Leaving the European Union provides an opportunity move away from the Common Fisheries Policy, to create a sustainable, responsible and responsive policies. We want to know your thoughts on the future of fisheries.
Some of the proposals outlined in this paper will apply to the whole of the UK, while some apply to England only.
A blueprint for a sustainable and profitable fishing industry that will regenerate coastal communities and support future generations of fishermen will be set out today.
Outside the EU, the UK will be an independent coastal state and will regain control of our waters and natural resources, as well as the flexibility to negotiate with other countries and ensure stocks are fished sustainably.
The Fisheries White Paper – ‘Sustainable Fisheries for Future Generations’ – will chart our course for managing fisheries after Brexit. It will outline how powers to be proposed in the Fisheries Bill, which will be introduced in this session of Parliament, will give the UK full control of its waters and the ability to set fishing opportunities such as quota.
In particular the paper will set out how, as an independent coastal state, the UK will have the opportunity to move towards a fairer share of fishing opportunities – overhauling the current system where UK fishermen have received a poor deal that is based on fishing patterns from the 1970s. EU Member States currently land around eight times as much fish in UK waters than the UK does in EU Member States’ waters.
It will also propose a suite of measures to improve the sustainability of the fishing industry, supporting the next generation of fishermen while protecting our precious marine environment.
Prime Minister Theresa May said:
As an island nation our fishing industry is the lifeblood of coastal communities around the UK.
I have been clear that when we leave the EU we will take back control of our waters, while ensuring we don’t see our fishermen unfairly denied access to other waters.
The plans set out today demonstrate the bright future in store as we build UK fishing industry for future generations by putting the importance of a healthy marine environment at its heart.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:
Leaving the EU creates a sea of opportunity for our fishing industry. Outside the Common Fisheries Policy we can take back control of our waters and revitalise our coastal communities.
We will be able to put in place our own systems, becoming a world leader in managing our resources while protecting the marine environment.
We will work closely with everyone who has an interest in this important industry to make the most of this historic opportunity.
While the UK will continue to abide by Common Fisheries Policy rules during the implementation period, from 2020 we will be negotiating access to waters and fishing opportunities as an independent coastal state.
The white paper will set out a number of methods to explore fairer allocation of fishing opportunities, such as zonal attachment – which is based on distribution of fish stocks, rather than historical data.
Sitting at the heart of the white paper will be the UK government’s commitment to sustainable fisheries, including ending the wasteful discarding of fish and making clear vessels will only be allowed to fish in our waters if they adhere to our high sustainability standards.
The paper will also commit to publishing an annual statement setting out the health of fish stocks and based on the latest scientific evidence. If stocks are struggling, the four UK fisheries Administrations will work together to put in place a comprehensive recovery plan to restore them to healthy levels.
Likewise, the paper will outline a new approach to tackling ‘choke species’– one of the biggest challenges facing the fishing sector and which occurs when fishermen have used up their quota for a specific stock. As fishermen cannot target a certain area for risk of accidentally catching the exhausted stock, they either have to stop fishing or risk breaking the law if they land the extra stock.
The white paper will propose two new approaches in England: a reserve of quota that could be used to offset choke species, coupled with a new scheme to help fishermen unable to find quota to set against their catch.
And, as set out in its 25 Year Environment Plan, the government will pursue an ecosystem approach to fisheries management that will minimise impacts on non-commercial species and the marine environment.
Barrie Deas, CEO of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisation, said:
Today the Government has presented a broad vision for post-Brexit fisheries that is clear and cogent – and importantly, is aligned with international law. I am sure that it will attract wide support across the industry and Parliament.
Outside the EU, the UK will be an independent coastal state and this will provide the basis to rebalance quota shares and implement effective and adaptive management measures for our fisheries.
We are pleased a partnership with the fishing industry is at the heart of the Government’s approach. There is much to do and we look forward to working within this framework of cooperation.
Scottish Fishermen’s Federation Chief Executive Bertie Armstrong said:
The white paper enshrines the important elements that we have been arguing for to forge a sustainable future for our industry: allowing the UK to become an independent coastal state, to take charge of who catches what where and to resist any and all attempts to link access to our waters to access to EU markets.
Of course, there is a long way to go, and we now need our governments to show real backbone in the Brexit negotiations to ensure that these aspirations become reality.
Our approach will benefit the whole of the UK. The UK government will continue to work with the Devolved Administrations to develop a new UK framework for fisheries management, which will maximise their power to manage their fisheries while maintaining the overall coherence of the UK’s approach. It will also ensure compliance with international obligations to manage our shared resources sustainably.
We do not yet know the outcome of the UK’s negotiations to withdraw from the EU or on a future economic partnership, and the white paper will be clear that market access for fisheries products is separate to the question of fishing opportunities and access to waters.
