Madam President, Excellencies, I would like to thank Kenya for using its Presidency to shine a spotlight on the Great Lakes region and for encouraging renewed commitments from the Security Council to seek sustainable solutions to the drivers of conflict in the region. Let me also thank Special Envoy Xia and Ambassador Caholo and ASG Pobee for their briefings.

I will focus my intervention on three issues: regional relations; eastern DRC; and natural resources.

Firstly, the United Kingdom remains deeply committed to promoting long-term peace and stability in the Great Lakes.

All parties should prioritise promoting dialogue and strengthening trust in order to reduce the threat of armed groups in Great Lakes.

We strongly welcome the improved bilateral relations between regional states and encourage the continuation of regular bilateral communication, including at head of state level, and with the United Nations, particularly around insecurity in eastern DRC.

The United Kingdom thanks Special Envoy Xia for his work and stands ready to assist him in supporting dialogue processes and confidence building. In this regard, we urge regional leaders to attend relevant meetings in-person wherever possible in order to enable frank exchanges on the common challenges facing the Great Lakes region.

Madam President, The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned about the security and humanitarian situation in eastern DRC, which continues to deteriorate despite the state of siege in North Kivu and Ituri. I reiterate our call on the Government of the DRC to ensure the state of siege remains transparent, time-limited and implemented with respect for human rights and humanitarian law.

The United Kingdom recognises the launch of the Contact and Coordination Group on non-military measures as an important step towards enhanced security cooperation in the region. We support the Secretary General’s recommendation that the group’s operational cell be established swiftly to ensure effective implementation of its Action Plan.

Thirdly, natural resources.The concept note for today’s meeting, as well as many interventions, identified illegal exploitation and trade in natural resources as a driver of conflict and instability. We thank Kenya for successfully leading a Presidential Statement on this issue.

We also congratulate the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region, the Office of the Special Envoy and the Government of Sudan for convening the high-level workshop in Khartoum, where participants agreed a coherent approach to addressing the illegal exploitation and trade in natural resources.

The United Kingdom encourages regional governments to play their part by increasing national efforts to tackle corruption and improve the rule of law and domestic taxation.

We are deeply concerned that the UN Group of Experts for DRC has been on hold since August. This has prevented the Group from providing their concrete and actionable reporting on illicit smuggling of natural resources in the region, which is of enormous value to regional and international actors dedicated to tackling this issue.

To conclude, Madam President, in addition to continuing to focus on natural resource exploitation, let me highlight the importance of also discussing and addressing other priority areas including but not limited to human rights, good governance, freedom of expression and civil liberties to reduce conflict and promote peace in the Great Lakes.

Thank you, Madam President.

With permission Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement about Honourable and Rt Honourable Members’ security.

Operation Bridger was established in response to the murder of our dear colleague Jo Cox as a nationwide police protection programme to provide additional security measures to all Members.

Following the devastating and horrific attack on our dear friend Sir David last Friday, I asked each police force to review the security arrangements for all Members with immediate effect.

I am assured that since I commissioned that review, every Member has been contacted by their local police force to reassess their individual security arrangements in the wake of this tragedy.

If any Honourable or Right Honourable Member has not received contact, please do speak to me after this statement.

In parallel to this review Mr Speaker, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre conducted has an independent review on the risk facing Members of Parliament.

While we do not see any information or intelligence which points to any credible, specific or imminent threat, I must update the House that the threat level facing members of this House is now deemed to be substantial.

This is the same level as the current national threat to the United Kingdom as a whole.

So I can assure the House that our world-class security and intelligence agencies and counter-terror police will now ensure this change is properly reflected in their operational posture.

Mr Speaker, I will always ensure face-to-face contact, robust debate and the wider benefits of our democracy are defended and protected.

But we must all take this change in risk seriously.

So I would, Mr Speaker, like to urge all members to access the range of security provisions and support available under Operation Bridger through the Parliamentary Security Department and the Metropolitan Police’s Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation Team.

As well as for our own sake, we have a duty of care to protect our staff and the general public.

I know that every single Member will take, register and act upon the advice that is given to help keep our be kept country safe from terror and of course enable our own conduct when it comes to making sure that democracy is defended and protected.

I commend this statement to the House.

Lima, 19 de octubre – En el marco del proyecto financiado por el Gobierno del Reino Unido, a través de su programa llamado UK PACT, el Global Green Growth Institute (en adelante GGGI) organizó un evento con participantes del Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas del Perú (MEF), la Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF) y la Embajada Británica. Este evento tuvo como foco central a los llamados bonos temáticos. Estos bonos temáticos son un instrumento financiero especializado diseñado para financiar los proyectos o programas con impacto social y ambiental de los países, empresas y/o instituciones interesadas. Los invitados coincidieron en que los bonos temáticos representan una gran oportunidad para financiar emprendimientos sostenibles y cerrar brechas sociales.

