Author Archives: HM Government

Thank you Mr. President.

And thank you Chef de Cabinet Viotti and Ambassador Chergui for your briefings.

The title of the document signed by the Secretary-General and the African Union Chairperson on the 19th of April is appropriately named a Framework for Enhanced Partnership. We welcome the strong signal of cooperation and coordination that this Framework brings and we support further efforts to strengthen the partnership on both sides.

Each challenge to peace and security that we face today has a unique combination of underlying factors. In Africa we have many good examples of international, regional and sub-regional organisations coming together in varied ways to tackle them.

In some instances, the United Nations is best placed to lead a response. For instance the Democratic Republic of Congo where MONUSCO has played a critical role in protecting civilians.

In others the African Union has taken the lead, critically in Somalia where for ten years AMISOM has played a vital role in degrading the threat from Al Shabaab. The bravery and sacrifice of AMISOM troops has created the security space for political progress to be made.

On other issues the sub-region has stepped up to find solutions as we saw with ECOWAS in Gambia, and as we look to IGAD to lead in South Sudan.

In some cases the solutions will evolve, as we saw in Mali and the Central African Republic where initial responses by regional and sub-regional organisations then transitioned into United Nations peacekeeping operations. In Somalia, the United Nations provides vital logistical support to an African Union operation. This flexibility in our partnership is essential to ensure the best response to crises.

In each case, and as the Council said in resolution 2320, we should consider the comparative advantage of each institution to ensure the most appropriate and effective response is deployed to resolve conflict and achieve stability.

In order to assess which solution is best for each situation, we must enhance our partnership.

This means more joint analysis, more joint planning, more joint assessments to form a common understanding of crisis and determine the optimal solution.

The recent work by both the United Nations and the African Union marks a new period of this partnership, and it’s imperative we find more and better ways of working together.

The African Union’s commitment to finance 25% of the African Union peace support operations budget is a welcome development and Dr. Kaberuka and his team have made significant strides in developing the roadmap to achieve this by 2020.

This work is a positive step towards greater African ownership of peace and security, and a deeper partnership with the United Nations.

We must continue to explore ways to make our joint efforts more systematic and we look forward to discussing this with the African Union Peace and Security Council during our visit to Addis Ababa in September.

We agree with the African Union report that in response to some of the most serious threats to peace and security, the deployment of African Union Peace Support Operations will be a key requirement and once again demonstrates the African Union’s comparative advantage to deploy where the United Nations cannot.

We should continue to look at how the United Nations can best support these missions to combine our strengths to bring about lasting solutions and peace on the African continent. This includes further consideration of options to provide reliable and sustainable funding for operations. But we must also focus on how we conduct those operations.

So in parallel we should examine joint standards for reporting, for accountability and for protection to ensure the highest standards and most robust oversight of missions to make them as effective as possible.

These issues will require further debate, and further joint work. We look forward to engaging with you all to strengthen and develop our partnership.

Thank you.

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The Prime Minister spoke to a number of Gulf leaders this evening – the King of Saudi Arabia, the King of Bahrain, and the Emir of Qatar. In each of the calls, the Prime Minister expressed thanks for messages of support and condolence following the re… read more

The Prime Minister spoke to Leo Varadkar on the phone earlier today to offer her congratulations on becoming Taoiseach. The Taoiseach expressed his deepest sympathies for recent tragic events and said the thoughts of the Irish people were with the peo… read more

Today I met Northern Ireland’s five main parties with a clear focus on restoring devolved Government to Northern Ireland as soon as possible.

Speaking with the parties today, it was clear that real progress was made in the last round of discussions and agreement can be reached if there is good will on all sides.

But time is running short and the parties must come together by the 29 June for the return of a strong voice at Stormont and for a brighter future for everyone in Northern Ireland.

My government remains absolutely committed to doing everything we can to help take this process to a successful conclusion, remaining steadfast to our commitments in the Belfast Agreement and its successors.

The Northern Ireland Secretary will continue to engage with the parties before this crucial deadline and if no resolution is reached then we will need to consider what steps we need to take, to ensure Northern Ireland has the political stability it needs.

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The new team at the Department for Work and Pensions is:

• Secretary of State – Rt Hon David Gauke MP
• Minister of State for Employment – Damian Hinds MP
• Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work – Penny Mordaunt MP
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions and Financial Inclusion – Guy Opperman MP
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance – Caroline Dinenage MP
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords) – Baroness Buscombe

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, David Gauke said:

It’s a privilege to be leading a department which touches the lives of so many people. The work we do here really matters, so I’m delighted to be leading a team of talented ministers committed to ensuring a welfare system which transforms lives and offers help to those who need it most.

I’d like to welcome Guy, Caroline and Peta, and welcome back Damian and Penny. Together we will work tirelessly to deliver fairness and opportunity for all, whatever people’s background or where they are from.

Minister for Employment, Damian Hinds said:

Our dedicated Jobcentre Plus teams and ground-breaking reforms like Universal Credit have contributed to record numbers of people getting back into, and staying in work.

This is great news but we want to go even further. I’m determined to build on this success and support more people into jobs as we aim towards full employment.

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Penny Mordaunt, said:

Disabled people face barriers in all aspects of their lives and we believe in a comprehensive approach to tackling them.

I’m very pleased to be returning to the role to continue this important work. We’ve made good progress, and with the support of the sector, businesses and wider society I am confident we can do even more. I look forward to working together with all those who are passionate about this agenda to stop discrimination and improve opportunities for everyone.

Minister for Pensions and Financial Inclusion, Guy Opperman said:

It is a privilege to have this opportunity to undertake a role promoting financial inclusion and helping people prepare for later life, with both a state and private pension.

Automatic enrolment has been a huge success and I look forward to our efforts to build on this.

Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance, Caroline Dinenage said:

I’m committed to doing everything possible to support families to get on, have a secure place to live, and give their children the best start in life.

From making sure working parents can access good childcare, through to having the right support in place for families experiencing difficulties, I know how important these issues are in helping people to improve their lives and make the most of the opportunities available.

Lords Minister for Work and Pensions, Baroness Buscombe said:

The department plays a major role in helping to support people across Britain, and it is an honour to be their voice in the House of Lords.

I look forward to working with my colleagues across the department, and wider government, to ensure a sustainable welfare system which delivers vital help to the people who need it most.

Read more about the ministers.

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