Published 22 November 2018
Last updated 26 May 2021 + show all updates

• Foreign Office joins network of NGOs, businesses and thinktanks to tackle ocean plastic
• New data shows Foreign Office has achieved a 98% reduction in single-use plastics since launching internal #BeyondPlastic campaign
• Plastic bottles completely removed from the Foreign Office in London and embassies around the world are taking up the challenge to go plastic-free

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has today joined the #OneLess pioneer network which cultivates a fundamental change in the way Londoners drink water by promoting a refill culture and reducing our reliance on single-use plastic water bottles.

The FCO also published new data showing its use of single-use plastics has fallen by 98 per cent since the introduction last year of a drive to eliminate avoidable single-use plastics in its UK operations.

Sir Simon McDonald Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, said:

Thanks to changes we’ve made since April 2018, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office now uses nearly 2.5 million fewer single-use plastic items every year.

I want us to lead the way on sustainability in Whitehall and beyond. Joining the #OneLess campaign will allow us to share our expertise and consign the single-use plastic water bottle to history.

The #OneLess campaign, hosted by ZSL (Zoological Society of London), works with pioneer network members to trial new solutions, redesign infrastructure and overcome challenges.

Rachel Shairp, Project Coordinator of the #OneLess campaign, said:

Single-use plastic water bottles are unnecessary in a city like London and over the past three years we’ve seen Londoners, businesses and members of government embrace tap water and rally to transform London into a place where plastic bottled water is a thing of the past.

We’re delighted to be working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to help them move from single-use plastic water bottles to more ocean-friendly ways of drinking water.

Dominic Jermey, Director General of international conservation charity ZSL said:

The evidence of the damage plastic is doing to our environment is overwhelming. Since 2016 ZSL through the #OneLess campaign has removed nearly 70,000 single-use plastic bottles from the Thames alone. I am delighted to see the Foreign and Commonwealth Office taking steps to help reduce single-use plastic and I hope other government departments will follow their lead.

The FCO’s #BeyondPlastic campaign has focused on eliminating all avoidable single-use plastics by offering staff different alternatives, and initiatives such as giving a discount on drinks purchased with a reusable mug – the so-called ‘Latte Levy’, the first in Whitehall. As part of this, the Foreign Office has, since August 2018, removed all plastic-bottled water from its restaurants and coffee shops, which accounted for over 54,000 units in the preceding 20 months.

In addition, 14 embassies of our around the world have managed to completely eliminate single-use plastic, and a further 40 have set out plans to do so.

Notes to editors:

FCO performance on avoidable single-use plastics is as follows:

2014:

2015:

2016:

2017:

2018:

• Photographs, video or graphics distributed by ZSL (Zoological Society of London) to support this media release may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the persons in the image or facts mentioned in the media release or image caption. Reuse of the picture or video requires further permission from the ZSL press office.

We are looking for a range of proposals which can demonstrate impact in one year, including where a project will act as a catalyst for alternative, sustainable sources of funding.

Currently we are inviting bids in the following areas:

Media freedom and the protection of journalists

• Bids of up to £100,000: supporting the safety of journalists reporting in Afghanistan, seeking to reduce the numbers of journalists killed and injured in Afghanistan and help them to safely report to the Afghan public.

• Bids of up to £50,000: promoting greater accessibility of government information for journalists and the public. Proposals should consider how to work with the access to information commission and government media.

• Bids of up to £75,000: developing the capability and capacity of female citizen journalists working outside of Kabul, particularly focusing on social media training and ability to report from provinces.

Promoting the rights of the child and championing youth participation

• Bids of up to £80,000: promoting greater youth access to and participation in sport, particularly for girls, as a vehicle for promoting community stability. Proposals could include (but not limited to) building upon the success of the Afghanistan Cricket team and the recent Cricket World Cup in England and Wales.

• Bids of up to £60,000: promoting the UK’s Chevening Programme across Afghanistan, helping to ensure an increase in quality applications from candidates outside of Kabul, particularly from female applicants.

