US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan announced the non-proliferation triumph, which was the result of years of cooperation, in Tokyo on Monday, 23 May 2022.

The shipment, which was completed in March 2022, removed all HEU from three Japanese sites:

• University of Tokyo’s Yayoi Research Reactor

• Japan Atomic Energy Agency’s Deuterium Critical Assembly

• Japan Atomic Energy Agency’s Japan Research Reactor 4

The US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) worked on the removal with Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and in close cooperation with the UK’s Nuclear Transport Solutions and Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

In a statement NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Corey Hinderstein said:

“This HEU removal is the result of years of close cooperation and hard work—made all the more challenging by the pandemic and travel restrictions.

“Permanently eliminating nuclear material that could be used in a weapon is just one of the ways NNSA and its international partners help make the world a safer place every day.”

Nuclear Transport Solutions is part of the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), a public body responsible for ensuring the safe and efficient clean-up of the UK’s nuclear legacy. It provides solutions to complex nuclear transport and logistics challenges and has used its unique transport capabilities to deliver a number of high-profile international transport projects in support of non-proliferation and global threat reduction efforts.

Seth Kybird, Chief Executive of NTS, said:

“This successful operation represents an important milestone in reducing the risk of nuclear proliferation and was delivered by UK assets and expertise in close collaboration with our US and Japanese partners and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

“Our experience in high security nuclear shipments is second to none and we are extremely proud to play such an important role in making the world safer.”

David Peattie, CEO of the NDA, said:

“In NTS we have world-leading capability that not only plays a vital part in the NDA mission to clean up the UK’s earliest nuclear sites, it also provides expertise for globally-important operations such as this one. This is a fantastic achievement for our transport subsidiary NTS and is testament to the expertise it provides as part of its commercial activities in the UK and overseas.”

The HEU was securely transported to the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina, and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It will be downblended to low enriched uranium and/or dispositioned, permanently reducing the risk it could be used to produce an improvised nuclear device.

Purpose

The Kuwait Programme supports implementation of UK priorities for Kuwait. It supports Kuwait’s ambitious ‘New Kuwait’ Vision 2035 agenda for transforming Kuwait into a trade centre, with a resilient and diverse economy led by the private sector under the umbrella of government institutions, which accentuates social values and identity and supports human resource development.

This call for bids runs in parallel with the FCDO Kuwait Country Business Plan development process, and projects will be expected to align with its strategic direction.

Gulf Strategy Fund projects are not intended to support isolated activities, such as a single visit or training course. Projects must make a clear contribution to strategic objectives and have a clear outcome, such as unlocking wider progress and moving the UK-Kuwait partnership forward in a substantive way. All projects must demonstrate value for money. FCDO defines ‘value-for-money’ as ‘making the best possible use of our all resources to maximise our impact’. In programme work, maximising impact includes having a robust, evidence-based theory of change demonstrating the causal pathway between the intervention and outcomes that support FCDO strategic priorities.

Scope

Bids may build on previous projects carried out in Kuwait or the wider region. The Embassy has also identified areas it wishes to prioritise:

• cyber security
• media freedom
• equality and inclusion
• scientific collaboration
• one health
• education
• anti-corruption and ethics
• youth political participation
• climate change and biodiversity
• economic diversification

However, we also invite bids in other thematic areas. These will be assessed against the same criteria as all other bids.

We also draw your attention to the FCDO MENAD Gender Charter pledge released in September 2021, which calls to ensure gender equality and inclusion is mainstreamed in any programme design, delivery and across all projects.

The Embassy recognises the challenges of working in a rapidly changing environment, reliant on the schedules and priorities of external actors. This particularly impacts the scheduling of activities and becomes difficult when planning a multi-year programme. We therefore embrace flexible and adaptive approaches as a key component of project effectiveness and value for money.

Funding period

FCDO has made a commitment to GSF for the three-year period (2022-2025), in line with the FCDO funding settlement.

This allows us to think strategically and plan multi-year projects that can have a much greater impact. We therefore encourage bids that demonstrate a long-term, strategic vision and envisage phased implementation and measurable impact.

Recognising the short timeframe and to accommodate projects in different stages of development, projects should not be scheduled to start before 1 August 2022.

However, we expect that there will be no facility to carry funds forward from one financial year to the next. We will commit to multi-year projects, but funding commitments will be made on a year-by-year basis, with budget for subsequent years considered indicative. Funding commitment for subsequent years will be reviewed on submission of new Activity-Based Budgets for each subsequent year of implementation. This process provides an opportunity for Partners to review and adjust their projects and the timing of activities and response to changing circumstances.

Funding level and project range

FCDO is yet to confirm allocations of programme funding for individual countries over this period, but we are working to an indicative budget of £1.5m per year for three years.

To improve efficiency our preference is for small projects to be in the range of £20,000 – £50,000 per year and larger projects will be from £50,000 to £250,000. All projects can be considered, but we advise consolidating project work into similar thematic area, we also recommend flexible project planning that could adjust activity based on available funding.

