Madam Chair,

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom would like to thank Director-General Grossi for his report on the implementation of safeguards in Iran, contained in GOV/2021/19, and DDG Aparo for the Technical Briefing on 2 June.

We fully support and commend the professional, independent and impartial verification conducted by the IAEA regarding Iran’s safeguards obligations, and the Agency’s efforts and interactions with Iran under its NPT Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol. We re-emphasise the importance of the IAEA continuing to evaluate all safeguards-relevant information available to it in line with standard practice.

We commend the Director General’s proactive and focussed efforts to engage in substantial technical discussions with Iran, in order to clarify safeguards issues that have been outstanding for over two years now.

In June 2020, this Board adopted a resolution echoing the strong concern expressed by the Director General on Iran’s lack of substantive engagement to clarify Agency questions related to possible undeclared nuclear material and nuclear related activities in Iran. The resolution called on Iran to fully cooperate with the Agency and satisfy the Agency’s requests without any further delay. One year later, this call has been unanswered despite ample time and opportunity for Iran to do so.

The questions asked by the Agency to Iran relate to the presence of nuclear material in several locations in Iran today. This is therefore a live issue relating to the completeness and correctness of Iran’s safeguards declarations and not merely “historical research”. In that respect, it is deeply concerning that in the absence of a credible explanation from Iran, the IAEA finds that undeclared nuclear material has been present at undeclared locations in Iran and that the current locations of this material are not known to the Agency. Iran’s lack of co-operation, together with the absence of application of the Additional Protocol, affects the ability of the IAEA to provide assurances of the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.

We call on Iran to co-operate fully with the IAEA and provide all information and clarification deemed necessary by the Secretariat without further delay. It is only through Iran’s full co-operation that the Director General can resolve these outstanding safeguards questions and remove this issue from the Board agenda.

We have also taken note with deep concern of Iran’s decision to stop the implementation of modified Code 3.1 of the Subsidiary Arrangements to Iran’s Safeguards Agreement as of February 23. As expressed by the Director General, in his report to this Board, and previously affirmed by the Board and the United Nations Security Council, the implementation of modified Code 3.1 is a legal obligation under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. We recall that implementation of the modified Code 3.1 cannot be changed or stopped unilaterally. In refusing to fully co-operate with the IAEA, Iran also undermines the integrity of the global safeguards system.

It is right that this Board keeps the very serious and significant issues addressed today under active review.

We encourage the Director General to continue reporting to the Board of Governors, as appropriate, and would welcome making report GOV/2021/29 public.

Thank you.

• Government confirms launch of new Centre for Pandemic Preparedness which will spearhead UK’s work to develop a global early warning system to detect new infectious disease threats
• UK–US joint commitment to tackling health inequalities reaffirmed as part of levelling up agenda
• Announcement comes as President Biden makes his first official visit to the UK

The UK and the US governments have agreed a new landmark partnership between the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the US National Centre for Epidemic Forecasting and Outbreak Analysis, run by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to turbocharge efforts to combat global pandemics and emerging health threats.

By bolstering disease surveillance, as well as genomic and variant sequencing capacity worldwide, this partnership will accelerate the recovery from COVID-19 around the world and establish an early warning system to detect diseases – which in turn will help low and middle-income countries that do not yet have the same capabilities.

This commitment to prevent the spread of deadly pandemics comes as the leaders of the G7 meet this week to redouble efforts to defeat COVID-19 and build back better from it. Through the UK–US partnership, we will work with global partners including the World Health Organization (WHO) and philanthropic funders, like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to develop global capacity for rapid genomic sequencing. This international approach to future pandemics builds on the Prime Minister’s recent launch of a new ‘Global Pandemic Radar’ to identify emerging COVID-19 variants and track new diseases around the world.

As part of the partnership agreed by the 2 allies today, a brand new pathogen surveillance network will help saves lives and protect health systems by spotting diseases before they spread, while also helping enable accelerated development of vaccines, treatments and tests.