Access to waters and fishing opportunities will be negotiated on an annual basis. This is consistent with the approach to fisheries taken by other coastal states including Norway.
Interested parties will now be invited to share their views on proposals outlined in the white paper during a 10 week consultation.
On Tuesday 3 July, the Government announced that Zac Goldsmith MP will play a key role in the preparations for an international conference about the illegal wildlife trade.
As Champion for the Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference being hosted in London in October, Mr Goldsmith will help bring together global leaders, the private sector and wildlife experts in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade, building support and partnerships among external stakeholders before the conference.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:
The London conference is a once in a generation opportunity to produce a seismic shift in global attitudes to better protect the world’s most iconic species from the threat of extinction.
Zac has the extensive knowledge of, and passion for, environmental issues to make the London Illegal Wildlife Conference 2018 in October as ambitious and successful as possible.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:
We are introducing one of the world’s toughest bans on ivory sales and showing global leadership through international funding for enforcement projects.
But wildlife crime does not respect borders. We must share skills and expertise worldwide. That’s why the London conference will be crucial in tackling international issues that allow the vile and illegal trade in wildlife to continue.
Zac will bring tremendous energy and drive to this new role. Through his extensive knowledge and experience of working with international environmental groups I am sure he will help to make the conference a huge success.
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:
Protecting endangered species and tackling the criminal activity that threatens them also delivers opportunities for people to be lifted out of poverty.
The British public care deeply about this issue, and UK aid is working to eradicate the trade in illegal wildlife which fuels corruption and insecurity. This is a win for developing countries, a win for the UK and a win for our planet.
Zac Goldsmith MP said:
The illegal wildlife trade is not only taking countless species to the brink of extinction, it is a serious organised crime and fuels some of the world’s worst organisations. The UK has led global efforts to tackle it, but the problem continues to grow and now is the time for us to significantly step up our efforts. I am thrilled to have been asked to play a part in making that happen.
The Illegal Wildlife Trade is a serious criminal industry, estimated to be worth between £7bn and £17bn a year.
The UK government has committed £26 million to tackle the Illegal Wildlife Trade. This includes around £14 million through the joint DFID/Defra Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund. The fund has been allocated to 47 projects since 2015 and demonstrates the UK Government’s commitment to tackling the wider illegal trade in wildlife. Projects that have received support encourage the development of sustainable livelihoods, strengthening law enforcement, ensuring effective legal frameworks and reducing demand for products made from illegal flora and fauna.
Mr Goldsmith has campaigned for many years on issues related to animal welfare through the Ecologist Magazine, which he edited for a decade, and as an MP since 2010. He is a member of the Environment Audit Committee and during his political career animal welfare has been a strong focus for him.
The Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference will be co-hosted by the FCO, Defra and DFID between 11-12 October.
Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @BorisJohnson and Facebook
Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn
For journalists
Email
newsdesk@fco.gov.uk
Newsdesk
020 7008 3100
Updated: We have updated that the call for proposals is now closed.
The International Climate Fund (ICF) in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), has allocated up to £2 million for technical assistance activities in Mexico through an open and competitive call for proposals.
a) Local level implementation that translates Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets into actions at the state and municipal level
b) Coordination across different levels of government and non-state actors remains a challenge and needs to be strengthened
c) Increase transparency through development and implementation of functional MRV systems and standardisation of disclosure practices
d) Capacity building and developing technical capabilities for effective policy implementation and enforcement in key areas at different levels of government
e) Innovative approaches to overcome systemic barriers, constraints and develop markets that accelerate the mobilisation of private sector capital at scale
BEIS ICF has allocated up to £2 million for technical assistance activities in Mexico through an open, competitive call for proposals. Funds are available for projects of up to one year in length.
This C4P request implementation partners to submit concept bids for the following project types:
Year 1 projects. Year 1 projects should aim to deliver a series of activities between November 2018 and November 2019
Skill share projects. Skill share projects should aim to facilitate skill-sharing between Mexican, UK or international experts (public and private) to share technical knowledge and embed good practice in an identified policy area of specific need. Skill-sharing could range from short-term deployments, thematic conferences and long-term secondments depending on need
Early transition activity projects. Early transition activity projects will be delivered between October 2018 and March 2019 and shall aim to support the new administration’s transition period
relate to one or more of the five themes of the call for proposals
require funding of between £25,000 – £500,000 (indicative), for up to one year length of activity from the point of contracting, based on the project types described in the ICF Mexico Call for Proposals Strategy and Guidelines
be compatible with Official Development Assistance (ODA) criteria
facilitate the exchange of policy and commercial expertise. Good proposals will demonstrate substantial collaboration and involvement on implementation between Mexican and UK and/or international partners
demonstrate that host relevant actors have been consulted and are supportive of the project
Further information on our programme work can be found in the attached publication (links below).