Parameters

In awarding and overseeing programme funds, the British Embassy in Kuwait is obliged to comply with all Cabinet Office and FCDO rules and guidance, including but not limited to those set out in the FCDO Programme Operating Framework (PrOF). Partners should especially take note of the following requirements:

• all projects must have a single lead implementer, which holds full accountability for the full project budget and outcome. A lead Implementer may in some cases sub-contract project activity to a third party

• the FCDO can only pay for costs that are incurred after signature by both parties and between the start and end date stated in a funding arrangement or contract

• all project payments are issued in arrears to activities. The British Embassy will not consider requests for advance payments from implementers

• all projects must align with the Paris Agreement and assess climate and environmental impact and risks, taking steps to ensure that no environmental harm is done

• all projects must consider and demonstrate how their interventions will impact gender equality, disability inclusion and those with protected characteristics

• any projects involving paid-for communications activity must receive clearance from the Professional Communications Assurance (PCA) team prior to signing agreements

• any project working on Human Rights, laws, policies, practises or capabilities of justice or security institution will be reviewed under the UK Overseas Security and Justice Assessment (OSJA) guidance prior to signing agreements

• all approved projects will be expected to comply with FCDO mandated reporting requirements using templates provided, including:

  • monthly project updates and ABB forecasts
  • quarterly monitoring reports
  • project closure report

Process

All submitted bids will be reviewed by the Embassy and assessed against set criteria.

The Embassy will expedite the approval process to the extent possible, but cannot approve projects until formal funding allocation is confirmed.

Approved projects will then begin the mobilisation process before beginning implementation, including:

• securing any required approvals (e.g. PCA, OSJAs, Due Diligence etc.)
• any competitive process (if required to select commercial implementers)
• preparation and signing of agreements

Appraisal criteria

Bids submission

An approved bid submission will consist of:

The British Embassy Kuwait Call for Bids will be open from 29 May to 23 June 2022.

The PPF template is identical to programming template except for sections that have been adapted for multi-year projects.

The ABB template has been adapted to accommodate projects for up to three years duration. For the first year, implementers need to calculate budget on a monthly basis. Subsequent years are budgeted on a quarterly basis initially, and will be refined and re-approved in advance of each financial year.

The Grant Agreements and Memorandums of Understanding are standard FCDO contracts and the Embassy will not enter into negotiation around contracts beyond the very limited areas where it may use pre-approved alterations.

Copies of contract templates are available on request to Kuwait.Programme@fcdo.gov.uk.

The Embassy is not able to write bids on an implementer’s behalf, but the Programme team is available to provide support in developing a proposal or policy alignment. The team will also be running group workshops during the Call for Bids period on FCDO programming and processes, to register your interest in these sessions and any other questions relating to projects please contact the embassy programme team through Kuwait.Programme@fcdo.gov.uk .

British Embassy Kuwait Programme Team at Kuwait.Programme@fcdo.gov.uk

Thank you, Madam President, and thank you very much to Ireland for convening this meeting, and to our briefers for their powerful testimonies.

An independent media is essential to a free society, and yet many journalists are paying a heavy price to protect that freedom. Too many have paid the ultimate price with their lives.

This year, 36 journalists have been killed, most recently, as we’ve heard, Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Aqleh. The Security Council united to condemn her killing, and spoke clearly on the need for a fair and impartial investigation.

Shireen’s work underscores the bravery required by journalists to shine a light on corruption and abuses of power. Journalists speak up for the voiceless by exposing the truth, but they often face intimidation and attacks simply for doing so.

As Joshua Melvin said earlier, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a war of aggression. But Russia has also made it a war of disinformation.

Hours, days and even weeks after Russian tanks rolled into Ukrainian soil, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov was telling us, ‘there is no war’.

And, a law was recently passed, which means journalists face 15 years in prison if they deviate from Putin’s narrative over the Ukraine invasion.

Without a free, independent press, disinformation can win. Propaganda can win.

Thankfully, journalists have shown us the truth about the war crimes being committed – and the process towards accountability has begun.

At least nine journalists and media workers have already lost their lives in Russia’s illegal war. For example, Russian journalist Oksana Baulina, who was killed by her own country’s army shelling of Kyiv, while reporting on the damage caused by that very shelling. And Ukrainian journalist Vira Hyrych, who was killed by a Russian air strike on Kyiv, during the Secretary-General’s visit.

We are indebted to all of them.

With disinformation rising steeply, the UK continues to champion media freedom to enable access to independent and factual information.

Three years ago – with Canada – we launched the Media Freedom Coalition to advocate for journalists, and to help news outlets not just survive, but thrive. As a Coalition, we have spoken out on dozens of occasions, condemning repression in China and Myanmar, Belarus and Egypt, to name just a few.

We have supported UNESCO in establishing the Global Media Defence Fund, which in the past three years has supported more than 3000 journalists, almost 500 lawyers and over 120 civil society organisations, helping them resist those who threaten individual journalists and journalism. Through the Fund’s Crisis Response Mechanism, UNESCO are supporting reporters on the frontline in Ukraine with safety equipment, training and support to displaced journalists.