To build on the UK’s global leadership role in health protection, a new Centre for Pandemic Preparedness (CPP) will be established as part of UKHSA. The CPP is set to become a world-leading hub for all aspects of pandemic preparedness, starting with genomic surveillance of human and animal infections in collaboration with a range of scientific and academic partners, that can be shared around the world.

Heath and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

Our brilliant scientists have led the world in sequencing COVID-19 and played a pivotal role as disease detectives who are able to rapidly identify variants.

To send this virus into retreat and stop the advances of future diseases, it is vital the whole world has access to the UK and US’s sophisticated surveillance and sequencing technologies.

Through this new landmark partnership with our closest ally, we are sharing our expertise with the world, so together we can unite and take action to prevent the spread of future pandemics to keep people safe everywhere.

The launch follows the UK-hosted G7 Health Ministers’ Meeting last week where major democracies agreed a new international approach to combat future health threats by working together to identify early warning signs from animals and the environment.

Included in today’s partnership between the US and the UK is a joint commitment to advance clinical trials for vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for infectious disease threats, which will drive forward the principles agreed by the G7.

As part of UKHSA, the CPP will work with partners to monitor emerging and existing pathogens which have the potential to become outbreaks or pandemics. More details on the structure and leadership of the CPP will be set out in due course as part of plans to consolidate the expertise in Public Health England, NHS Test and Trace and the Joint Biosecurity Centre into UKHSA.

UKHSA Chief Executive Jenny Harries said:

Pandemic preparedness is a defining part of our mission at the UK Health Security Agency and this new partnership will ensure we are ably equipped to fight future battles with infectious diseases.

Infectious diseases can spread rapidly across borders, and so it is imperative we build a global pandemic response system that embodies that same quality – protecting us against future health threats and ensuring our expertise is being shared with countries across the globe.

The UK’s NHS Race and Health Observatory, supported by NHS England and hosted by the NHS Confederation, was established to identify and tackle the specific health challenges facing people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. The NHS Race and Health Observatory works to identify and tackle ethnic inequalities in health and care by facilitating research, making health policy recommendations and enabling long-term transformational change. Both the UKHSA and the NHS Race and Health Observatory have key commitments to the sharing of innovative research, practice and learning between communities and across borders.

A partnership between the UK’s NHS Race and Health Observatory and the US CDC’s Office of Minority Health and Health Equity will be established to strengthen our approach to reducing health inequalities. The partnership between the organisations will promote cooperation and ensure expertise is shared to develop solutions for reducing health inequalities in both countries.

Dr Habib Naqvi, Director of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said:

Addressing health inequalities is a global challenge that requires a sustained, collaborative and global response. This twinning project is therefore an excellent opportunity for the NHS Race and Health Observatory to build a mutually beneficial and strong collaboration with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, in addressing our shared ambition of tackling health inequalities and disparities.

We look forward to working with our partner organisation on this exciting and ground-breaking US–UK institution-to-institution relationship. It will provide an exchange framework that shares, supports and facilitates replicable good practice, expertise and practical insight for us to tackle health inequalities in our countries, and to facilitate equitable healthcare for all patients and communities.

The UK government will also work with the Mount Sinai Health System, the Texas Medical Center, and Cedars-Sinai to share best practices, harness new technologies, and identify care delivery models that reduce health disparities.

The UK’s New Variant Assessment Programme is already supporting countries who make use of the UK’s genomic sequencing technology to spot new variants, providing them with technical support as well as upskilling their scientists with training.

The US CDC’s Office of Minority Health and Health Equity aims to advance health equity and women’s health issues across the US through CDC’s science and programmes, and increase US CDC’s capacity to leverage its diverse workforce and engage stakeholders toward this end.

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More rough sleepers and people at risk of homelessness will be supported into accommodation through a new social investment pilot that will create over 200 move-on homes, Rough Sleeping and Housing Minister Eddie Hughes MP announced today (10 June 2021).