The ICF Technical Assistance Programme in Mexico is coordinated by the British Embassy in Mexico City. The bidding process is split between a concept stage and a full proposal stage.
Stage 1: Concept bid development. Implementing organisations develop concept bids in consultation with the Embassy, and submit by the deadline (using the Project Concept Bid form provided)
Stage 2: Approval of concept bids. Concept bids are assessed on five criteria: strategic fit, potential for transformational impact, value for money, additionality and deliverability. Implementers successful at this concept stage will be invited to develop full bids
Stage 3: Development and approval of full bids. Successful implementing organisations are invited to submit full bids, which are assessed by a Programme Board. Successful projects will then begin from Autumn 2018
Successful candidates will be invited to a 45 minute chat with the Mexico TAP team to address feedback prior to submission of a full proposal.
Unsuccessful candidates will be provided with feedback via email.
*Feedback on Skill Sharing and 1 Year Projects: Due to the large number of concept bids for Skill Sharing and 1 Year Projects received, notification of successful and unsuccessful proposals will be delayed.
Updated timelines for these projects will be updated on this website in due course.
The timetable is subject to change, at the discretion of the Mexico TAP Team
If proposals are accepted at the concept stage, implementers will be required to submit a more detailed bid form and more detailed activity-based budget (ABB). The Mexico TAP Team will provide the template documents for full proposals to successful implementing organisations in due course.
Candidates who were successful in the concept bid stage will be invited to submit a full proposal according to the following timetable:
Templates and guidance for full bid submission will be sent via email to successful candidates only.
Please be aware that our servers will block any emails with attachments exceeding 8MB without any warning. Where possible, please try not to attach any files larger than this size.
The timetable is subject to change, at the discretion of the Mexico TAP Team.
For further details on the call for proposals, please contact the Mexico TAP Team by email at icf.mexico@fco.gov.uk and ICF.Mexico@beis.gov.uk
The Technical Assistance Programme Call for Proposals (C4P) has identified the following as indicative priority sectors for 2018/2019:
Mobility
Waste
Green Finance
Diffusion of renewable energy
However, it is important to note that this C4P is not limited to activities that fall under this initial prioritisation of sectors. However, implementers must provide strong evidence to justify the consideration of other sectors. In this sense, geothermal energy and CCUS may be considered as potential themes for TAP proposal, but must comply with eligibility and selection criteria, as well as with rest of the requirements included in the Call for Proposals – Strategy and Guidelines document. It is advised to consult the full Strategy and Guidelines document and the rest of attachments contained in this website
No, private and/or commercial banks cannot be implementers nor beneficiaries. NGO’s, think tanks and consultancy firms related with the financial sector can be potential implementers, but not beneficiaries. Only governmental sector is eligible to be beneficiary.
Unfortunately, we will not be live streaming the workshop.
The Technical Assistance Programme, funded by the International Climate Fund (ICF) will support technical assistance activities that contribute to at least one of the following objectives:
*The reduction of the country’s emissions by improving the capacity and capability of key institutions (national, sub-national and non-state).
*Support demand-led technical assistance that prioritises implementation and helps raise climate ambition, by addressing barriers, constraints and areas of opportunity at different levels of government based on the country’s political and economic context and sectorial priorities.
Please visit our website for further details about eligibility and selection criteria, other requirements and indicative priority sectors.
Yes, you can. Each organisation can be the lead implementer in more than one application. However, the organisation must guarantee team capacity delivery for each proposal. For any further question, please consult the Call for proposal website Frequently Asked Questions Document.
No, administrative costs are mainly operational costs.
Yes, staff will be considered as another category. There is no limit on staff time that can be included in the budget. That responds to an internal decision from implementer.
Yes, if they form part of the project during the implementation phase.
Budget in concept stage is indicative and further information can be provided in more detail at the full bid.
You are eligible to apply for funding despite being a former Chevening Scholar.
This will depend on each project
It can address more than two sectors within one project, the four sectors are indicative.
Yes, that is correct.
It can be full-time however; it can be less depending on the activities that might need to be implemented.
This is not under our jurisdiction; therefore, it is up to implementers to declare income and that income to be subject to national tax laws.
The payment schedule will be determined in the proposal. Payments will be paid to the lead organisation and should be distributed accordingly between partner organisations.
You can find these on our website Strategy and Guidance and must be compatible with ODA. You do not need our approval for you to submit your concept bid; however, you must fulfil the eligibility requirements. If something is not clear with some of the criteria then you should contact us.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has announced £4.5 million for 14 new Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund projects to combat the trade in illegal wildlife at a special event to mark 100 days till the London Illegal Wildlife Trade conference.
