Thank you. Today, we mark a great achievement, the 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

Twenty years ago, that Resolution recognised that sustainable peace relied on inclusive peace. It provided a framework to address the disproportionate impact that fell on women and girls on the ground. And it advocated for their meaningful inclusion as agents of change.

As a global force for good, the UK has been proud to lead the way on the Women, Peace and Security agenda as penholder for Resolution 1325. We work with governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) around the world to share good practice and expertise, such as supporting those brave women who are resolving conflict, countering violent extremism, and building peace at the grassroots level.

As proud champions of the Women, Peace and Security agenda we will not accept any roll-back of the progress made on women’s rights over the last 20 years.

There are 10 UN Security Council resolutions dedicated to advancing this agenda. We must ensure those resolutions are taken seriously and implemented fully. We are not prepared to unpick the framework that has been so hard-fought.

This is only right. We owe it not only to women, but to global peace.

Women’s rights are human rights. And it is not a matter up for discussion.

As we look ahead to the next 20 years, we must reflect on the challenges before us. Because the truth is that despite our best intentions, we face a widening implementation gap.

But the UK is working hard to bridge the gap, and welcomes others to join us in doing so.

We fully support women’s meaningful participation in peace processes. And that is why I’m proud to announce that the UK is dedicating £1 million of funding to Women Mediators across the Commonwealth Network. Their vital work increases the recognition of the role of women mediators in peace processes, from local to global, ensuring they get the acknowledgement, respect and support they deserve.

We also continue to support the Elsie Initiative for women in peace operations.

The voices of women peacebuilders must be heard and amplified. But for many, speaking up and carrying out their vital work comes at great personal risk. No woman should have to risk her safety to heal her community.

That is why I am proud that the UK has supported the International Civil Society Action Network in developing the Protection Framework for women peacebuilders. This vital piece of work provides guidance to states and multilateral organisations on how best to prevent and respond to reprisals.

And I am pleased to announce that the UK will formally commit to supporting this framework and its recommendations. I urge others to do the same.

It is not only the voices of women, but ethnic, religious, sexual, and disabled minorities who are silenced. The deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals is only 10 years away – we must hear diverse voices at all levels.

We also face additional threat from COVID-19. It has laid bare many inequalities. But the most disproportionate impact is on women and girls. The impact will be felt for years to come and threaten hard-won progress on gender equality.

Which is why I am proud to announce that, along with Gender Action for Peace and Security and partners, the UK is committing £250,000 funding to undertake research on the gendered impacts of COVID-19 in fragile and conflict affected states. This vital research will help ensure that the needs of women and girls are considered in any future crisis response.

Because ultimately, peace is not a finished product or a final result. It is a continuous effort. So I call on all our partners to continue to push for real progress on this vital agenda.

It is time to turn intentions into actions – for the next 20 years and, indeed, for future decades to come.

People arriving into the UK from Cyprus and Lithuania from 4am Sunday 1 November 2020 will need to self-isolate for 2 weeks as the countries are removed from the travel exemptions list.

Data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England has indicated a significant change in both the level and pace of confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in both destinations, leading to ministers removing these from the current list of travel corridors.

A range of factors are taken into account when deciding to remove a country from the exemption list, including the continued increase of coronavirus within a country, the numbers of new cases, information on a country’s testing capacity, testing regime and test positivity rate and potential trajectory of the disease in the coming weeks.

There has been a consistent increase in COVID-19 cases per 100,000 of the population in Cyprus over the last 2 weeks, with a 79% increase in total cases over this time period. In Lithuania, new cases per week have increased by 47% over the same time period.

At the same time, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has also updated its travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to Cyprus and Lithuania. These changes reflect the latest assessments by Public Health England of the risk to travellers in each of these destinations.

The government has made consistently clear it will take decisive action if necessary to contain the virus, including removing countries from the travel corridors list rapidly if the public health risk of people returning from a particular country without self-isolating becomes too high.

People currently in Cyprus and Lithuania are encouraged to follow the local rules and check the FCDO travel advice pages for further information. The government is urging employers to be understanding of those returning from these destinations who now will need to self-isolate.

COVID-19 has profoundly changed the nature of international travel. Travellers should always check the latest advice from the FCDO, given the potential for changing coronavirus infection rates to affect both the advice about travelling to other countries and rules about self-isolation on return.

All travellers, including those from exempt destinations, will still be required to show a complete passenger locator form on arrival into the UK unless they fall into a small group of exemptions.

