Thank you Chair, Excellencies.

At the 54th Session of the Commission on Population and Development, we have come together to discuss the critical theme of “Population, Food Security, Nutrition and Sustainable Development.” As the brunt of the covid-19 pandemic continues to ricochet around the world, we must ensure women, adolescents girls, children and marginalised populations are prioritised in the response and recovery. Today, I plan to set out the risks they face of food insecurity and undernutrition, the critical importance of the full realisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights, and how we plan to carry forward momentum on this agenda over the coming year.

According to the Secretary General’s Report on the Impact of COVID 19 on the Implementation of the ICPD, there were nearly 690 million people [8.9 per cent of the global population] undernourished prior to the pandemic. The UN estimates that COVID 19 will add up to 132 million more to that alarming figure. We know that conflict, economic crisis and climate change are driving food insecurity, and have been further exacerbated by COVID 19. The international community must take action to address the root causes of food insecurity and ensure the nutritional needs of women, adolescents and girls in COVID 19 response and recovery plans. We must ensure women and girls have a critical role as leaders and decision makers when developing and implementing these response and recovery plans.

As the main intergovernmental forum following up on ICPD, we must also examine the impact that COVID-19 has had on the fulfilment of sexual and reproductive health and rights. In a recent estimates released by UNFPA highlight that disrupted contraceptive use, has resulted in nearly 1.4M unintended pregnancies in 2020. We urge Member States to build upon their commitments made in the Universal Health Coverage Political Declaration and prioritising maintaining all essential health services, including sexual and reproductive health services. Safe abortion services are at particular risk during the pandemic. Even where safe abortion is legal and included in the essential package of health services, many women are struggling to access safe abortion services. Member States should consider prioritising strengthening health systems, and explore the use of innovative delivery models like telemedicine to improve access to and to achieve the full realisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

There are several key milestones over the next year where we have an opportunity to deliver on these priorities. First, the UN Food Systems Summit hosted by Italy. We welcome the much-needed focus it brings to the development of sustainable food systems and reversal of the current negative progress in achieving SDG 2 on Zero Hunger. In particular, we welcome commitments made to build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses and boost low-carbon, climate-beneficial production at scale. We hope that the Summit will result in concrete and actionable commitments by a diverse group of stakeholders.

Following the Summit, COP 26 is the next opportunity to convene to make substantial, tangible process towards ending food insecurity. We cannot tackle climate change effectively without placing inclusion and gender equality front and centre of our climate action. We will champion inclusivity throughout our COP Presidency. We will use our position to amplify the voices and solutions of women, adolescents and girls and those most marginalised, empowering them as decision-makers, advocates and leaders. We will seek to address and champion their needs and priorities in the run up to, and at COP26 itself.

Thank you Chair, Excellencies for your time and for the important discussions held this week.

Thank you Mr President, and my thanks to Special Coordinator Wennesland for his briefing.

Let me open today by welcoming the decision taken on 7 April by the United States to restore funding to the Palestinian people and to UNRWA. This move will improve the lives of thousands of Palestinians, particularly those hit hardest by the occupation and COVID-19. Secretary Blinken said on 2 April that Israelis and Palestinians should enjoy equal measures of freedom, security, prosperity and democracy. These are sentiments with which the United Kingdom readily agrees.

It is our hope that positive moves such as these will help to build an atmosphere of trust between the parties. The United Kingdom will continue to encourage deeper cooperation on economic issues, and will work with the parties, and our international partners, to push for the re-establishment of formal Israeli-Palestinian mechanisms, such as the Joint Economic Committee and its sub-committees.

Mr President, following elections held in Israel on 24 March, we look forward to working with a new Israeli government, when it is formed. We also strongly support the forthcoming elections in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Palestinian voters deserve free, fair and inclusive elections. The Government of Israel must help facilitate those elections in line with the Oslo Accords. This means allowing voting to take place in East Jerusalem. The recent disruption of meetings in East Jerusalem, and the arrest of candidates, is unacceptable and must stop.

Mr President, we have been watching recent events on the Temple Mount/ Haram al Sharif very closely. We recognise that Jerusalem holds huge significance and holiness for Jews, Muslims and Christians. We reiterate the fundamental necessity of maintaining the Status Quo at the Holy Sites, in particular the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif. We continue to value Jordan’s important role as custodian of the Holy Sites, and remain fully supportive of their efforts to maintain calm – we expect all parties to support Jordanian efforts.

Mr President, unilateral actions which inflame tensions run counter to the atmosphere of trust that we all need to re-double our efforts to build.

