The government of the Federative Republic of Brazil, represented by the Ministry of Economy (ME), and the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, represented by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), have been cooperating since 2019 to promote inclusive economic growth in Brazil through the internationalisation of Brazilian micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

This cooperation is a direct result of the 20 August 2019 Memorandum of Understanding between the Foreign & Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (FCO) and the Ministry of Economy of the Federative Republic of Brazil (ME) on Prosperity Fund Cooperation on Trade Facilitation.

The main deliverable of this cooperation is the Global Trade Hub (GTH), or BRAEXP in its Brazilian brand name, a digital marketplace for export services focused on MSMEs and based on the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) Integrated Services for MSMEs in International Trade (ISMIT) concept, to be fully developed and transferred to Brazilian ownership and operation by March 2023.

An early outcome of this cooperation is the full digitisation and automation of the Brazilian National Plan of Export Culture (PNCE) export maturity self-assessment service, based on a benchmarked methodology originally developed by the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI). The PNCE service allows any Brazilian MSME from any region or sector and with access to the internet to self-assess its export maturity and receive, for free, a tailor-made internationalisation plan with the identification of the export services it needs to consume to access or expand its sales in international markets.

The PNCE service digitisation, automation, and technological transfer to ME was concluded in July 2022. While the service is already available to Brazilian MSMEs, it will be fully integrated into the GTH once the digital marketplace for export services is transferred to Brazilian ownership and operation and goes online.

The PNCE service and the GTH digital marketplace are based on open source, cloud-ready, and cutting-edge technology as well as on innovative international best practices. They place Brazil as a leader among emerging economies in the digitisation of foreign trade procedures and trade facilitation, as well as demonstrate the value of British Official Development Assistance (ODA) to foster inclusive economic growth and strengthen bilateral economic partnerships.

FCDO will continue to provide technical and financial support to the delivery of the GTH until March 2023 while ME will continue to lead negotiations with GTH stakeholders to secure a Technical Cooperation Agreement with a roadmap for the full implementation of the digital marketplace and the definition of its final legal and financial models. ME will also aim at adopting a new brand name for PNCE with a view to increasing MSMEs awareness and use of the service.

The Brazilian and British governments consider their cooperation on inclusive economic growth through the internationalisation of MSMEs as very successful and will continue cooperating with a view to concluding it by March 2023.

Thank you Mr Chair, Secretary-General, all

Member States have a responsibility to the UN and the people it serves to ensure the Organisation has the correct level of resource to carry out its mandates, in particular in support of the 2030 Agenda.

We will evaluate the Secretary-General’s budget proposals carefully. Programmes must use resources efficiently and effectively, to deliver results that make a real difference for those in greatest need. We will hold the Organisation to account for how it has used, and will use the resources we give it.

The United Kingdom welcomes the Secretary-General’s reforms, in particular the move to an annual budget cycle, which have contributed to a UN that is more results-orientated and better able to respond to fast changing challenges. While we see positive progress on results and responsiveness, there is always scope to go further.

We look to all programmes to ensure effective coordination and to collaborate across the UN system; to focus activities where they have comparative advantage and avoiding duplication; and to use innovation, evaluation and continuous improvement to enhance performance and mandate delivery. It is crucial that every dollar the United Nations spends has the greatest impact on the ground.

The UK notes a number of proposals to move activities previously funded through extra-budgetary contributions onto the regular budget. We support predictable and sustainable funding for UN work. But shifting more activity onto the regular budget is not always the solution, especially at a time when national budgets are under pressure. Nevertheless, we will consider such proposals on their individual merits.

Mr Chair,

Like others, we have serious concerns about certain ACABQ recommendations on the 2023 budget. Member States expect the ACABQ to provide clear, technical and evidence-based advice to inform our decision-making. But we have seen recommendations that seek to expand the ACABQ’s remit to extra-budgetary funded activities, to reopen long-standing GA resolutions. Most concerning, are recommendations that, if endorsed, could result in defunding human rights council mandates. We welcome the opportunity to engage with the ACABQ on these issues.

Finally Mr Chair, I would like to assure you and the Secretary-General of my delegation’s commitment to work constructively with all delegations to reach a good and timely outcome on the 2023 budget.

• Removal of barriers secured that previously discouraged UK companies selling alcohol abroad in several countries
• Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch visits Scotch Whisky distillery to hail major win for UK industry which can now sell more products to countries including Angola and Argentina
• Visit will demonstrate how UK government’s trade agenda is delivering for the Union

British drinks companies can raise a glass to news the UK has unlocked export markets worth over £100 million after smashing trade barriers that deterred alcohol sales to multiple countries across South America and Africa.

Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch will toast the news on a visit today (13 October) to Glenkinchie Distillery to meet the whisky-makers set to benefit. Located near Edinburgh, the Victorian distillery has recently been transformed as part of a £185 million investment in Scotch Whisky tourism by leading British distiller Diageo. Glenkinchie is the Lowland Home of Johnnie Walker – the biggest selling Scotch Whisky in the world.

The changes in Argentina, Angola, Morocco and Tunisia will help the UK’s world-leading products to reach millions of new potential customers and boost alcohol exports, which reached £6.5 billion last year.

The newly resolved barriers add to an ever-growing list of obstacles to trade removed in the last two years – now totaling more than 400 barriers across 70 countries.

Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said:

Every week we remove a trade barrier somewhere around the world. From whisky in Argentina to gin in Angola, we’re slashing red tape and opening access to new markets and new customers.

With these trade obstacles gone and more to follow, my message to UK businesses is clear – make the most of the huge global appetite for your fantastic products and sell to the world.

As we line up deals with huge markets around the globe, including India and CPTPP, I can’t wait to celebrate the even greater wins which lie ahead.

Following the Government’s intervention:

• The Argentinean government reduced whisky tariffs from 35% to 20%.
• Morocco removed 49% tariffs that were mistakenly imposed on a range of UK spirits.
• Planned taxes on alcohol imports in Angola were cancelled.
• Alcoholic goods stuck at Tunisian customs were freed, allowing UK companies to benefit from lower tariffs under the UK-Tunisia association agreement.

They follow an announcement in June of an ambition to unlock export opportunities worth more than £20 billion by resolving a ‘hit list’ of around 100 priority trade barriers around the world.

Negotiators are also currently working on a free trade agreement that could lower tariffs and simplify other issues like customs to help distilleries sell to India.

The UK exported £146 million worth of whisky to India last year from distilleries such as Glenkinchie but faced steep tariffs of up to 150%.

With India forecast to become the world’s third-largest economy with a middle class of a quarter of a billion by 2050, any greater access to the market could be hugely significant for UK businesses.

Mark Kent, CEO of Scotch Whisky Association said:

Securing a deal with India to reduce the 150% tariff on Scotch Whisky is the industry’s top international trade priority.

We want to see a deal agreed, but not any deal. To deliver for the industry, any agreement must open up the market to more Scotch Whisky producers, which will in turn generate hundreds of new jobs across the UK, hundreds of millions of pounds of additional exports, and boost investment and revenue in India.

The ongoing negotiations are a once in a generation chance to give more Scottish distillers the opportunity to do business in India. That is the scale of the prize on offer.

We look forward to working with the Trade Secretary to deliver continued growth for the Scotch Whisky industry in India, and other key global markets.

Ewan Andrew, President of Global Supply Chain and Procurement at Diageo, said:

It was a pleasure to welcome the Secretary of State to Glenkinchie to see how we are investing in the future growth of Scotch whisky, with all the powerful economic benefits that brings to Scotland and the United Kingdom.

The UK-India Free Trade Agreement is a truly once in a generation, transformational opportunity for Scotch Whisky and we hope today’s visit will have given the Secretary of State a real understanding of our industry and the positive impact the India FTA could have on the sector.

A trade deal with India would be the latest in a long line of wins for the UK drinks industry, including:

• Suspending harmful retaliatory tariffs linked to the Airbus-Boeing disputes – these had targeted around £340m of single malt Irish and Scotch whisky exports to the US
• Removal of tariffs on all UK exports to Australia and New Zealand under these trade deals, making it cheaper to sell products such as gin and Scotch whisky down under.

The UK also continues to work towards accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership. Joining the £9 trillion GDP bloc could reap benefits for alcohol producers in the UK by securing lower tariffs for exports, including whisky.

Pernod Ricard, who own iconic British brands including The Glenlivet, Beefeater Gin, and Chivas Scotch, are also strong supporters of the UK’s trade agenda. They see big benefits both from Free Trade Agreements, and DIT’s work breaking down market access barriers, including helping to resolve recent issues exporting their Scotch whiskies to Morocco.

Anishka Jelicich, UK Director of Public Affairs for Pernod Ricard, said

UK spirits are winning markets and securing jobs thanks to the UK’s global trade policy.  We strongly support the free trade agreements now under negotiation with India and CPTPP.

We also value DIT’s often unsung work breaking down market access barriers every day across the globe.  For example, thanks to DIT’s intervention last year, we were able to resolve Customs paperwork issues which meant we would have had to pay a 49% tariff to Morocco, Africa’s fourth largest market for Scotch whisky.

Human Rights Ambassadors from the UK, Germany, France, Finland, Spain, Sweden, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Estonia, the Netherlands and Slovakia made the following joint statement following recent events in Iran:

“The violent death of 22‑year‑old “Zhina” Mahsa Amini as a result of mistreatment while in custody of the Iranian morality police brings home the dramatic human rights situation in Iran. It is a shocking reminder of the repression experienced by women, who face the threat of detention and physical violence simply for how they choose to dress. Over the past weeks, Iranians – both men and women – have bravely raised their voices against this violation of their freedom of expression. Protests have also called for freedom of the press and freedom of assembly, against the death penalty and extrajudicial executions, against torture, enforced disappearances and systematic impunity.

In short, the people of Iran are calling on their leaders to guarantee their fundamental rights. The Iranian security forces responded to the demonstrators with unjustifiable violence. The brutal response to the recent demonstrations at universities throughout the country is deeply concerning.

The international community must speak out clearly and unambiguously on the issue of repression and violence by the security forces and condemn these steps. We welcome the cross-regional statement at the UN Human Rights Council condemning the flagrant violation of women’s rights and calling on Iran to uphold the right to the freedom of expression and assembly.

Iran, as a signatory to the ICCPR, has a responsibility to put political and civil rights into practice. We call on the authorities to immediately stop its violent crackdown on protests, to immediately release demonstrators who have been unfairly detained, to cease the imprisonment of journalists who have been at the forefront of reporting on the protests, to restore reliable internet services across the country, and to guarantee human rights for all in Iran.”