The Challenge fund projects will act to prevent wildlife being trafficked or illegally traded through measures including demand reduction, strengthening enforcement and criminal justice, and providing alternative livelihoods.
The new funding comes as part of a host of measures announced by the Foreign Secretary in the build-up to the London Illegal Wildlife Trade conference in October.
Projects that will receive funding include supporting eco-guardians and community enforcement networks to protect elephants, a ‘payback’ scheme for the perpetrators of IWT and the development of strong room best practice guidelines for the storage of seized illegal ivory. There will also be funding provided to disrupt the poaching affecting iconic species such as Sumatran tigers and snow leopards.
Environment Secretary, Michael Gove said:
Environmental challenges do not respect borders, and require coordinated international action. Our Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund is driving change to combat this despicable criminality. The 14 projects range across 27 countries and showcase measures from criminal justice to education. These priorities reflect our commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to work with other nations to stamp out this vile trade. The fund, alongside our introduction of one of the world’s toughest bans on ivory sales, shows our global leadership in protecting wildlife in its natural environment.
Environmental Crime, which includes the illegal wildlife trade and illegal logging, is the fifth most lucrative serious organised crime and is estimated to be worth up to £17billion a year.
The criminals who run this trade do more than damage wildlife – they use networks of corrupt officials and agencies to undermine sustainable development and the rule of law, bringing misery to local communities. Money made from this trade is used by criminal networks.
This is why tackling the illegal wildlife trade is a priority for the UK government and why it’s so important that at this year’s conference in London we find new and effective ways of tackling this crime, by bringing global leaders together to tackle the strategic challenges of the trade.
ZSL Mongolia’s 2018 IWT Challenge Fund project will strengthen border law enforcement by bringing specialist training for border staff and detector dog units at key points; create a multi-agency taskforce on wildlife trade for better intelligence-sharing, and by helping communities living along the borders to keep out criminal groups through the creation of surveillance networks.
ZSL Director of Conservation, Matthew Hatchwell, said:
The illegal trade of wildlife products in Asia presents enormous challenges in preventing the large scale loss of species that can only be tackled by multiple partners working together, in particular to support the conservation efforts of national governments. ZSL is very grateful for the support of the UK government’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund to strengthen frontline law enforcement in Mongolia, home to highly endangered species such as the Saiga antelope, snow leopard and Bactrian camel.
Ivory, accrued by natural mortality or seizures of illegal stock, is held in government storerooms that often lack adequate security and management procedures, and are vulnerable to corruption and theft. A robust ivory management system will keep these products from returning to and perpetuating the illegal supply chain. In partnership with national government authorities across Africa, we will develop, trial and put into practice storeroom Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), embedding this into government policy to ensure regular use.
John Stephenson, CEO Stop Ivory said:
We are delighted to have the UK Government’s support for a crucial project to fight the illegal wildlife trade. By ensuring that African Governments have comprehensive stockpile storeroom security and procedures in place, this project will prevent illegal wildlife products from leaking back into the supply chain, which perpetuates the illegal trade and poaching of elephants. Through this funding, the UK Government continues to work with the African countries leading the Elephant Protection Initiative to secure a meaningful future for elephants across Africa – the initiative the Government helped launch at the London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in 2014. The unprecedented crisis we face – with Africa’s natural heritage being destroyed and communities put at risk due to poaching by armed gangs – will only stop when ivory is securely put beyond economic use.
This innovative project will look at how sanctions against IWT can better reflect the injuries to society (For example on livelihoods, biodiversity, culture). It will compare international sanctions to illegal wildlife trade, and initiate international “best practices” standards. In Indonesia, it will work with experts and government officials to review sanctions, and provide expertise to quantify the costs of this illegal trade on society. The project aims to apply these to a first-of-a-kind civil liability suit to hold perpetrators of the illegal trade in wildlife financially responsible for environmental harm.
Dr Jacob Phelps, Lancaster University, said:
This new funding from the UK Government will help the Lancaster Environment Centre to tackle the real-world challenges of taking legal action against illegal wildlife trade. In collaboration with lawyers and conservationists across a dozen countries, we will explore new legal responses to wildlife trade–focused on Indonesia, but with global implications. When an oil spill devastates a coast line, we pursue the perpetrators not only with fines and jail sentences, but also with orders to restore the environment, issue apologies and compensate victims. In contrast, the perpetrators of large-scale, commercial illegal wildlife trade are rarely held accountable for the broad impacts they impose on the environment and society. In this project, we will explore new strategies to hold large-scale perpetrators legally responsible for the environmental harm they cause, including impacts on livelihoods, biodiversity and culture.