Illegal Israeli settlement building remains the biggest physical threat to the two-state solution. Plans by Israel to advance settlements in Har Homa in south east Jerusalem, north of Bethlehem, risk causing further damage to the prospects for a viable Palestinian State with its capital in East Jerusalem. We call on Israel not to advance these plans.

Demolitions of Palestinian buildings, and evictions of Palestinians from their homes – across the West Bank, but in particular in East Jerusalem – have a similar detrimental impact on the physical character of a future Palestinian state. The Special Coordinator rightly draws our attention to threats facing Palestinians in Silwan, al Walajeh and Sheikh Jarrah. In the latter, some 30 people face being evicted from 2 May.

Incitement, antisemitism and acts of terrorism are utterly unacceptable, and the United Kingdom is swift and clear in its condemnation of any such acts.

As we have heard, daily violence has continued throughout the reporting period. We share concerns expressed by UN experts last week about the rising levels of settler violence across the West Bank. We also remain concerned by accusations of excessive use of force. In all instances where there are accusations of excessive use of force, we advocate swift and transparent investigations.

Mr President, the United Kingdom will continue to pursue a negotiated, sustainable solution to this long-standing conflict. It is our firm belief that the contours of such a solution remain: a negotiated two state solution, leading to a safe and secure Israel, living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state; based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states.

Thank you, Mr President.

On 21 April in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister said he would share the details about the discussions that took place in the change in policy regarding the Statutory Residence Test (SRT) and interactions with Sir James Dyson.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, there were genuine fears that the UK would quickly run out of ventilators, leaving the NHS unable to treat patients and putting many lives at risk.

The Government therefore took all necessary action to protect members of the public and secure access to the right medical equipment.

In March 2020, the Prime Minister called on the UK’s leading manufacturing businesses and organisations to help the UK step up production of vital medical equipment, launching the Ventilator Challenge.

The Prime Minister made clear that responding to Coronavirus and reducing the spread required a national effort. He asked manufacturers to rise to this challenge by offering skills and expertise as well as manufacturing the components themselves.

The Prime Minister set the ambition for industry to manufacture as many new ventilators as possible.

On 15 March, a representative from Dyson was in touch with officials in the Prime Minister’s Business Team to advise that Sir James Dyson would be writing to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on tax issues relating to the Ventilator Challenge. The Business Team passed this information to the Chancellor’s Office.

On the same day, the Chief Executive of Weybourne Group Ltd wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The letter made proposals regarding the work Dyson was undertaking, including seeking clarification of the tax status of Dyson employees returning to the UK to support the Ventilator Challenge.

On 16 March, the Prime Minister and other Ministers hosted a Ventilator Challenge call with industry.

Sir James Dyson took part in a phone call with around 80 other manufacturing companies. During the call the Prime Minister provided more detail on how manufacturing firms across the country could support the drive to urgently manufacture ventilators.

In late March, following on from the letter to the Treasury, Sir James Dyson and the Prime Minister exchanged text messages about the clarification of tax positions for Dyson employees based internationally, should their work to support the Ventilator Challenge require them to be reassigned to work in UK. The exchange on this issue is in the public domain.

The Prime Minister informed his officials about this contact with Sir James Dyson.

Following receipt of the letter from Weybourne Group Ltd on 15 March, Treasury officials advised Ministers. One of the specific concerns raised in the letter was that the operation of the Statutory Residence Test – which determines whether an individual is resident in the UK for tax purposes – could have deterred individuals in critically important sectors from coming to the UK to support the coronavirus response and undermine the Ventilator Challenge.

The Government announced on 9 April, via a letter to the Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, and a Written Ministerial Statement on 29 April, that there would be a temporary change to the Statutory Residence Test, to allow highly skilled individuals to work in the UK on COVID-19 related activity between 1 March 2020 and 1 June 2020 without affecting their residence status for tax purposes. A response was issued to Weybourne Group on the same day.

The change would have applied to any individual coming to the UK to work on COVID-19 related activity, in the following critical sectors: medical professions and healthcare; engineering and manufacturing; and research and development. The measure did not exempt UK earnings from UK tax.

The policy was presented for scrutiny by Parliament in the normal way, with an accompanying Tax Information and Impact Note, and was legislated for in Finance Act 2020. No objections were raised during debates in the House of Commons, and the legislation passed without requiring a vote. The changes only applied for the period of 1 March to 1 June 2020. From June onwards, the rules reverted to normal.

A copy of this statement will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.