The Myanmar military regime’s executions of pro-democracy and opposition leaders are reprehensible acts of violence that further exemplify the regime’s disregard for human rights and the rule of law.

We urge the regime to release all those unjustly detained, grant full and independent access to prisons and fulfill its obligations under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) Five-Point Consensus to seek peace through dialogue, not further violence.

We support the people of Myanmar in their aspirations for freedom and democracy and call on the regime to end the use of violence, respect the will of the people, and restore the country’s path toward democracy.

Our thoughts and condolences are with the bereaved families and loved ones as they grieve those unjustly put to death. We remember and mourn all lives lost in Myanmar in the aftermath of the coup.

Overview

The British High Commission Maseru is inviting NGOs working with communities in Lesotho and established community-based organisations to bid for small grant funding of up to M100,000, for the sustainable provision of Assistive Technology to people with disabilities in Lesotho.

The bidding process is competitive. Only the strongest bids will be selected.

Selected projects will be informed by Monday, 15 August 2022. Implementing organisations will be required to attend a preparatory seminar. Project activity should start in early September 2022 and all activity must be completed by 1 February 2023. Funding will be paid on completion of all activities and project reports.

Objectives

All projects must lead to sustainable improvements in the provision of assistive technology in Lesotho. For example, this could be through changes in policies/ practices; development of low-cost alternative technologies; or additional training that will lead to improved maintenance of devices, or enable better use of existing resources.

Selection criteria

Bids will be judged on:

• potential impact (including the scope of the project and the likelihood of achieving that impact)
• evidence that the bidding organisation has strong links with the target communities and relevant prior experience
• value for money
• sustainability, including the potential for the project to be scaled up or replicated elsewhere
• the capacity of the bidding organisation, including a track record of previous successful projects
• proper presentation of project objectives and budget

Overview

The British High Commission Maseru is inviting NGOs working with communities in Lesotho and established community-based organisations to bid for small grant funding of up to M100,000 for civic and voter education for women during September and October 2022.

These should be based in the following constituencies:

• Maputsoe
• Maletsunyane
• Thaba Putsoa
• Melikane
• Tele
• Sebapala
• Mount Moorosi
• Tsoelike
• Thaba Moea
• Mats’onyane
• Ketane

Organisations bidding must have an existing link with communities in these constituencies and must be politically neutral.

The bidding process is competitive. Only the strongest bids will be selected.

Selected projects will be informed by Monday, 15 August 2022 and implementing organisations will be required to attend a preparatory seminar. Successful organisations will also be required to obtain registration from the Independent Electoral Commission before confirmation of the grant.

Project activity should start in early September 2022 and all activity must be completed by 1 November 2022. Funding will be paid on completion of all activities and project reports.

Organisations bidding for funding, and their senior executives, must not have any links to, or affiliations with, registered political parties.

Objectives

The projects should meet the following objective:

1. Increased voter participation, particularly participation of women, in constituencies identified as ‘low turn-out’ in the last (2017) election.
2. Female voters in low-turn-out constituencies have increased awareness of the issues of importance to women; improved knowledge of political party manifestos and candidate pledges relating to these issues; and better understanding of their role as informed voters and the importance of holding elected representatives to account.

Selection criteria

Bids will be judged on:

• planned activities and likely impact
• evidence that the bidding organisation has strong links with the target communities
• value for money (including numbers of voters reached)
• the capacity of the bidding organisation, including a track record of previous successful projects
• proper presentation of project aims, activities and budget

The Defence Secretary visited Slovakia today (Mon 25 July) to meet his counterpart and discuss our joint work to support Ukraine and safeguard European security.

The UK and Slovakia have been working in lockstep to support Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s illegal invasion. Britain was the first European country to supply military aid to Ukraine and recently announced plans to send hundreds of drones and scores of artillery guns, while Slovakia was the first NATO ally to donate air defence systems and recently revealed it would send self-propelled howitzers to the country.

Ben Wallace met with Slovakian Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad in Bratislava to speak about what more can be done and how we work together going forward to enhance our support for Ukraine.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

Slovakia is a leader in Central Europe in standing up for Ukraine and resisting Russian aggression.

I was delighted to visit my good friend Jaroslav Nad today. Our bilateral meeting explored next steps in military aid to the conflict as well as British support to Slovakian defence.

Ben Wallace and Jaroslav Nad discussed other important topics during the one-day visit, including our joint work through NATO and efforts to counter Russian disinformation in Eastern Europe and promote peace and stability in the region.

They also spoke about how we might expand and deepen our historic defence partnership, which dates back to World War 2, when Slovak pilots served in the RAF and brave soldiers from the former Czechoslovakia, trained in the UK in cooperation with the Czechoslovakian government in exile in Britain, assassinated high-ranking Nazi Reinhard Heydrich.

Today, the UK and Slovakia have a close defence relationship which is growing, with cooperation in a number of areas such as through joint training and exercises, including the British Military Advisory Training Team (BMATT), which is delivering a course this month in Slovakia.