbury.

The PM said the US had delivered a very strong response and welcomed the breadth of international action in response to Russia’s reckless and brazen behaviour – with 26 countries now putting expulsions in place.

The Prime Minister welcomed the temporary exemption to steel and aluminium tariffs announced by the US last week in relation to the European Union.

She said she looked forward to constructive talks taking place between the EU and the US on making the exemption permanent.

Finally, the Prime Minister thanked the President for his personal help and support in securing the passage of the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act or CLOUD Act by the US, which will provide an important tool in the investigation of terrorist and other offences in the UK and keep people living here safer.

Published 28 March 2018

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New funding for organisations to research ways of supporting disadvantaged families during the school holidays has been launched by the Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi today (28 March).

The £2 million investment will go towards exploring how best to help the most disadvantaged children to benefit from healthy meals and enriching activities.

Organisations across the country are being invited to apply for a share of the funding pot and will be encouraged to work across a number of regions, or in partnership with other experts.

Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi said:

I encourage charities and expert organisations across the country to apply to take part in this exciting programme to help us better understand children’s current access to healthy meals and enriching activity during the school holidays.

We want every child to reach their potential and healthy meals and activities can contribute to their development and improved attainment.

Academic standards are rising and there are now 1.9 million more children in schools rated good or outstanding than in 2010. We are building on this success by supporting the country’s most disadvantaged children, including through free school meals and the up to £26million investment I announced last week to kick-start or improve breakfast clubs in at least 1,700 schools.

Evidence suggests that attending out-of-school activities can have a positive impact on children’s educational, health and well-being outcomes.

The Holiday Activities and Food Research Fund announced today will help to ensure that every child, whatever their background or wherever they are growing up, has the opportunity to reach their potential. It follows the announcement in January that the government would undertake initial research in 2018 followed by a targeted pilot programme in the 2019 Easter and summer holidays.

This work aims to support children’s education by:

• testing the effectiveness of interventions;
• looking at take-up of provision;
• identifying the costs involved; and
• considering whether there are particular areas where this kind of programme would be most effective.

It continues support for the most disadvantaged families provided by the government, including the provision of free school meals to 1.1 million of the most disadvantaged children, and the £2.5 billion funding given to schools through the Pupil Premium to support their education. Last week, the Department for Education also announced up to £26 million to kick start and improve breakfast clubs across the country.

Academic standards are rising in primary and secondary schools thanks to government reforms and the hard work of teachers. Most importantly, the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their more affluent peers has already shrunk by 10% at GCSE and 10.5% at KS2 since 2011.

To ensure this work is implemented effectively, ministers will work closely with Frank Field MP and expert stakeholders, as it develops.

The bid round will be open from 28 March 2018 and will close on Wednesday 18 April 2018. There will be a separate bidding process for participation in the 2019 Easter and Summer pilots. Organisations can bid for the funding on Contracts Finder