Penalties for those breaching the self-isolation rules when returning from non-exempt countries have increased from £1,000 for first offences up to £10,000 for subsequent offences, mirroring penalties for those breaching self-isolation following a positive COVID-19 test or contact from Test and Trace.

After close discussions with local leaders, the following areas will move from local COVID alert level ‘medium’ to local COVID alert level ‘high’ from 00.01 on Saturday 31 October.

• Yorkshire and the Humber:
  • East Riding of Yorkshire
  • Kingston-Upon-Hull
  • North East Lincolnshire
  • North Lincolnshire
• West Midlands:
  • Dudley
  • Staffordshire
  • Telford and Wrekin
• East Midlands:
  • Amber Valley
  • Bolsover
  • Derbyshire Dales
  • Derby City
  • South Derbyshire
  • High Peak (whole of)
  • Charnwood
• East of England:
• South East:

This means that for these areas, the following measures will be in place:

• people must not meet with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place
• people must not meet in a group of more than 6 outside, including in a garden or other space
• people should aim to reduce the number of journeys they make where possible. If they need to travel, they should walk or cycle where possible, or plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport

These measures will be reviewed every 14 days to consider whether they are still appropriate.

The rate of COVID-19 infections is rising rapidly across the UK. The weekly case rate in England stood at 201 people per 100,000 from 15 October to 21 October, up from 100 people per 100,000 for the week 25 September to 1 October. Cases are not evenly spread, with infection rates rising more rapidly in some areas than others.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

We continue to see a worrying rise in cases right across the country, and it is clear decisive action is needed.

We have agreed with local leaders to move more areas into the high local COVID alert level this week.

These restrictions are challenging for us all, but it is only by working together and following the rules that we will bring down the rates of infection. A failure to act now will only lead to longer disruption and greater economic damage. I want to thank everyone who is playing their part to break the chains of transmission across the country. We will beat this virus, but we must stick together as we enter the winter months.

It has been agreed that all other areas currently in high will remain at this level until the next review.

All available data for the areas has been assessed by the government, including the Health and Social Care Secretary, NHS Test and Trace, the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC), Public Health England (PHE), the Chief Medical Officer and the Cabinet Office. Data assessed includes incidence, test positivity and the growth rate of the virus.

It is essential that outbreaks are contained to protect lives and our NHS, and prevent greater economic damage in the future. The country faces a new challenge as winter approaches, and even mild cases of COVID-19 can have devastating consequences for people in all age groups, along with the risk of long COVID.

The government’s strategy is to suppress the virus while supporting the economy, education and the NHS, until an effective vaccine is widely available.

Local action is at the centre of the government’s response, and engagement with local authorities is, and will continue to be, a key part of this process.

See more information on what ‘high’ local COVID alert level means for your area.

Yorkshire and the Humber

In East Riding of Yorkshire, weekly case rates stand at 239 people per 100,000. This increases to 463 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 134 per 100,000 in the over-60s.

In Kingston-Upon-Hull, weekly case rates stand at 248 people per 100,000. This increases to 332 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 259 per 100,000 in the over-60s

In North East Lincolnshire, weekly case rates stand at 320 people per 100,000. This increases to 402 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 225 per 100,000 in the over-60s.

In North Lincolnshire, weekly case rates stand at 196 people per 100,000. This increases to 272 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 131 per 100,000 in the over-60s.

West Midlands

In Dudley, weekly case rates stand at 212 people per 100,000. This increases to 236 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 153 per 100,000 in the over-60s.

In South Staffordshire, weekly case rates stand at 289 people per 100,000. This increases to 258 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 210 per 100,000 in the over-60s.

In Stoke-on-Trent, weekly case rates stand at 285 people per 100,000. This increases to 380 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 262 per 100,000 in the over-60s.

In Cannock Chase, weekly case rates stand at 275 people per 100,000. This increases to 326 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 214 per 100,000 in the over-60s.

In Newcastle-Under-Lyme, weekly case rates stand at 263 people per 100,000. This increases to 604 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 146 per 100,000 in the over-60s.

In Staffordshire Moorlands, weekly case rates stand at 219 people per 100,000. This increases to 456 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 127 per 100,000 in the over-60s.

