• Iain Anderson to drive forward workplace equality for LGBT people
• Appointment will focus work on reducing workplace discrimination
• Announcement comes as UK prepares to host international LGBT conference

The role will see Anderson collaborating with business to support LGBT people at work, whilst developing and sharing solutions to workplace discrimination.

Alongside the recently appointed Special Envoy for LGBT rights, Lord Herbert, he will also ensure businesses are doing all they can to help showcase the UK as an inclusive place to live and work ahead of the UK’s first Global LGBT Conference, Safe To Be Me, which is taking place in June 2022.

Anderson brings a wealth of experience to the role, advising businesses on both a domestic and international level. He is co-founder and executive chairman at Cicero/AMO and focuses on public policy and corporate communications strategy, supporting many global FTSE and Fortune 500 blue chip organisations.

He has also been named one of the Financial Times / OUTstanding Global 100 Executives, an FT Male Champion of Women in Business, a Stonewall Ambassador, on the Queer Britain advisory board and a trustee of global LGBT rights charity GiveOUT.

Liz Truss, Minister for Women and Equalities, said:

“I’m delighted to appoint Iain as our new LGBT Business Champion. As we seek to build back better, his considerable experience working with a range of businesses will be crucial to forming policies that will actually make a difference, improving the workplace for LGBT people.

“We have a responsibility to ensure LGBT people can be themselves at work, not just for their own wellbeing, but also for the best interests of business and the UK economy. Attracting and retaining a talented workforce is fundamental to the success of any enterprise.”

Iain Anderson, LGBT Business Champion, said:

“I am passionate about securing equality in the workplace and I’m delighted to take on this new role.

“It is important that both large and small businesses can unleash the potential of all their LGBT employees and customers.

“There is an opportunity for the UK to be a world leader on action by business to make this happen.”

Lord Herbert, Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for LGBT rights said:

“I welcome Iain’s appointment to this role and look forward to working with him, as we champion LGBT rights across the globe.

“The UK is hosting the Safe To Be Me: Global Equality Conference in June 2022. We will be engaging with businesses to explore how, together, we can highlight the economic case for LGBT inclusion at home and abroad. I look forward to working with Iain to achieve this.”

As LGBT Business Champion, Mr Anderson’s role will focus on progressing LGBT equality in employment and enterprise, continuing to build on the work the Equality Hub has supported with SMEs in this field. The role will harness the influence of FTSE and sector business leaders to act as change agents to increase diversity in business leadership.

Earlier this year Anderson hosted a roundtable for businesses, encouraging SMEs and the self-employed to share their plans around inclusive workplaces and promoting best practice. He will continue to host similar events, celebrating and advancing the government’s build back better campaign in the progress.

Amongst his early priorities, Iain will work with employers to establish a business-led network that connects large organisations and SMEs, focussing on sharing best practice, and potentially resource, in order to progress LGBT equality at work.

Recognition of the economic case for LGBT inclusion extends internationally. As part of Safe to Be Me in 2022, we will be empowering businesses to advocate for LGBT equality in countries across the world.

Nancy Kelley, CEO of Stonewall, said:

“We welcome the news that Iain Anderson has been appointed to the new role of LGBT Business Champion for the Government.

“With over a third of LGBTQ+ people feeling the need to hide who they are at work, there is still much to do to ensure all workplaces are truly inclusive.

“We look forward to working closely with Iain and sharing our advice and expertise to help transform workplaces and unlock the potential of LGBTQ+ people across the UK.”

Peter Cheese, chief executive of the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, said:

“We welcome this appointment given employers, more than ever, need to be proactive about inclusion and to understand and address any forms of discrimination in the workplace.

“CIPD research suggests many LGBT+ workers don’t feel safe to express themselves and be accepted at work, which will impact on their working relationships, wellbeing and overall job satisfaction.

“There should be visible commitment from senior leaders to foster open and inclusive working environments where employees feel safe and supported, and difference is valued.

This is a vital part of being able to attract and retain the diversity of skills and experience every organisation needs; ensuring organisations reflect the communities and societies they serve and are part of.”

Further information:

• The Business Champion will engage businesses to promote and encourage evidence-based initiatives that will realise change for LGBT employees, in the UK and more broadly.
• The LGBT Business Champion is appointed by the Minister for Women and Equalities for a maximum term of 18 months, the position and role holder’s tenure can be renewed by another 18 months as necessary. The position is unpaid.

How to apply for national listing of agricultural and vegetable plant varieties in GB and NI.

The Marches Mosses, the UK’s third largest lowland raised peat bog, was once known as a source of peat cut for fuel and horticulture. Now it is a leading example of how peat bogs can fight against climate change if restored.

In 1990 ownership of the land was acquired by Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and Shropshire Wildlife Trust who began the process of restoring it before being joined by the European BogLIFE Project in 2016.

The 2,500-acre peat bog, which crosses the Wales-England border between Wrexham and Shropshire, has been cleared of trees and scrub, ditches have been dammed and bunds created to restore bog water tables to the peat surface.

The 30th anniversary will also see the NNR status being spread to incorporate a further 237 acres of peatland which have been added to the restoration work.

Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, said:

Thirty years of action to revive one our largest peat bogs is paying dividends in helping to tackle the climate crisis and, at the same time, has boosted the survival of its rare ecology.