Criteria for selection

In all thematic areas, proposals will be expected to demonstrate that:

• the project proposal provides good value for money
• the proposal has clear, achievable outcomes, and responds to a local demand or need
• the organisation has the capacity to deliver the project to a high standard (successful proposals will be subject to a due diligence assessment of the organisation)
• the project helps build Afghan capacity (International NGOs/companies should aim to partner with a local Afghan counterpart where feasible)
• the impact of the project will be sustainable beyond the end of the funding period (i.e. 31 March 2020)
• activities can be delivered over the project life-cycle (i.e. not all planned for the final quarter of the year)
• all risks have been carefully identified and measured and have suitable mitigations proposed

How to apply

To apply, you should:

• read all the documents and requirements (attached below)
• complete the project proposal form and submit your proposal to hedayatullah.noori@fco.gov.uk by 9th July 2019; please ensure the theme area of the bid is included in the subject line

Implementers whose proposals are awarded funding will be notified by the end of July 2019, with an expectation that activity could begin shortly afterwards, and end by 31 March 2020.

Before bidding please familiarise yourself with the following key documents:

The latest steps in an ambitious plan to ensure appointees to the boards of public bodies better reflect the public have been outlined today (27 June) by the Minister for Implementation, Oliver Dowden.

A refreshed Public Appointments Diversity Action Plan commits the government to improving all kinds of diversity on the boards of public bodies. It sets out a roadmap for realising an ambition that half of all public appointees will be female and 14 percent of public appointments will be from ethnic minorities by 2022.

The plan confirms actions to improve how appointments are made including:

• piloting a mentoring scheme to help those who narrowly miss out
• testing new approaches to the recruitment process, to ensure diverse skills and lived experience are taken into account
• induction training that gives those newly appointed the best start to their roles.

The Minister also confirmed that the government is accepting the principle of all the recommendations of Lord Holmes’ independent review into opening up public appointments to disabled people, which was commissioned last year. This includes committing the government to improving the quality of data on appointees so that it can take a decision on what the government’s ambition for the numbers of disabled people appointed to boards should be by the end of 2020.

The shake-up comes just days after the Prime Minister announced a new package of measures to tackle the injustices faced by disabled people in the workplace, at home and in the community.

The Minister for Implementation, Oliver Dowden, said:

There is both a moral and practical case for ensuring the boards of our public institutions reflect the communities they serve.

That’s why I’m announcing changes today that will remove obstacles not only for disabled people but for all underrepresented groups in public appointments, opening up exciting roles across the UK to applicants with fresh opinions, ideas, backgrounds and experiences.

Lord Holmes said:

I am passionate about the benefits of Diversity and Inclusion. I am delighted the Government has accepted the principles of all of the recommendations I have made.

The review made recommendations in four areas: data and transparency, attracting talent, applications and interviews, and beyond. Whilst I am grateful for this unqualified support for the principles, the detail regarding specific recommendations, particularly around data and transparency, will have to be carefully monitored.

The Government and Cabinet Office have a fantastic opportunity to set a gold standard and demonstrate, not just the benefits of diversity, but how to recruit the best talent.

Thank you, Mr Vice-President,

The United Kingdom very much welcomes this discussion on violence against women at work.

Gender-based violence is pervasive; it threatens the lives and wellbeing of women and girls and it must be eliminated. Women must be empowered to have a voice, to have agency, to live in safety and to be able to access opportunities that are fundamental to freedom and development.

In the UK, we have a strong legal framework to prevent and address violence and harassment in the workplace. And, at the International Labour Conference last week, the UK was proud to support efforst in agreeing the first ever global treaty to end violence and harassment in the workplace.

It is encouraging to see many positive measures being taken at the international, regional and national levels to address the scorge of violence. However, we need to take accelerated action to prevent violence and to improve our response to the impacts of violence against women in the workplace.

The UK is leading efforts to eradicate violence against women and girls in all its forms. We know that violence against women and girls is preventable. The UK’s ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’ programme has demonstrated that even in the most challenging settings, violence can reduce by up to 50% in less than 3 years. This evidence should be a catalyst for us all to improve our efforts to prevent violence

Thank you, Mr Vice-President.