TRH saw how communities are responding and adapting to the effects of climate change, which is a key area of interest for The Duke and Duchess at home and globally.

They first visited the remote Chiatibo Glacier in Broghil National Park to see how climate change is causing glaciers to melt, creating risks for downstream communities. They received a detailed briefing on glacial melting, climate change and its causes and implications from Pakistani hydrometeorologist and glacier expert Dr Furrukh Bashir of the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

Afterwards TRH travelled to Bumburet, home to the Kalash minority, to see the damage that flooding linked to climate change has already caused in the region, and to learn how communities are responding. They saw first-hand the extensive damage done by a 2015 Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) and received a briefing from the community on how the lives of local people were affected. They then saw a first aid drill performed by volunteers from the local Emergency Response Team, which is supported by UK Aid, a river crossing drill performed by the regional Search and Rescue Team.

Finally, TRH met members of the Kalash and Sunni communities in the settlement of Karakal, to learn more about their distinctive culture.

Notes to Editors

Climate Change

As climate change effects are accentuated at altitude, a 1.5°C global temperature increase (the limit of what the world might realistically be able to achieve through rapid and concerted action) is likely to mean warming of c.2.2°C for northern Pakistan’s mountains. This could lead to a loss of 36% of its glaciers by 2100.

The melting of the region’s glaciers poses immediate problems for the communities living below them. Temporary glacial lakes have been forming at an increasing rate and expanding in volume since the 1990s. When these burst, in ‘Glacial Lake Outburst Flooding’ incidents (GLOFs), downstream communities are often devastated. A GLOF in Bumburet in 2000 destroyed 40% of cultivatable land, and another in 2015 washed away roads, houses and other infrastructure. Disaster preparedness training and monitoring equipment installed by NGOs meant there was enough warning of the 2015 GLOF for the community’s volunteer Emergency Response Team to evacuate those at risk. As a result, no lives were lost.

Broghil National Park

Established in 2010 with support from the WWF, Broghil National Park is a haven for indigenous and migratory fauna, especially rare Pamirian and Siberian birds. The Broghil Valley is largely treeless Alpine tundra, at around 3500m in elevation. It stretches over 310,000 acres and is sparsely populated. The settlement of Ishkarwaz, close to the Chiatibo Glacier, is home to the world’s highest polo ground, which every year hosts a celebrated yak polo tournament. The Park is in the remote and sparsely populated north-east of the Chitral District, adjacent to the Wakhan Corridor, a strip of Afghanistan which borders Pakistan to the south and Tajikistan to the north. The Hindu Raj range and the many glaciers that flow from it form the southern side of the Broghil Valley.

UK involvement

The UK Government, through DFID, is contributing to a pioneering project, called Building Disaster Resilience in Pakistan, which looks at how to provide early warning of GLOF events to downstream communities. This is now being scaled up into a programme covering vulnerable communities across northern Pakistan. £33.9m of UK aid has been provided so far.

The world’s poorest communities are often the hardest hit by the consequences of climate change – this community is a key example. The UK is committed to ensure that resilience building for local communities to make them less vulnerable to extreme weather changes is at the heart of its strategy to fight climate change with UK aid. Across Pakistan, this is one of four programmes focused on adaptation to climate change.

By 2020 this programme will:

• Help 1.5 million people prepare themselves for natural disasters including flooding and drought
• Ensure communities and towns have hazard maps and plans for when shocks to happen
• Build agricultural resilience to extreme weather changes, a pilot which will inform our work globally to respond to climate change
• Establish emergency response teams in districts at risk to manage crises
• Ensure that local communities are in close contact with local government to share information and respond together to natural disasters

In Bumburet, UK aid has supported post-flood reconstruction and disaster preparedness work, delivered by the NGO ACTED. ACTED helped to re-establish and train the village Emergency Response Team (crucial to preventing loss of life in the 2015 floods) and constructed drainage lines, roads, irrigation channels, flood protection walls, and shelters.

‘Cash for work’ schemes support Kalash households by providing a market for the handicrafts produced by female villagers, and ‘climate smart’ training helps farmers adapt their agricultural techniques to ensure food security. ACTED work closely in the area with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP). WWF also supports conservation projects locally.

