We welcome and thank Ambassador Natalya Drozd and her colleagues for her report to the Permanent Council and the work they have undertaken at the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat over the last year.

2020 marks the 25th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutral status. We welcome Turkmenistan’s efforts to strengthen security and reduce conflict regionally and internationally, and encourage Turkmenistan’s on-going engagement with the international community and the rules based international system to promote increased respect for basic rights and freedoms for the Turkmen people.

Mr Chair, I would like to pay particular attention to three areas of Ambassador Drozd’s report.

First, on the work in the third dimension. I was encouraged to read about the support provided by the Centre to the host authorities in helping them continue to adhere to international human rights standards, and assisting them with the implementation of the 2016-2020 National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP). We too have supported the implementation of this Action Plan, and it is good to see this work prioritised.

I was also pleased to read about the assistance given by the Centre to the Ombudsperson’s Office. The UK has supported the work of the Human Rights Ombudsperson since her appointment in 2017, through staff training, raising awareness of human rights, and providing human rights education to those in government and civil society. I am glad to see the importance of this role recognised.

I commend Ambassador Drozd for the work the Centre has done on the 2015-2020 National Action Plan on Gender Equality. The UK has supported human rights and civic education for youth, particularly for girls, and recently worked with the UN Population Fund to organise the first national survey on family life in Turkmenistan, which will provide base line statistics on domestic abuse. I am glad that the Centre’s mainstreaming of gender equality has included organising and conducting lectures on the role of women in security, as well as women in leadership.

Second, on security. I would like to give special mention to the work the Centre has done to strengthen the capacities of the State Border Guard Service, by using innovative patrolling, surveillance, and other methods; and conducting cross-border workshops and conferences. As chair of the Security Committee, we place great value on comprehensive border management as a means to reduce cross border crime.

And finally, on trade. I am pleased to see the focus on promoting economic connectivity through regional trade. In recent years, British experts have worked with Turkmen counterparts on exploring export opportunities, promoting diversity in routes and potential markets for exports, and developing international marketing strategies for natural gas products. Covid-19 restrictions aside, Turkmenistan’s role in regional cooperation means people and goods have moved more freely across the region, and improved cooperation adds to the region’s security and stability
As this is the last Permanent Council meeting for Ambassador Drozd in her role as Head of Centre in Ashgabat I would like to greatly thank her for her hard work and efforts in Turkmenistan. I wish the Centre continued success and wish Ambassador Drozd all the very best for the future.

The alliance made up of 3 delivery partners – Sellafield Ltd, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure and Arup – marks reaching 5 million accident free operation hours by donating to West Cumbria Carers and the PPE fund which Sellafield Ltd’s unions (GMB, Unite and Prospect) set up to help protect local NHS staff and nursing teams.

In order to mark the milestone achieved in January this year, each of the 3 organisations decided to donate £5,000 to charity; the Infrastructure Strategic Alliance (ISA) workforce voting for the charity they felt should benefit.

West Cumbria Carers provides support to carers who look after a family member, relative, friend or neighbour who could not manage without their help.

Their work carries on through the Covid-19 pandemic; they continue to support young carers by distributing craft kits to help pass the time in these challenging circumstances.

Sellafield Ltd’s unions (GMB, Unite and Prospect) have joined forces to provide vital PPE, to help protect the local NHS staff for the ongoing battle against Covid-19 in West Cumbria at the West Cumberland Hospital and within the Copeland and Workington community nursing teams.

Mark Jones, Head of ISA, said:

I am extremely proud of everyone who works and supports ISA for their continued commitment to the safe delivery of our projects, driving risk and hazard reduction across the Sellafield site.

Achieving 5 million hours RIDDOR (reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) free over the last three and a half years is not easy and requires continuous focus, particularly in the complex and challenging environment in which we work.

West Cumbria Carers were delighted with the donation and added:

Many thanks to the ISA staff for their donation. The feedback from young carers shows just how much the craft packs have been appreciated.

Nick Jeffery, UNITE convenor, said:

On behalf of our campaign group, I’d like to thank the ISA teams for this fantastic donation to the PPE fund which is helping us support doctors, nurses and carers in our communities and making a real difference at this very difficult time.

