• Boots, LloydsPharmacy and Asda come together to support largest ever winter vaccine drive

• This year will see the country’s biggest flu programme in history with 35 million people eligible for a free vaccine

A nationwide advertising campaign launches today (Friday 22 October) as part of the government’s call to the public to get their COVID-19 booster and flu jabs, to protect themselves and their loved ones this winter.

The multimedia campaign will run on outdoor billboards, broadcast and community radio and TV to support the national vaccine drive.

The colder weather traditionally leads to increased transmission of viruses. Experts have warned that this year there could be a significant flu surge coinciding with continuing or rising COVID-19 cases. Immunity to flu is expected to be lower due to lower levels of the virus in circulation last winter.

Vaccines give high levels of protection but immunity reduces over time, so it is vital vulnerable people come forward to get their COVID-19 booster vaccine to top-up their defences and protect themselves this winter. For those not eligible for a booster, the protection from two doses is sufficient.

Vaccines provide the best possible protection against infection and serious disease. The government is pushing the biggest ever winter vaccine campaign for COVID-19 and flu, so people can protect themselves and their loved ones this winter and play their role in reducing pressure on the NHS.

The campaign television advert hits screens today and asks people to “get vaccinated, get boosted, get protected.” It features Michelle, an NHS nurse, explaining the benefits of the flu jab and COVID-19 booster vaccine. The new television advert will be seen in primetime spots alongside Emmerdale and Coronation Street as well as daytime shows such as This Morning and Loose Women.

Targeted digital channels will also carry the campaign adverts including social media platforms, digital radio and online video such as YouTube.

People will be invited for the COVID-19 booster jab when it’s their turn – if they have not been contacted within a week of reaching 6 months since their second jab they can call 119 or book online. Those who are eligible for a free flu vaccine can book an appointment through their GP surgery or local pharmacy.

The offer of a first and second COVID-19 vaccine remains open to anyone who is eligible. Vaccines are available for those aged 12-15 to offer the best possible protection this winter in schools, and they will also be available in vaccine centres from this weekend.

This week the country’s leading pharmacies have joined forces to encourage people to come forward and get their free flu vaccine and COVID-19 booster jab when eligible. Alongside independent pharmacists, Boots, LloydsPharmacy and Asda – who together have over 4,000 pharmacies across the UK – have backed the call for people to get vaccinated for the best possible protection this winter.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, said:

Our vaccine programme is building a wall of defence across the country and our booster rollout is now well underway with more than 4 million jabs in arms.

As we go into winter, it is vital that eligible people get their booster jab and their flu jab to protect themselves, their loved ones and the NHS.

This is a national mission and I’m hugely grateful to the public, volunteers and NHS workers rolling out jabs. It is fantastic to see some of our biggest high street pharmacies give their backing to the winter vaccination programme.

Vaccine confidence is high with data from the Office for National Statistics showing nearly all (94%) of those aged 50 to 69 say they would be likely to get their COVID-19 booster if offered, with the figure rising to 98% for those over 70. Similarly, over three quarters (77%) of those 50-69 would be likely to get the flu vaccine and nearly all (94%) of those over 70.

Dr Raj Patel, GP and Deputy National Medical Director of Primary Care for NHS England, said:

Flu is a huge killer and last year GPs and pharmacists jabbed record numbers of people and as we head into what could be one of the most challenging winters yet for the NHS, it has never been more important to get your flu and covid booster jab.

Flu has a serious impact on the health of thousands of people every winter and it has never been easier to ensure you are protected, so I would urge everyone to book an appointment directly with you GP or pharmacist as soon as possible.

Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation, UK Health Security Agency said:

This is the first winter when COVID-19 and seasonal flu are expected to be circulating together, putting more lives at risk. Vaccinations are important to protect against both diseases.

Please book an appointment if you are eligible for the flu vaccine, or get your COVID-19 booster as soon as you are invited – which is due 6 months after a second dose.

Michelle, Nurse who features in the advert said:

As a frontline worker for the NHS, I’ve seen first-hand the devastating impact both Covid and flu can have in winter. Vaccines offer the best protection and I hope this campaign drives home to the importance of coming forward for your vaccine.