For further information

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I am very happy to be observing the 19th UK-Philippines Friendship Day which we commemorated on 20 October. We have a lot to celebrate in our relationship, and one element in which our partnership is growing stronger, richer and deeper is in education. We have for many years enjoyed hosting British students in the UK, who travel from the Philippines to schools and universities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to take advantage of the world class education offered there. Recent changes to the UK immigration system which will allow for a new two-year post study visa option will, I’m sure, be advantageous to Filipino scholars considering the UK as an education destination.

Also, through our Chevening scholarships scheme, the British embassy in Manila has been sending students to the UK to study for their master’s degrees on a wide array of topics since 1983 – 468 Filipinos have been awarded this opportunity to date. Chevening scholars are selected on their leadership qualities and their desire to make a real difference. They return to the Philippines at the end of their studies, and continue to make a difference as leaders in their field and in the further development of the country. I recently waved off the most recent batch of 28 scholars who are studying in such diverse fields as sustainable fashion, health, plant taxonomy, energy management, policy and, happily, education.

In the field of Science and Technology we collaborate under the Newton Agham Programme with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to offer research grants and PhD scholarships for the UK. And with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) as our key partner, we jointly awarded 10 large-scale three-year research grants that focus on health and environment. Newton Agham also provides support to DOST-funded researchers through the Leaders in Innovation Fellowship Programme, an intensive training course on innovation to build capacity for entrepreneurship and commercialisation.

And even yet, as our relationship in the field of education matures, and in collaboration with the British Council, we continue to open up enormous opportunities for Filipinos to access UK education. There are currently 24 higher education institutions here in the Philippines offering Trans-National Education programmes authorised by the CHED; this includes partnerships with nine UK universities. In partnership with the British Council we are proud to have contributed to the development of the new Transnational Education Act which was recently signed by President Duterte, which will support the expansion of such partnerships between foreign and local universities.

We have also been working closely with Philippine institutions such as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in sharing the UK’s strong expertise and experience in Technical- Vocational Education and Training (TVET) where UK companies, TVET colleges and higher education institutions have for many years provided international capacity building to raise the quality and relevance of skills development. The UK‘s strengths in finance techniques in this field make it more accessible to women and low-income youth.

So we are going from strength to strength in our education relationship, but education is only one element of the mature friendship between the UK and the Philippines which stretches back many centuries, based on honesty and trust, and the strong bonds between our peoples.

We are two, proud, island nations, committed to each other and to making a positive contribution to the wider world. Friendship Day is an opportunity to celebrate how we work together to make the world a better place, such as our collaboration on tackling climate change, where we are powerful partners. And how we support each other, as we do in fighting the sexual exploitation of children, where we succeed. Every friendship has the opportunity to grow, to challenge each other, to help each other, in good times and bad. With our historic collaboration and multiple partnerships, the solid foundations of our friendship are unshakeable.

We are, indeed, closer than you think.

Earlier this year over 3,300 charities took part in a research study about fraud awareness, resilience and cyber security.

We have published the results of the fraud research study which suggests that many charities are not doing the basics to protect themselves.

Over two thirds of charities (69%) think fraud is major risk to the charity sector and internal (insider) fraud is recognised as one of the biggest threats.

But the findings show charities are not always recognising how vulnerable they are, and not consistently putting basic checks and balances in place:

• over a third (34%) think their organisation is not vulnerable to any of the most common types of charity fraud
• over half (53%) of charities affected by fraud in the past 2 years knew the perpetrator
• 85% of charities think they are doing everything they can to prevent fraud, but almost half don’t have any good-practice protections in place

The gap between awareness and practical action poses a threat to charities’ valuable funds, and to public trust and confidence in the sector.

Simple steps to protect your charity’s funds

• introduce and enforce basic financial controls (for example have at least two signatories to bank accounts and cheques, undertaking regular bank reconciliations)
• make sure no one single individual has oversight or control of financial arrangements – effective segregation of duties is a crucial method of preventing and detecting fraud
• encourage staff, volunteers and trustees to speak out when they see something they feel uncomfortable about

International Charity Fraud Awareness Week

Get involved between the 21 and 25 October 2019 to help promote openness and honesty about fraud.

It’s an opportunity for trustees, employees, volunteers and the wider public to learn more about the growing threat from fraud, and to highlight the good work of those charities that are successfully tackling fraud and reducing the harm it causes.