The 3 year pilot, which will run until 2024, will see £15 million of government funding combined with an additional £15 million provided by Big Society Capital, a leading social impact investor, to deliver over 200 move-on homes for rough sleepers and those at risk of homelessness.

Big Society Capital is an independent financial institution that invests in a range of programmes aimed at delivering homes for vulnerable people.

The grant will fund the purchase of existing housing from the property market in partnership with local organisations and make them available at Local Housing Authority rent levels to ensure they remain affordable.

Tailored support from charities and social enterprises that specialise in housing vulnerable people will be available to help residents maintain their tenancies, including addiction services, education and employment support and counselling.

This is part of the government’s much wider action to tackle rough sleeping and homelessness with a further £750 million of investment this year alone.

The pilot will provide homes in Greater Manchester, London and Teesside with a smaller number of other homes provided in areas across England. It will run for 3 years, but the financial returns will be reinvested into providing homes for rough sleepers or those at risk of rough sleeping for the next 30 years.

Eddie Hughes MP, Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, said:

I am delighted to announce this partnership with Big Society Capital that will see a total of £30 million invested in new homes for rough sleepers.

Over 37,000 people have been housed through Everyone In and this social investment pilot will help to provide additional settled accommodation and support to help rough sleepers off the streets permanently.

This pilot is part of the government’s much wider action with a further £750 million investment this year to help end rough sleeping for good.

Anna Shiel, Head of Origination, Big Society Capital, commented:

We are delighted to work together with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to invest £30 million to provide secure and affordable homes for people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic – and beyond.

This partnership between central government and Big Society Capital is the first of its kind, and a promising demonstration of the role social investment can play in delivering national policy objectives aimed at ending rough sleeping and homelessness.

It is also an example of how public sector bodies can use social investment to put public money harder to work by leveraging additional money from investors. Thanks to the combined efforts of the impact fund managers Bridges Fund Management, Resonance and Social and Sustainable Capital, £80.4 million of additional investor capital has been brought into the sector.

Minister for Civil Society, Baroness Barran, said:

I very much welcome the investment from Big Society Capital in this project which is a great example of the voluntary and public sectors working together to improve the lives of those sleeping rough. It also highlights how funds released via the Dormant Assets scheme are being used to make a difference in communities across England.

This additional £30 million from government and Big Society Capital will be a welcome addition to the £750 million already committed to tackling homelessness across the country.

Social investment is a way to use private finance to fund projects that produce a social benefit, while also providing investors with a financial return.

This innovative pilot marks the first time the department has used social impact investment to fund new homes.

This funding is on top of the £433 million announced in May 2020 to deliver move-on accommodation for rough sleepers.

Through the Rough Sleeping Accommodation programme, the government is also funding 6,000 long-term move-on homes for rough sleepers by the end of this parliament, with the majority becoming available this year.

The government’s unprecedented Everyone In initiative was launched by the Housing Secretary at the start of the pandemic to protect rough sleepers – some of the most vulnerable people in our communities – and has so far supported over 37,000 individuals, with more than 26,000 already moved on to longer-term accommodation.

Returns are made through capital appreciation and income from rents, set at Local Housing Allowance levels. These returns will be used to deliver further move-on accommodation for rough sleepers or those at risk of rough sleeping. This has been set out in the grant agreement between MHCLG and Big Society Capital.

Big Society Capital is working with 3 fund managers; Bridges Fund Management, Resonance and Social and Sustainable Capital, all with experience of investing in housing rough sleepers, to deliver the pilot.

The Dormant Assets Scheme is led by industry and backed by the government with the aim of reuniting people with their financial assets. Where this is not possible, this money supports important social and environmental initiatives across the UK.

A dormant asset is a financial product, such as a bank account, that the customer has not used for many years, and which the provider has been unable to reunite them with, despite efforts based on industry best practice. Currently, the Scheme accepts only dormant bank and building society accounts, but work is underway to expand to a wider range of dormant assets.

In England, funding has gone towards 4 specialist organisations who work across the areas of youth, financial inclusion and social investment. These organisations were set up specifically to administer dormant assets funding in England.