GP and TV doctor, Dr Dawn Harper said:

It’s really important that if you are eligible to take up the offer for the different vaccinations – this is both the flu vaccine and COVID-19 booster – you do so.

Thousands of people die from the flu each year and this year we’re expecting high levels to circulate as we head into winter. With the added threat of further COVID-19 and our immunity wavering, it’s so vital that people get protected against both these deadly viruses.

This is a huge drive and we need everyone do their part by protecting themselves, and those around them. You can get your COVID-19 booster and flu vaccinations at vaccination centres, GPs or community pharmacists so please, make sure to book your appointment as soon as you’re invited.

Dr Leyla Hannbeck, Chief Executive Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, said:

Community pharmacies are already on track to smash last year’s flu vaccination record this season which showcases that patients are keen to get protection against the flu.

Pharmacies, bravely remained open throughout the pandemic despite the risks and are increasingly seen as first port of call for members of the community to meet their basic healthcare needs.

They provide accessibility and convenience for patients to get their flu vaccination. As we are approaching winter and with the potential higher cases of Covid, it is essential that all eligible patients get vaccinated.

Marc Donovan, Chief Pharmacist at Boots, said:

Boots offers free NHS and private flu jabs and are seeing high demand this year. We have already taken over one million flu jab bookings to date but there are still plenty of appointments available at our pharmacies across the UK.

Boots is also supporting the NHS to deliver COVID-19 booster jabs this winter at select pharmacies, offering a free flu jab at the same time to all eligible patients. Having both vaccines offers optimum protection from getting seriously unwell from these viruses in the coming months.

Victoria Steele, Superintendent Pharmacist at LloydsPharmacy, said:

t is very likely that we’ll see much greater levels of transmission of the influenza virus this winter. Immunity and protection are increasingly at the forefront of our minds, and we have seen this through the high volume of flu bookings at LloydsPharmacy this year and through increased sales of winter medicines, as many start to take precautions as we head into cold and flu season.

It is important that we all do what we can to protect ourselves and loved ones this winter by getting both the flu vaccine and the COVID booster vaccine, for those who are eligible. I’d encourage people to book as soon as possible, as it does take time for the body to develop its antibodies after any vaccine. You can book your appointment for a flu vaccine online or by visiting your local LloydsPharmacy.

• International Trade Secretary will lead G7 effort to bolster global supply chain resilience after the pandemic at meeting in London today
• G7 expected to agree ground-breaking Digital Trade Principles and a joint statement on Forced Labour
• Anne-Marie Trevelyan to push for freer and fairer global trading system at first in-person Trade Track meeting

The International Trade Secretary will today (Friday 22 October) call on the world’s leading democracies to work together to build global resilience in critical supply chains as she welcomes the G7 Trade Ministers to London.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan will lead talks at London’s Mansion House, the first time G7 Trade ministers have gathered in person for this year’s Trade Track.

Covid-19 has sent shockwaves through global production and transport, shutting the world’s third-busiest container port in China, leaving shipping containers stranded in Africa and South America, and causing long queues of goods ships unable to dock in the US. Shipping costs have increased fivefold since the start of the year, while air cargo has seen prices rise and capacity reduce.

The Secretary of State will argue against protectionism and advocate measures such as better monitoring and cooperation to quickly identify and address bottlenecks where they arise.

In addition, the UK will bring countries together to agree the G7’s first ever set of Digital Trade Principles. UK digitally delivered trade in services was worth £326 billion in 2019, approximately one quarter of our total trade, and the Secretary of State unveiled a five-point plan for promoting digital trade last month.

