In her first speech as International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt today announced she will bring together global leaders and technology companies next year to tackle the barriers that prevent people living with disabilities in the world’s poorest countries from reaching their full potential.

During a speech at Microsoft’s head office in London, Ms Mordaunt will set out that the UK will co-host the Global Disability Summit in 2018.

Speaking ahead of her speech, the International Development Secretary said:

For too long many people living with disabilities in the world’s poorest countries have not been able to fulfil their potential due to stigma or a lack of practical support. They are, for example, missing out on school and the chance to work.

Discrimination is unacceptable in today’s society. I want us all to act now and break down the barriers people with all disabilities face in their everyday lives, so they are not short-changed on opportunities to use their entrepreneurial spirit to help their countries prosper.

That’s why I am bringing technology companies, governments and charities together at the UK Government’s first-ever Global Disability Summit in London in July 2018, to show our commitment to transform the lives of people living with disabilities.

People with disabilities have a much lower employment rate in both developed and developing countries. In Bangladesh, this means that $54 million are lost every year, because people with disabilities do not have the right support. Overcoming these barriers would boost global prosperity.

DFID wants to shine a spotlight on the role that innovation and technology can play to help people with disabilities. For example, UK aid-supported D-Rev, is a small business which developed a low-cost prosthetic knee for young adults in rural Africa and Asia, to make sure it could reach the poorest people.

Innovation and expertise from world-leading private sector businesses, including Microsoft, will be vital for DFID to learn how to successfully support people with disabilities in the developing world.

Hugh Milward, Senior Director Corporate and External Legal Affairs at Microsoft said:

Microsoft believes that technology can play a critical role in removing barriers and empowering people with disabilities. At this moment, the world is at the dawn of a data and technology driven fourth industrial revolution, and these technologies enable governments and organisations to change the way they deliver services to their communities, customers and colleagues.

DFID has already started to put disability at the heart of its development agenda, with programmes funded through UK Aid Match and the Amplify challenge, showing first-hand how the lives of people with disabilities can be improved.

Notes to editors

The Global Disability Summit will be co-hosted with the International Disability Alliance (IDA).

One study in Bangladesh found that, ‘reductions in wage earnings attributed to lower levels of education among people with disabilities and their child caregivers were estimated to cost the economy USD 54 million per year’.

UK aid will support programmes which are proven to improve the lives of people with disabilities, including quality education, jobs and healthcare.

For every £1 donated to a UK Aid Match charity appeal, the government will also contribute £1 of UK aid, to help these projects go further in changing and saving lives.

Amplify is a DFID programme in partnership with IDEO.org. which sources early stage ideas to tackle emerging development challenges, including disability. Through the Amplify challenge, DFID has experience of what programmes can help deliver for disabled people globally:

• UK aid funded the Action on Disability and Development International project in Bangladesh to provide skills training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the garment industry and in small businesses.
• British charity Motivation UK broke down the barriers for children with disabilities in Uganda to participate in school by providing training and facilities. Thanks to this work, the attendance rates of children with disabilities in the supported schools almost doubled.

The Prime Minister will today make a new long-term commitment to work with Jordan as it seeks to transform its economy to make it more inclusive and provide jobs and opportunities for all Jordanians.

Following on from her visit to Iraq where the Prime Minister discussed the success of the military campaign against Daesh, she will make the case in Jordan today for going beyond militarily addressing Daesh to tackling its root causes, including by creating social and economic opportunities for all.

The UK will initially provide £94.5 million to improve education, create jobs, and boost Jordan’s long-term economic resilience. We will then look to provide a significant uplift in our funding over the coming years, as Jordan implements its ambitious reform programmes, including making the private sector a particular engine of growth.

