British Embassy Warsaw, together with local partners in Poland (Ministry of Interior and Administration, Police, Border Guard and other NGOs), as well as with the support of some of the biggest local job advertising sites, has prepared a campaign aimed at informing about the risks of becoming the victim of modern slavery. The campaign is focused on the issue of forced labour.

With the increasing uncertainty of the labour market, caused by the current pandemic, and with potentially more people seeking quick employment, there is a risk that this situation will be taken advantage of by criminal groups recruiting people for forced labour. This risk is particularly relevant in the situation of those seeking employment abroad. Our campaign informs how to safely look for employment, how to avoid being taken advantage of, and who to contact if you need help.

Modern Slavery Campaign Poster (PDF, 439KB, 1 page)

The NDA regularly reviews its Strategy to ensure it has the right approach to decommissioning its 17 nuclear sites and benefits from the latest learning, best practice and can continue to deliver value for the taxpayer.

The 12-week public consultation started on 17 August, during which we welcome any comments, questions or feedback, and encourage all of our stakeholders to ‘have their say’.

Because of the current Government guidance around social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be holding a series of virtual meetings and briefings, and a bespoke virtual stakeholder event mid-way through the consultation period – where stakeholders will have the opportunity to discuss the details with authors of the draft strategy.

These responses will be considered in developing the final Strategy – which will be submitted for approval to UK and Scottish Government, ahead of publication by April 2021.

In 2018, following two reviews by Stephen Shaw, the Home Secretary commissioned ICIBI to carry out an annual inspection of how the ‘Adults at Risk in immigration detection’ policy was working. My first annual report was published in April 2020, and I am now beginning my second inspection, which will cover the period 1 April 2019 to 30 September 2020, in order to take account of changes made in response to COVID-19.

This call is open to everyone and I am keen to receive evidence from the widest possible range of contributors, but especially from organisations and professionals that work with detainees and from individuals who have been detained. But, please note that my remit does not extend to investigating or making decisions about individual cases. This remains a Home Office responsibility.

Evidence in relation to the following areas would be particularly welcome:

• Changes (positive and negative) Home Office policy and practice since the first ‘Adults at Risk’ inspection, including in response to the recommendations in the first report
• The structure and application of safeguards in detention, such as the Detention Gatekeeper and the Rule 35 process
• The identification, management and safeguarding of vulnerable foreign nationals held in prisons under immigration powers
• Potential “quick wins”
• Areas requiring more detailed examination and analysis.

Please feel free to raise any other points you consider relevant.

The deadline for contributions is 14th September. If you will have difficulty responding by this date but would like to contribute, please contact the inspection team via the link below.

How to respond

Please click here to email your submission to the Chief Inspector by 14th September 2020.

Please note:

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) we need your permission to process and retain the information you submit in your submission, by clicking here a consent statement will automatically be added to your email.

However if you are using a non-compatible email client then please send your submission to AARforum@icibi.gov.uk with ‘ Adults at risk evidence submission’ in the subject line and include the following consent statement in the body of your email, ‘I consent to the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration retaining and processing the information and data in this email.’

Please do not include this statement if you do not wish to give your consent. The information you submit may be quoted in the final inspection report, but it is the ICIBI’s practice not to name sources and to anonymise as much as possible any examples or case studies.

Overview

The Prague Programme Fund is a small and short-term funding mechanism, which allows British Embassy Prague to support local organisations seeking to deliver real and measureable outcomes targeting four primary objectives.

Project bids

Typical projects should range in value up to CZK 290,000 (with a minimum bid size of CZK 50,000) and should aim to work with organisations from government, civil society and the private sector. All activities must be completed by 31 March 2021.

Priorities

We are looking for project bids in four areas:

Climate change

Intended outcomes:

• to raise climate change awareness in the Czech Republic
• to pursue climate change mitigation and adaptation – supporting Czech Republic to meet its UN commitments on climate change

Economic impact of COVID-19

Intended outcomes:

• to help Czech business associations, industry bodies and civil society organisations better respond to the needs of local businesses, particularly SMEs, in surviving the effects of COVID-19 and recovering after the crisis. Activities promoting a green recovery will be prioritised.

International security/hybrid threats

Intended outcomes:

• to build knowledge and understanding of emerging hybrid threats and strengthen the resilience against them in the Czech Republic, particularly in regions which are targets for hybrid threat activity
• to share knowledge and expertise in the area of hybrid threats, including countering disinformation, promoting media literacy and cyber security
• to enhance knowledge and understanding of emerging foreign and security policy issues among Czech communities by through activities to support quality independent journalism on these issues

Promoting equality

Intended outcomes:

• to enhance awareness of discrimination on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation or race, building on the UK’s experience
• to support activities which aim to bolster equality

Projects which cover more than one priority are also welcome.

How to bid: submitting project proposals

The Project Proposal Form (including an Activity Based Budget) should be submitted in English to ukinczechrepublic@fco.gov.uk by 8 September 2020.

Please name both the file and e-mail subject as ”Prague Programme Fund 2020: XXX name of the implementer.”

Binding agreements

The British Embassy Prague will sign a standard Grant Agreement/MoU/Commercial Contract with all successful bidders. The terms are non-negotiable.

Project proposals

Please read all guidance. Ensure that project proposals are designed and submitted in accordance with guidelines. Proposals that do not meet the guidance and the following criteria will be rejected immediately.

Assessment criteria

• value for money
• evidence of local demand/need
• project viability, including capacity of implementing organisation(s)
• project design, including clear, achievable objectives/outputs
• sustainability
• good risk and stakeholder management including plans to cope with the effects of COVID-19.

Guidance

Forms

Timeline 2020