La emisión de bonos ha sido históricamente una de las herramientas financieras más usadas en el Perú, tanto por el gobierno como por empresas privadas. En este evento, se presentan los bonos temáticos, que incluyen los bonos sociales y los bonos verdes. Estos novedosos e innovadores instrumentos financieros pueden ser utilizados tanto por el sector público como el privado, y están diseñados para financiar proyectos de inversión de alto impacto ambiental y/o social, en diferentes sectores. Esto es clave, en un contexto de mayor enfoque y atención al cambio climático y sus efectos, y al cierre de brechas sociales en el Perú, incluyendo la generación de empleos “verdes”.

El evento contó con las palabras de inauguración del Ministro de Economía y Finanzas, señor Pedro Francke, reafirmando el compromiso del Gobierno del Perú en cerrar brechas sociales e invertir en todo lo referente a temas climáticos, mostrando la disposición del Gobierno en disminuir la pobreza y generar nuevos instrumentos financieros especializados.

Para dar a conocer el potencial de estos instrumentos financieros en el Perú, la Embajadora del Reino Unido en el Perú, señora Kate Harrisson, subrayó que la iniciativa UK PACT Green Recovery Challenge Fund apoya los esfuerzos de mayor ambición climática del Perú. Explicó que, recientemente, el Reino Unido elevó significativamente su compromiso climático, comprometiéndose a reducir en 78% sus emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero para el 2035, comparado con los niveles de 1990.

Por otro lado, Manuel Malaret, quien es el representante de la CAF en el Perú, basó su presentación en los desafíos y perspectivas en cuanto al financiamiento verde y climático. Él señaló específicamente la estrategia en pro de la sostenibilidad de CAF, que incluye el dirigir flujos financieros hacia proyectos sociales y ambientales, apoyo a las inversiones relacionadas a las NDCs de los países miembros y la adopción de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible como propios para lograr una economía más inclusiva, baja en carbono y resiliente.

Finalmente, la señora Betty Sotelo, Directora General del Tesoro Público del Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas, se refirió al proceso seguido para acceder al financiamiento a través de la emisión de bonos sostenibles, para lo cual tuvieron que elaborar el Marco del Bono Sostenible del Perú el cual fue aprobado mediante Resolución Ministerial No 221-2021-EF en julio pasado. Explicó también que este tipo de instrumentos forman parte de la Estrategia de Gestión Integral de Activos y Pasivos del Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas, así como del Plan Nacional de Competitividad y Productividad.

• Treatments to speed up recovery time for COVID-19 patients
• Most vulnerable will be eligible first, including the elderly and those with weakened immune systems

Thousands of vulnerable patients could be taking ground-breaking COVID-19 antivirals this winter after the government announced deals to secure two new treatments.

The deals made by the Antivirals Taskforce are a significant step in its ambition to secure at least two new effective treatments by the end of the year for those who have either tested positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone with the virus.

Should the treatments be approved by the UK’s renowned medicines regulator – the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency – thousands of NHS patients will be able to access the treatments to prevent the infection from spreading and speed up recovery time.

The two new antivirals are expected to be given to those most at risk from the virus, helping reduce the severity of symptoms and ease pressure on the NHS over winter.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:

Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have been building an armoury of life-saving measures to tackle the virus and protect the country – including our phenomenal vaccination programme and therapeutics.

I am delighted to confirm we may soon have a new defence in our arsenal with two new antiviral drugs that we have secured.

Our work is far from done though – and we’ll continue our tireless work to secure more innovative treatments so we can protect as many people as possible from the virus, its variants and future diseases.

The two antivirals are:

• Molnupiravir – from company Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD), of which the government has secured 480,000 courses. It has proven in clinical trials to reduce the risk of hospitalisation or death for at-risk non-hospitalised adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 by 50%; and

• PF-07321332/ritonavir – from company Pfizer, of which the government has secured 250,000 courses. Three phase 2/3 trials are currently underway.

The government and NHS are now working at pace on plans for deployment of the treatments, including the delivery of a national study.

This will allow medical experts to gather further data on the potential benefits these treatments bring to vaccinated patients. Further details on the study will be set out in due course.

Before the antivirals can be authorised, they would first need to be evaluated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), to ensure they meet the regulator’s high standards of quality, safety and effectiveness.

Antivirals are treatments used to either treat those who are infected with a virus or protect exposed individuals from becoming infected. They target the virus at an early stage, preventing progression to more severe, or even critical, symptoms.

The Antivirals Taskforce will continue to look at a number of further options, spanning a range of different antiviral mechanisms. Alongside the work of the Therapeutics Taskforce, this will ensure as many people as possible can be protected from COVID-19, future variants and other future diseases.