However, barriers to digital trade are growing and we face threats from data flow restrictions, cyberattacks, intellectual property theft and personal data breaches. The Digital Trade Principles will guide a common approach, showing the G7:

• believe in open, transparent and competitive digital markets, which provide opportunities for businesses to grow and innovate

• oppose digital protectionism and authoritarianism

• want data to flow freely across borders, with high standards of data protection and safeguards for workers, consumers and businesses

• back digitisation of paper-based customs and trade systems to cut red tape and save time and money

• support WTO negotiations on common digital trade rules, making it easier for businesses to trade with countries across the globe

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

Global challenges require global solutions. We have seen from the COVID-19 pandemic how fragile our global supply chains can be. The UK will work with our G7 and trade partners to build stronger, greener supply chains and a more resilient economy.

We will also send a clear message that digital trade should be open and free, with proper safeguards to protect workers, consumers and businesses, so it can raise living standards and support jobs as we build back better from the pandemic.

The G7 will hear from Lord Mark Sedwill, Chair of the Economic Resilience Panel convened under the UK’s leadership of the G7, who will give a strategy briefing on how G7 partners can best work more closely to guarantee resilience in critical supply chains.

Ahead of COP26 next month, the UK will continue to work with its G7 partners to address the risk of carbon leakage. There will also be a renewed focus on reform of the World Trade Organization with these goals in mind, ahead of its Ministerial Conference meeting next month.

The Secretary of State will also host bilateral meetings with US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, as well as Valdis Dombroskis, Executive Vice President of the EU, and Germany’s Peter Altmaier, Minister of Economic Affairs and Technology.

Madam President, it is a great pleasure to be attending this Security Council under your stewardship. I congratulate you and Kenya for choosing to invest in women peacekeepers and peacebuilders as today’s theme. We are clear that women’s participation is fundamental to sustainable peace. The evidence in support of this fact is abundantly clear. 

And as we’ve already heard, we are all clear that women’s participation is fundamental to sustainable peace. Indeed, the evidence in support of this fact is abundantly clear. I also therefore really welcome, and it’s always a pleasure to hear from His Excellency, the Secretary-General and I know of his personal commitment to this important agenda.Without women, there can be no lasting, sustainable peace. I pay tribute to his team, the Deputy-Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and in doing so also welcome Her Excellency Sima Bahous, who has a new role as Executive Director of UN Women. I can report to you through Madam President, Secretary General, we’ve already met on the important issue of Afghan women, and we look forward to strengthening our relationship in this respect.

May I also join in the tribute that we’ve already heard being paid to Bineta Diop. I’ve had the honor and pleasure to be on several panels with over many years, and her personal passion, her advocacy and our expertise is beyond excellence, and we need to ensure that we really encompass this as we fulfill the ambitions, indeed our obligations for women, peace and security around the world.

I also welcome the contributions that we’ve heard from Celia Velasco,. And it was important that Ms Velasco, reminded us the Security Council of our obligations on this important agenda. Let me assure all colleagues that the United Kingdom remains fully committed to the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in decision making and the full, equal and meaningful participation of women indeed in all peace efforts.

Increasing the number of women, peacekeepers and women in leadership roles should not just be a key priority. It is essential. It is the right thing to do. It is vital to ensure operational effectiveness.

Madam President, if I may, I understand that the annual UN Award for a Champion of Women in Peacekeeping went to Major Nyaboga of Kenya and through your good offices. We congratulate the Major on this achievement. And we also recognise that Kenya is deploying such inspiring officers who serve as an example not just to women, but to men and women across the world. And in this respect, I am delighted that the United Kingdom has and continues to support the Elsie Initiative since its launch and has provided over £4.7 million since 2019 to encourage more women into peacekeeping ,peacebuilding roles. And we are also further committed to meeting the United Nations uniformed gender parity targets in this respect. To help the United Kingdom are conducting a gender barrier study to better understand the obstacles faced by women in the UK armed forces deploying on peacekeeping operations. From those grassroots to the international stage, we encourage the United Nations as a leading light to lead by example and make women’s direct participation a requirement, a fundamental requirement across all peace process it supports. And it should be a priority.

The United Kingdom has supported the UN’s Peacebuilding Fund since its inception, committing over £175 million to empower women and indeed young people. We also support these incredible women mediator networks, and we continue to fund the women mediators across the Commonwealth this year. But let us be clear recently, back in 2019, we amalgamated these mediator networks of women, and we must get women mediators at the front line of ensuring we resolve conflict. These women have the expertise. They have the insight. These women have the knowledge. Yet what we fail to do is leverage this expertise effectively for peace around the world. More must be done.