Places like the Marches Mosses are an example of what can be done to tackle the greatest environmental threat we face by simply allowing nature to recover and aiding that recovery with modern restoration techniques and protection through our designations as a National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Although the Marches Mosses comprise Cadney Moss and two NNRs (Fenn’s, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses, and Wem Moss), they are actually a single large raised bog – an acidic, wet habitat perfect for the Sphagnum moss which slowly decays and stores carbon as peat. It is only when this peat is cut, dug up and dried out – now mostly for horticulture use – that the carbon is released. That is why gardeners are encouraged to do their part in the fight against climate change by using peat-free compost.

Sir David Henshaw, chair of Natural Resources Wales, said:

Restoring and protecting peatlands is the only way we can safeguard their rich biodiversity and ensure they continue to deliver the full range of ecosystem services associated with these habitats, such as carbon storage, natural flood management and a range of other services.

This collaborative cross-border project, as well as other projects in Wales and beyond, will contribute in a very significant way to addressing both the nature and climate emergencies.

Richard Grindle, chair of Shropshire Wildlife Trust, said:

Shropshire has its part to play in reducing CO₂ emissions and efforts to restore and expand sites like FWB Mosses will be a key factor in combating the climate crisis. But the Mosses are also home for rare insects and birds, which depend on the acidic nature of the peatland. Declining wildlife species have made a return to the area as the restoration progresses.

It is very encouraging to see what 3 decades of partnership work has created – imagine what can be achieved in another 30 years’ time!

Notes to editor

Marches Mosses is the shortened name for Fenn’s, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses NNR, Wem Moss and Cadney Moss. It also sits within a Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.

Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.

Natural Resources Wales champions the environment and landscapes of Wales and its coastal waters as sources of natural and cultural riches, as a foundation for economic and social activity, and as a place for leisure and learning opportunities. It aims to make the environment a valued part of everyone’s life in Wales. Marches Mosses has been supported by the National Peatland Action Programme, led by Natural Resources Wales and funded by the Welsh Government. For more see www.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk.

Shropshire Wildlife Trust is a conservation charity established in 1962 to conserve and protect Shropshire’s wildlife. This is achieved by directly conserving wildlife and habitat, undertaking research and reconnecting people with wildlife.

The Marches Mosses BogLIFE project is an ambitious 5-year, multi-million pound package of improvements and being delivered in a partnership led by Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and Shropshire Wildlife Trust. The funding has paid for the acquisition of a further 63 ha of peatland, and enabled water levels to be raised across 1890 acres to improve the raised bog habitat. New restoration techniques such as cell and contour bunding are being utilised to help the Mosses retain more water and prevent the peat decaying further, helping to counteract the effects of climate change. The project also aims to restore swamp, fen, willow and alder carr wet woodland, habitats missing from the edge of the bog and is a trial site for the conversion of pasture and forestry land on peat back to bog. Pollution at a former scrapyard on the peat bog is being cleared up and new visitor facilities created. This work is being generously funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme and, thanks to National Lottery players, the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

National Nature Reserves (NNRs) were established to protect some of our most important habitats, species and geology, and to provide ‘outdoor laboratories’ for research. NNRs offer great opportunities to the public, schools and specialist interest groups to experience wildlife first hand and to learn more about nature conservation.

Thank you Mr. President, and thank you SRSG Lyons for your briefing. As you said, these have been extraordinary and challenging times. I would like to thank you and through you, your team for the courage and dedication with which the UN family in Afghanistan has responded.

We are in a new situation. We all remember the Taliban’s previous period in power. So we approach it clear-eyed. But we have also heard that some in the Taliban may now want a different approach. So we are also open-minded. Our approach will be shaped by what the Taliban now do.

Resolution 2593 sets out this Council’s minimum expectations. We call on the Taliban to distance themselves from terrorism and to live up to the commitments they made during the Doha talks. It is in the shared interests of all countries that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for Al Qa’eda, Islamic State and other terrorist groups, and does not undermine regional stability. We must all hold the Taliban to that.

We welcome the Taliban’s commitments to allow safe passage for foreign nationals and Afghan citizens with documentation for travel. Again, we call on the Taliban to ensure that their actions reflect that.

We too are deeply concerned by the impact of recent events on the Afghan people. The UK is doubling its aid to Afghanistan to £286m this year. We warmly welcome the UN’s Flash Appeal. So we encourage the Taliban to create the safe environment needed in order to deliver humanitarian support, including by ensuring unimpeded access for aid workers and no interference in the work of UN agencies and NGOs.

We call for the protection of human rights and the gains of the last two decades, especially the education of girls, the employment of women and the rights of minorities and I thank Ms. Wazhma Frogh, and Ms. Malala Yousafzai for your briefings today.

We have today seen disturbing images of journalists who have been beaten in the press. We are clear that the Taliban’s actions must be consistent with their words and will calibrate our approach accordingly.

The ‘caretaker’ appointments announced by the Taliban on 7 September did not reflect the diversity of the country’s regions and communities, or women. We call on the Taliban to pursue inclusive politics and an inclusive society.

Members of the Security Council share a common interest in making sure that Afghanistan does not return to the chaos of the past. So we must now work together. And we will need the UN family to continue its brave work. I commend UNAMA’s efforts; as we enter this new phase, the UK stands ready to work with you. Thank you, Mr. President.