The UK’s support will:

• provide £60 million in new investment grants to create new jobs, boost productivity and increase economic resilience
• help to construct critical infrastructure, benefitting millions of people and creating thousands of jobs
• get 10,000 Jordanians into apprenticeships or vocational skills training
• improve education quality for millions of Jordanian children, building the workforce of the future

The UK will mobilise partnerships between British and Jordanian businesses, helping Jordan to kick-start its economy and creating private sector jobs. The Prime Minister will offer public and private sector expert advice, including from University of Oxford and London School of Economics economists, and establish a new UK-Jordan policy dialogue on economic reform, led by senior officials.

Providing this kind of support is firmly in the UK’s national interest, boosting the resilience of a country on the frontline of multiple regional crises and incentivising people to stay in their neighbourhood rather than make the perilous journey to Europe.

The Prime Minister will call on the rest of the international community to join us in this transformative effort.

Speaking in Amman, the Prime Minister said:

Jordan’s stability is crucial to our interests in the Middle East and we are committed to helping them create jobs for all Jordanians.

I call on other countries to join us in this transformative effort so Jordan can continue to deliver vital support for the Syria crisis and remain a beacon of hope in the Middle East.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

Jordan is on the front line of multiple crises in the Middle East and our new 10-year partnership will deliver economic stability for Jordan, creating jobs and helping to build a more prosperous, safer world.

This will further strengthen our relationship with Jordan and every penny invested by the UK will encourage more from other donors to boost Jordan’s economic resilience, helping them deliver on their pledge to get every child into education and to create 200,000 jobs for Syrian refugees.

The government will help to get more disabled people into work in the next decade, the Prime Minister said today, as a new strategy is launched to break down employment barriers.

Working with industry, government will be taking further steps to help disabled people and people with health conditions get into work, and remain and progress in their roles.

These include new measures such as widening ‘fit note’ certification and providing dedicated training for work coaches to support people with mental health conditions.

The UK has near record high employment levels with over 32 million people in work, including 600,000 more disabled people in the last four years alone.

The Prime Minister said:

The path a person takes in life and in work should not be dictated by their disability or health condition. Everyone deserves the chance to find a job that’s right for them.

I am committed to tackling the injustices facing disabled people who want to work, so that everyone can go as far as their talents will take them.

We recognise the hugely positive impact that working can have on people’s health and wellbeing, which is why we are determined to break down the barriers to employment facing disabled people.

This strategy sets out how government, employers and the health service will work together to get more disabled people into employment, and help shift the attitude of business and society to disability.

This is part of building a country that is fit for the future and creating a fairer society, one that will make sure everyone can reach their potential.

The strategy, called ‘Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability’, builds on last year’s Work, Health and Disability Green Paper, which called for a comprehensive change to the UK’s approach to disability employment.

It sets out the steps government will take to transform disability employment over the next decade and progress so far as we build a country fit for the future. This includes:

1. Extending fit note certification beyond GPs to a wider group of healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists, psychiatrists and senior nurses, to better identify health conditions and treatments to help workers go back into their jobs faster. Fit notes are designed to help patients develop a return to work plan tailored to their individual needs.

2. Conducting large-scale employment research pilots in West Midlands and Sheffield which will include over 11,000 people. This research will gather evidence to help improve services for those with health conditions, supporting them get into and stay in work, and helping make sure services are accessible and inclusive for all.

3. 2,000 work coaches have received training since 2015 to help them work with benefit claimants with mental health conditions. The government is committed to building on this with the introduction of an enhanced training offer developed with a national mental health charity.

4. £39 million investment to more than double the number of employment advisors in an existing NHS programme treating people with depression and anxiety disorders.

5. Responding in full to the 40 recommendations of the Stevenson/Farmer Review of mental health and employers – including reforming Statutory Sick Pay, improving advice and support for employers and encouraging transparency. The government is also encouraging other employers to take forward these recommendations.

6. Over 5,000 companies have signed up to the Disability Confident scheme to promote disability inclusion and government is encouraging more companies to sign up.