Furthermore, the UK joins the calls in condemning the persistent attacks on women human rights defenders, a point well reflected in the contributions of the Executive Director of UN women. We need to robustly tackle impunity and hold perpetrators to account when reprisals occur, and that work begins right now at this time right here in this room. The United Kingdom supports the work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human rights to tackle reprisals, in particular, those committed against Security Council briefers. This work includes a specific focus on the gender dimensions of intimidation and reprisals. After all, if we cannot protect the briefers who come here, the purpose of the Security Council cannot be met. We must ensure their protection is prioritized.

Madam President, we’ve already heard, rightly so, that the Afghanistan crisis has thrown a harsh light on the challenges before us. I’ve had the honour as many in this room to work directly with many women from across Afghanistan and now that the Taliban is in control in that country. We must ensure the rights of women and girls are central to any discussions with the Taliban. Women must be intrinsic to the conversation intrinsic to the nation’s future, and it is vital that their voices are not just heard but are at the heart of Afghanistan’s future.

Negotiating and mediation teams need to access the gender expertise. I’ve already referred to the Women Mediators Network and women therefore should be included in all national delegations in this regard. The UK continues to prioritise its work on the women peace and security agenda and is currently developing our next WPS’s National Action Plan, due for launch in early 2023.

Let me finally assure this Council that we, the United Kingdom, commit to truly demonstrate the leadership we claim on women peace and security and to ensure that this agenda, this priority is a golden thread through all our work on resolving conflict, on building security and stability and ultimately for peace across the world. Thank you, Madam President.

A partir do dia 31 de outubro, líderes mundiais, governos, sociedade civil, setor privado e cientistas se reúnem em Glasgow, na Escócia, para a 26ª Conferência das Nações Unidas sobre Mudanças Climáticas – a COP26. Na presidência da COP26, o Governo Britânico anunciou os seus quatro principais objetivos em torno das negociações. Os principais aspectos estão relacionados a carvão, carros, capital e florestas:

• Eliminar a energia a carvão: países desenvolvidos até 2030, países em desenvolvimento até 2040, investindo em energias limpas. O Reino Unido se comprometeu a deixar o carvão no passado até 2024.

• Acelerar a transição para carros elétricos e abandonar os veículos poluentes pelo menos até 2035. O Reino Unido decidiu acabar com a venda de carros poluentes até 2030.

• Países desenvolvidos precisam mobilizar US$100 bilhões por ano em capital para finanças climáticas. O Reino Unido já se comprometeu com mais de 11 bilhões de libras por meio do Financiamento International sobre o clima (ICF) para os próximos 5 anos. Acordos globais também precisam garantir trilhões em finanças privadas.

• Para florestas, é preciso zerar o desmatamento até 2030. O Reino Unido está comprometido a triplicar as taxas de plantio de arvores até o final deste mandato parlamentar, em maio de 2024.

O objetivo global de todas as medidas discutidas na COP26 é o compromisso firmado pelos países no Acordo de Paris, há seis anos, de limitar a 1.5°C o avanço das médias globais de temperatura, se comparadas aos níveis da era pré-industrial. As últimas evidências científicas apontam que qualquer aumento acima deste número pode ser catastrófico.

“Este é um dever dos líderes mundiais. O sucesso ou o fracasso da COP26 está em nossas mãos, assim com o destino do Acordo de Paris. Porque, desde que ele foi assinado, não foi feito o suficiente. As emissões continuaram aumentando, o IPCC acendeu o alerta vermelho para o clima”, afirma o ministro britânico Alok Sharma, que presidirá a Conferência. Ele exemplifica, ainda, os impactos do aumento das temperaturas para populações humanas e na biosfera.