In Stafford, weekly case rates stand at 202 people per 100,000. This increases to 327 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 173 per 100,000 in the over-60s

In East Staffordshire, weekly case rates stand at 199 people per 100,000, with 190 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and 146 per 100,000 in the over-60s

In Lichfield, weekly case rates stand at 195 people per 100,000. This increases to 386 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 136 per 100,000 in the over-60s

In Tamworth, weekly case rates stand at 181 people per 100,000. This increases to 533 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 94 per 100,000 in the over-60s

In Telford and the Wrekin, weekly case rates stand at 209 people per 100,000. This increases to 716 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 93 per 100,000 in the over-60s

East Midlands

In Amber Valley, weekly case rates stand at 250 people per 100,000. This increases to 560 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 199 per 100,000 in the over-60s

In Bolsover, weekly case rates stand at 293 people per 100,000. This increases to 542 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 193 per 100,000 in the over-60s

In Derbyshire Dales, weekly case rates stand at 170 people per 100,000. This increases to 586 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 112 per 100,000 in the over-60s

In Derby City, weekly case rates stand at 288 people per 100,000. This increases to 359 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 200 per 100,000 in the over-60s

In South Derbyshire, weekly case rates stand at 293 people per 100,000. This increases to 633 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 128 per 100,000 in the over-60s.

In Charnwood, weekly case rates stand at 439 people per 100,000 100,000. This increases to 1755.4 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 177 per 100,000 in the over-60s.

East of England

In Luton, weekly case rates stand at 156 people per 100,000. This increases to 222 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 108 per 100,000 in the over-60s.

South East

In Oxford City, weekly case rates stand at 138 people per 100,000. This increases to 343 per 100,000 in those aged 17 to 21 and is 44 per 100,000 in the over-60s.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we’ve been sharing stories with our employees on how people experiencing violence and abuse can access support. Some of that support comes from organisations that we support through our social impact multiplied programme.

One of those organisations is the Freedom Project West Cumbria. In 2019/20, we provided £75k to help with counselling and running costs.

Their project manager, Vicky Pike, explains the role of the organisation and the challenges they face.

She said:

We’ve been providing support to those people whose lives have been affected by domestic violence since 1997. We started out providing counselling to adult victims of domestic violence.

Over time, we’ve been able to extend the services we provide, and we now also offer services to children who have experienced domestic abuse, as well as working with the perpetrators of violence.

We have a team of professionally qualified counsellors who provide both one to one provision and group sessions. In fact, during 2019 we were able to support more than 500 people.

However, demand always outstrips supply, and even now we have a waiting list for our services. We never leave people without support though, so make sure to have regular contact with anyone who needs us.

Vicky highlights the impact the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns has had on their services. She said:

The first few months of lockdown were quiet, but sadly our experience told us this wasn’t going to last, and after Easter, our referrals went through the roof. We went from having around 25 a month to more than 45.

We’ve also seen more male victims, which is always something that surprises people. It was clear that the attention on domestic abuse in recent months made people realise that they were the victims of abuse.

Vicky has been with the Freedom Project for ten years. She started in an admin role, and now leads the charity’s fundraising efforts, with the need to raise £200,000 year to keep the service running.

During that time, she’s seen lots of different people and some very challenging circumstances. She explained:

It can be a really tough job. Some of the things we see are really horrific. But at the other end of the spectrum, seeing people turn their lives around is really rewarding.

We’ve seen people contact us when they have absolutely nothing and nowhere to go. These people have gone on to live successful, independent lives. Some have even gone on to careers in care, completing college and university courses and working as nurses and social workers.

Our work with children is really important, because we don’t want them to see domestic abuse as the norm, and nor do we want children to think they’re to blame for any abuse they see.

Sellafield Ltd is one of the charity’s partners, and the company’s funding allows the charity to continue its important counselling work. Vicky said:

It’s really helpful to have a three-year funding deal with Sellafield. This means we have more certainty about the services we are able to provide.

We’re also working to train your domestic abuse contacts, which we know will make a huge difference to your workforce.

As well as with yourselves, we have strong links with the agencies we work with and other charities in the area. This is really important to ensuring people get all the support they need – for example in securing a new home and being able to provide for their children.

Head of community and development, Gary McKeating said:

Our investments through our social impact multiplied programme are always based on evidenced need. And while a lot of our support is directed at longer term strategic investments, we also continue to support organisations like the Freedom Project who provide an immediate life line to those who need it.

You can find out more about the Freedom Project on their website and their Facebook page. You can also contact their free support helpline on 07712 117 986.

The Freedom Project West Cumbria is just one organisation providing domestic violence and abuse support that Sellafield Ltd supports. Others include Women Out West and Copeland Borough Council.