The threats to journalists and their work are plain to see. The Security Council should call out attacks on journalists, and work to mitigate the risks they face. Impunity cannot prevail: those who attack journalists must be held to account.

Thank you, Madam President.

More people will benefit from high-quality higher education in their hometown as The Open University partners with further education providers to create more training to fill skills gaps and raise job prospects across the country.

Under the scheme, announced by Higher and Further Education Minister Michelle Donelan today (25 May), The Open University will work with colleges that do not currently offer higher technical education, or want to expand the range of courses they offer.

Backed by £10 million of Government funding, the scheme will support colleges to put on a wider range of technical courses, supporting more people to secure high skill, high wage jobs, growing the economy to help tackle the cost of living.

New courses will focus on providing the training research has shown can unlock the skills employers need, fill skills gaps and lead to well paid jobs.

Courses will be shorter than a traditional three-year degree, offering a mix of blended, face-to-face and on-line learning to fit around people’s lives. They will also boost access to new higher education and technical training options ahead of the introduction of the Government’s Lifelong Loan Entitlement which will give adults access to flexible student finance for different courses throughout their lifetime, levelling up more opportunities across the country. Students will also have the confidence they are receiving a qualification backed by The Open University, an institution with international recognition and prestige.

The announcement comes as work gets underway to open-up more high-quality and accessible data on jobs and skills through the government’s new Unit for Future Skills, so individuals and businesses can tap into the latest information needed to make informed decisions about the future.

As a first step, new data published today will show the jobs, sectors and regions people work in after gaining a qualification. This is the first time the government has brought together data on higher education and further education, making it easier for people to see where their training can take them – for example, showing the routes young people take through high-quality technical education to get good jobs where they live.

Minister for Higher and Further Education Michelle Donelan said:

For too long, people have had to look beyond their hometown for higher education courses.

The Government is backing The Open University with the funding and support to partner up with local colleges to offer high-quality higher education and training, targeting cold spots across the country, so everyone can upskill wherever they live.

This marks a new era for higher education, supporting more people to gain the skills needed to get good jobs, with higher wages that will help to grow the economy and tackle the cost of living.

Minister for Skills Alex Burghart said:

We are for the first time opening up more data on skills and jobs through our new Unit for Future Skills.

The new data we have published today shows which courses and training pathways offer the best route into a specific sector, making it easier for people to see where their training can take them and so they can make informed choices about their futures.

This is just the first step in the Unit’s plan to transform the quality and accessibility of the information available.

Partnerships between higher and further education providers are hugely important in offering people the opportunity to access a wide range of education and training, that will get them into jobs and provide the talent pipeline employers need. There are already some great examples where this is happening across the country including through the government’s network of Institutes of Technology, as well as local collaborations such as Greater Manchester Colleges, which are working together to offer the higher technical digital skills people across the region need and support employers like CISCO.

The Open University have been offering people of all ages and background high-quality, accessible higher education courses for more than 50 years and is ideally placed to work with colleges to deliver this scheme.

Professor Tim Blackman, Vice-Chancellor of The Open University said:

Further education colleges are at the heart of their communities. By the Government supporting us to work with colleges to develop their higher education offer we can together make a huge contribution to levelling up our most disadvantaged areas. These new courses will provide advanced skills that can attract new businesses and help others grow, creating sustainable and highly skilled jobs.

Working with colleges, The Open University, will help to transform individuals and communities, opening doors that would otherwise be closed and contribute to levelling up opportunity across the nation.

David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges said

This investment and partnership between the OU and colleges will bring the reputation and experience of a world-renowned institution into communities across the country and reflects an important new focus on ensuring people can access the education and training they need throughout their lives.

The OU has strong name recognition nationally, and colleges have the reach and the local reputation to engage adults from every community. Working with the OU they will be able to offer a wider range of courses to the people that need them most. Together, these partnerships will help more people get the skills they need to succeed in the labour market.

The Office for Students has asked The Open University to take forward this work.

Susan Lapworth, interim chief executive of the Office for Students, said:

The OfS has an important role in addressing current and anticipated skills shortages, locally and nationally.  We are delighted to be working with the Open University on this innovative project. It’s important for many learners – especially adult learners – to be able to access high quality courses close to home, and this scheme will extend opportunities and ensure that graduates from all backgrounds can contribute to local and national prosperity. This is a first step in the OfS’s work to shape the validation system to ensure it works effectively to extend student choice.

The Unit for Future Skills, which sits within the Department for Education, will be a centre of expertise on future skills needs. It will bring together data and intelligence on skills and jobs from across government, transforming the way this information is currently made available. More data is expected to be published in the autumn.

Colleges and universities are also set to benefit from up to £32 million of additional funding so they can invest in equipment and facilities that will support technical studies, and boost training opportunities with businesses in key areas such as digital, construction and health care, available as part of the Higher Technical Education Skills Injection Fund.

The funding follows an £18 million investment last year, which supported 100 further and higher education providers to invest in new equipment, such as virtual reality goggles and air quality testing equipment. The funding also helped them to boost links with local businesses so employers can tap into the talented workforce they need for the jobs of the future.