“Até 1.5°, 700 milhões de pessoas vão correr o risco das ondas de calor extremas. A 2°, seriam 2 bilhões de pessoas. Até 1.5°, 70% dos recifes de coral vão morrer. A 2° eles vão desaparecer por completo”, explica. Há avanços, mas mais ambição ainda é necessária

O Governo Britânico também ressaltou alguns aspectos positivos durante os preparativos para a conferência. Quando o Reino Unido assumiu a presidência da COP, menos de 30% da economia global estava comprometida com a meta de zerar emissões (net zero). Agora, este número chega a 75% e está aumentando.

Um exemplo desta mobilização é a campanha Race to Zero, liderada pelos representantes da ONU para clima, o britânico Nigel Topping e o chileno Gonzalo Muñoz. A campanha já conta com mais de 2300 empresas, 700 cidades, 160 investidores, 600 instituições educacionais e 20 regiões, com compromissos de reduzir as emissões em 50% até 2030 e alcançar emissões líquidas zero o quanto antes, e no máximo até 2050.

No Brasil, são mais de 100 empresas, 12 cidades, 5 estados com compromissos de zerar suas emissões. Somados os esforços de outros três estados que anunciaram que se comprometerão, são cerca de 50% de todas as emissões no Brasil e 50% da economia.

O ponto crucial das negociações na conferência é mobilizar uma ambição cada vez maior. “Se os compromissos do Acordo de Paris forem cumpridos, a curva de temperatura pode ser achatada até o patamar de 2 graus. Para conseguir alcançar os 1.5, precisamos ir ainda mais longe. Por isso, os resultados das negociações em Glasgow precisam inaugurar uma década de ambição progressiva. Precisamos de um sistema que acelere o progresso, reconhecendo que a ação de todos países é necessária, mas aqueles com maiores responsabilidades precisam sempre fazer mais.”, afirma o Embaixador Britânico no Brasil, Peter Wilson. “Nosso mote é que Paris prometeu e Glasgow precisa entregar”, enfatiza.

Detalhes da programação da COP26

A Conferência dura duas semanas. O primeiro grande momento é a Cúpula de Líderes mundiais. Mais de 120 nomes já estão confirmados. Nesta ocasião, os países terão a oportunidade de mostrar como estão fortalecendo seus compromissos, detalhar sua implementação e dar um direcionamento para o trabalho dos negociadores.

Em paralelo às negociações formais, acontecerão discussões temáticas diárias, incluindo financiamento, energia, empoderamento público e da juventude, natureza, adaptação, gênero, inovação, transporte e questões urbanas. As negociações devem ser encerradas entre sexta (12) e sábado (13). Confira o passo a passo detalhado das datas em anexo, em especial na página 4.

Programa – COP-26 – PT-BR (PDF, 1.7MB, 23 pages)

CONTATO PARA A IMPRENSA:

Diêgo Lobo

diego.lobo@fcdo.gov.uk

I have the honor of delivering this cross-regional joint statement on behalf of the following 43 countries: Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Eswatini, Finland, Germany, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and my own country France.

We are particularly concerned about the situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Credible-based reports indicate the existence of a large network of “political re-education” camps where over a million people have been arbitrarily detained. We have seen an increasing number of reports of widespread and systematic human rights violations, including reports documenting torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, forced sterilization, sexual and gender-based violence, and forced separation of children. There are severe restrictions on freedom of religion or belief and the freedoms of movement, association and expression as well as on Uyghur culture. Widespread surveillance disproportionately continues to target Uyghurs and members of other minorities.

We also share the concerns expressed by UN Special Procedures in their 29 March statement and the letter published by UN experts describing collective repression of religious and ethnic minorities.

We thus call on China to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and her Office, and relevant special procedure mandate holders, as well as to urgently implement CERD’s eight recommendations related to Xinjiang. We welcome the High Commissioner’s announcement to present her findings to date and encourage publication as soon as possible. In view of our concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, we call on all countries to respect the principle of non-refoulement. We also call on China to ratify without delay the ICCPR.

We urge China to ensure full respect for the rule of law and to comply with its obligations under national and international law with regard to the protection of human rights.

Thank you.