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson today hosted the Global Vaccine Summit
• More than 50 countries and organisations will come together to secure funding for GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance
• The Summit aims to raise at least $7.4bn (approx. £6bn) to immunise a further 300 million children in world’s poorest countries by 2025

Prime Minister Boris Johnson today (Thursday 4 June) opened the UK-hosted Global Vaccine Summit and urged nations to pledge funding for vaccinations to save millions of lives and protect the world from future outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Representatives of over 50 countries, including President Mohammed Farmajo and at least 35 other Heads of State or Government, as well as leaders of private sector organisations and civil society, are coming together at the Summit to raise funds for GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.

Addressing attendees at the Summit, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

I hope this Summit will be the moment when the world comes together to unite humanity in the fight against disease. Just as the UK is the single biggest donor to the international effort to find a coronavirus vaccine, we will remain the world’s leading donor to GAVI, contributing £1.65 billion over the next five years.

The recent Somali Health & Demographic Survey found that only 11% of Somali children aged 12-23 months had been vaccinated against the most common preventable diseases. GAVI spent around $10-12m in Somalia in each of the last two years, with a focus on strengthening health systems, supporting cold chains and immunising against measles and other disease.

The British Ambassador to Somalia, Ben Fender, said:

I’m delighted that President Farmajo has joined other world leaders including Prime Minister Boris Johnson in contributing to this Summit. The Global Vaccine Summit is held once every five years. In the last 20 years, GAVI has helped vaccinate half the world’s children, 760 million in all. Today’s Summit will help pay for the next five years of GAVI’s work.

In recent years, we have made progress in increasing vaccine coverage across Somalia, but there is further to go. We must work together to protect children across Somalia from deadly but preventable diseases like polio, diphtheria and measles.

The UK is the largest donor to Somalia’s health sector. In 2019, our Somali Health & Nutrition (SHINE) programme, helped deliver life-saving vaccines to over 90,000 Somali children, protecting them against five common childhood illnesses. At the moment, we are working hard to ensure that routine immunisation continues across the country, despite COVID-19.

In a recorded video, Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo said:

It is great honour to participate in this virtual summit hosted by the UK government under the leadership of PM Johnson. GAVI is an inspirational partnership between coalition of governments, international agencies to vaccinate against diseases and death, Somalia is proud to be part of this vaccines alliance for healthier, safer and equitable society.

Prevention is always better than cure and vaccinating against preventable diseases and strengthening the health of citizens everywhere including here at home is a basic human rights.

Coronavirus has truly tested the world in every way possible; it has taught us the importance of preparation, collaboration and timely action to protect our citizen’s future. I welcome and strongly support GAVI’s focus on accelerating a vaccine for COVID-19 and I urge for this to be made available to the most vulnerable.

The UK government is the leading donor to GAVI, and has already pledged an equivalent funding of £1.65 billion over the next five years to GAVI to help fund immunisation of close to 75 million children in the world’s poorest countries.

As the world focuses on tackling coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and GAVI have warned that the pandemic is disrupting routine immunisation, affecting approximately 80 million children under the age of 12 months across 68 countries.

In attendance at the summit was also International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who said:

The world is quite rightly focusing on responding to the invisible killer that is coronavirus. But we cannot allow this pandemic to disrupt routine immunisation in some of the world’s poorest countries and cause other deadly diseases to spread across the globe.

We know vaccines work, which is why at today’s summit we need others to step up and pledge funds to GAVI, so it can continue to save the lives of millions of children and protect everyone from infectious diseases.

GAVI, with UK support, is addressing the immediate needs triggered by coronavirus, including providing essential medical supplies and helping to increase testing and surveillance of the disease.

As part of the global effort to find a coronavirus vaccine, the UK is also the single largest donor of any country to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations’ (CEPI) urgent appeal.

Notes to editors:

The UK’s Vaccine Taskforce will build on the UK’s research and development expertise to support international efforts to find a coronavirus vaccine.

International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan announced the UK’s £1.65bn pledge to Gavi – the equivalent of £300m a year over the next 5 years – on the 29th April.