7. Appointing an Expert Working Group on Occupational Health to champion, shape and drive a programme of work to take an in-depth look at the sector.

Work and Pensions Secretary David Gauke said:

Everyone should be able to go as far as their talents can take them, but for too long disabled people and people with health conditions have been held back from getting on in work.

Today we’ve set out an ambitious 10-year strategy to end this injustice once and for all. By bringing employers, the welfare system and health services together we’re taking significant steps to ensure everyone can reach their potential.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

Mental ill health can affect anyone, from any walk of life at any time. For too long society has dictated that people with physical and mental health issues or a disability are a burden. Ensuring that more people with disabilities or long-term health conditions can get into and stay in work would not only enhance their lives, but actually enrich our economy too.

This strategy will help shape the future for hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities and mental health issues as we continue to tackle the stigma that so many people face when trying to get into and progress in work.

Sarah Kaiser, Fujitsu’s Diversity and Inclusion lead, said:

It is fantastic to see the Government is committing to seeing more disabled people enter the workplace. Fujitsu has significantly benefited from being Disability Confident, giving us access to untapped pools of talent and enabling us to increase our retention of employees with disabilities.

We have also worked with our employees with disabilities to ensure our products and services become even more accessible, benefitting our customers too. This is not just the right thing for employees, but also significantly helps the employer.

Creating an environment where employees feel comfortable to be completely themselves and tell us if they have a disability allows us to put in place the right adjustments to properly enable them to do their work, whilst providing a working environment that emphasises support. This not only results in increased employee satisfaction but also performance, realising value for the organisation too.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will today (Wednesday 29 November) meet leaders from across Africa to discuss developments in Zimbabwe and wider African security and prosperity.

The Foreign Secretary is attending a major summit in Cote D’Ivoire, West Africa, alongside EU and African Union leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and South African President Jacob Zuma.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

Recent events in Zimbabwe offer a moment of hope for the country and its people. This is a time to look to the future and to make clear that Britain shares the common vision of a prosperous, peaceful and democratic Zimbabwe.

I am encouraged by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s words so far. During his inauguration speech, he promised to reform the economy and give investors the security of title they need if Zimbabwe is to fulfil its potential and create the jobs that are sorely needed. For as long as the President acts on his words, then Britain is willing to work alongside him and offer all the support we can.

The UK’s relationship with Africa and the African Union will continue to go from strength to strength and as we leave the EU I want to work even more closely with my counterparts in the region.

The Foreign Secretary will highlight the role the UK can play across the continent, as a genuine partner for prosperity, working with African nations to achieve political and economic stability.

Mr Johnson will speak with representatives of the 18 African countries which are also members of The Commonwealth ahead of the UK hosted Commonwealth Summit next April. With 60% of the Commonwealth’s population under 30, it is particularly important to the UK that the organisation faces up to the challenges of the region and addresses their ambitions for a better life.

He will also raise the issue of the illegal wildlife trade. Tackling this serious crime is a priority for the UK government and we look forward to bringing leading voices together to work towards new solutions at the London 2018 Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in October next year.

On the illegal wildlife trade, the Foreign Secretary added:

Discussing how we eradicate the illegal wildlife trade is also a top priority for me in my talks with African Union countries. It is not only a deplorable trade that endangers some of our most iconic species of wildlife, but is also a lucrative source of income for transnational criminals which brings misery to local communities.

Further information

Following North Korea’s ballistic missile launch on 28 November, FCO Minister for Asia and Pacific Mark Field summoned the DPRK Ambassador to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Following the meeting, Minister Field said:

I summoned the North Korean Ambassador to the Foreign Office to make clear to him our condemnation of this latest ballistic missile test.

North Korea claims it wants to bring security and prosperity to its people. But its actions are creating only insecurity and deepening its isolation.

The UK will continue to work with our partners and allies for a diplomatic solution. I urge the regime to abandon its illegal pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missiles and return to dialogue.

Further information