Chair of the Antivirals Taskforce Eddie Gray said:

This is a very important development in our mission to find antivirals for those exposed to COVID-19, supporting the renowned vaccination programme and the NHS over the coming months.

Should they be approved by the medicines regulator, we could see these treatments rolled out to patients this winter, providing them with vital protection.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said:

The COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics that have been rolled out to tens of millions of UK patients have had a critical impact on this pandemic, and antivirals bring another key intervention to the table.

They will be particularly vital in protecting those who may not get the same antibody response to the vaccines as the majority of the population.

We will now work quickly to ensure the right cohorts of people receive these treatments as soon as possible, should they be approved by the MHRA.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the UK has proven itself to be a world-leader in identifying and rolling out effective treatments for COVID-19 – including the world’s first treatment dexamethasone, which has since saved 22,000 lives in the UK so far and an estimated million worldwide.

The UK’s renowned life sciences sector makes it the ideal base for the brightest of global innovators to research and progress cutting-edge treatments for COVID-19 through the clinical trials process here in Britain.

Professor Stephen Powis, National Medical Director for NHS England, said:

Alongside delivering millions of COVID-19 vaccinations and over four million boosters as part of the biggest and most successful NHS vaccination programme, this new treatment being trialled in a national study will add to the health service’s armoury in giving the most vulnerable people the best chance of recovery from this deadly virus, and with cases rising, it is still very much a threat to public health.

Tested and trialled on the NHS these medicines are the latest example of the health service offering patients the world’s most innovative treatments, which not only save lives, but could also help reduce the number of people becoming seriously ill with COVID-19, as we head into one of the most challenging winters to date.

The 24th annual UK-Taiwan Trade Talks progressed market access ambitions in a range of sectors including energy and offshore wind power, financial services, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and whisky on 18 October 2021.

The virtual talks were held as Taiwan sustained impressive economic growth this year following resolute handling of Covid-19. The UK-Taiwan trading relationship is set to grow, as highlighted by a new survey showing British business confidence in Taiwan is stronger than ever.

The UK is working closely with all partners, including Taiwan, to inspire climate action. Bilateral collaboration has been stepped up on renewable energy, propelling offshore wind power for generations to come. The UK committed to sharing expertise on floating offshore wind and multi-use port development as well as skills and workforce planning for the renewable energy sector.

The UK was the first major economy to pass legislation for net zero emissions and has the biggest offshore wind capacity in the world. Newly increased market access enables UK businesses to share world-leading expertise and innovative technologies.

Thirty UK offshore wind companies have set up operations in Taiwan, helping to bolster national ambitions to increase the proportion of renewable energy generation to 20% by 2025.

The inaugural UK-Taiwan Hydrogen Forum on 22 October is to demonstrate the joint commitment to share energy technologies and drive innovation.

The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Taiwan, Lord Faulkner, joins a series of virtual engagements demonstrating the full depth and breadth of the bilateral relationship this week.

As Taiwan sets out its plans to become a bilingual society in Mandarin and English by 2030, the UK is a natural partner to advance English language education, teaching and assessment. Lord Faulkner will witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the British Council and the Ministry of Education to cultivate language proficiency and internationalisation of education.

The 2021 Trade Talks deepened the UK and Taiwan’s economic and commercial partnerships across a range of sectors. Taiwan retained its position as the fourth largest market for Scotch whisky by value, with a strong demand for single malt brands.

UK-Taiwan bilateral trade reached £6 billion in 2021. Taiwan is the UK’s eighth-largest trading partner in the Asia-Pacific region. UK exports to Taiwan rose 86% in the three years from 2016 to 2019.

The UK was the number one European investor in Taiwan in 2020 with investment reaching £450 million covering a wide range of sectors, from financial services to pharmaceuticals, to ICT, to offshore wind (Investment Commission, MOEA).

UK Minister for Trade Policy Penny Mordaunt said:

I was pleased to co-chair the 24th UK-Taiwan trade talks where we made further progress towards strengthening cooperation between our economies.

Our trading relationship is strong, and there are growing opportunities for UK businesses. We held productive discussions on a number of trade and investment issues ranging from agriculture, offshore wind, pharmaceuticals and financial services and it’s been great to see UK companies sharing our world-leading expertise in offshore wind to support Taiwan’s energy transition.

Taiwan Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Chen Chern-Chyi said:

The UK is an important economic and trading partner of Taiwan in Europe. It is pleasing to see that solid bilateral economic and trade relations have enabled both sides to continuously discuss issues regarding cooperation and resolve issues of mutual concern over the years. Indeed, much significant progress has been made.

The UK and Taiwan must grasp every opportunity to elevate our economic partnership.