Download the Charity Fraud Awareness Week supporters pack from the Fraud Advisory Panel website.

Register to access the free Fraud Awareness Hub for important fraud prevention help sheets, guidance, videos and question and answer sessions.

The Hub will give you access to a new ‘Tackling Charity Fraud – Eight Guiding Principles’ document. You can use this to strengthen your charity’s resilience to fraud.

We have also worked with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to develop cyber security guidance relevant to charities of all sizes.

The Cyber Security: Small Charity Guide provides simple, free or low-cost steps to improve cyber security.

The Board Toolkit is relevant for larger charities. It helps boards and senior managers understand cyber security from a governance perspective, making it easier to have productive conversations with technical colleagues.

An independent review into the Toddbrook reservoir incident announced by the Environment Secretary in September will be led by former president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Professor David Balmforth.

The Terms of Reference, published today, (21 October 2019), set out the scope of the review, which will look into the events that took place in Whaley Bridge, in Derbyshire, from 1 August this year and consider what lessons can be learned by the wider industry to ensure ongoing reservoir safety.

It follows the precautionary evacuation of residents of Whaley Bridge after high water levels damaged the spillway of Toddbrook reservoir.

The Canal and River Trust, which owns and operates the reservoir, worked with the Environment Agency, fire and rescue service, the Royal Air Force and others around the clock to reduce water levels and to repair damage to the spillway to make it safe for residents to move back in.

Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers said:

I’m pleased that the independent review into the incident at Toddbrook reservoir, which I commissioned last month, is now well underway.

I expect this review to provide valuable insight into how this incident came about, and I hope it will also offer peace of mind to local residents. The outcome of the review will help inform how we can further improve this country’s excellent reservoir safety record.

The review will:

• Investigate the possible causes of the damage, and identify any issues in the operation, inspections or maintenance of Toddbrook reservoir, including the dam and spillway, in the period leading up to the incident on 1 August 2019
• Assess the dam’s capacity before 1 August to survive extreme flood events without collapse
• Assess the roles of those involved in the supervision, management and regulation of Toddbrook reservoir
• Consider lessons learned from the incident on 1 August 2019 in regards to: the design, maintenance and inspection of the Toddbrook reservoir; and the application and adequacy of current regulations

Professor Balmforth will report back to the Environment Secretary with his findings on the incident by the end of the year, the details of which are expected to be made public early next year following consultation with all parties involved.

Professor David Balmforth said:

England has an excellent reservoir safety record and the speedy action of many organisations helped keep the community around Toddbrook reservoir safe during the highly unusual incident earlier this year.

However, it is important that we uncover the causes of the damage to the dam and identify any lessons which can be learned, and I look forward to taking that work forward.

The full Terms of Reference for the review can be accessed here.

Since the summer the Environment Agency has ensured that water levels at Toddbrook Reservoir are monitored and remain at a safe level until full repairs are completed. The Canal and River Trust has also been assessing the damage and identifying how the reservoir can be permanently repaired in the longer term.

All NHS doctors and dentists in England now have access to a comprehensive mental health service, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced today.

More than 180,000 doctors and dentists can get confidential advice and support, in person or over the phone, if they’ve faced a stressful incident at work or feel they are struggling with their mental health.

Staff can access support 24/7 through a dedicated phoneline and a crisis text service available through the night. The service is currently staffed by 200 experts whose training is tailored to understand the specific circumstances of clinical life.

When a patient emails or phones the service, they are given a link to the app where they can book appointments with a clinician of their choice. After being assessed, the patient can continue to be seen by their lead clinician who can:

• prescribe medication
• support them while off work
• follow up as appropriate

They will also have access to a range of individual and group therapies.

Feedback from those who piloted the service has been very positive:

• 88% said the service had a positive impact on their wellbeing
• 85% said it had a positive impact on their ability to work or train

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:

Our incredible NHS would be nothing without our outstanding, devoted staff. Many of them face incredibly challenging, and often distressing, situations on a daily basis and we owe it to staff to provide the mental and physical health support they need to deliver consistently high-quality care for patients.

There is a lot of work taking place across the country to improve the offer to staff and dedicated support to all doctors and dentists in the country is a key part of this. I’m determined to provide those who care for us the full backing they deserve and open doors to specialist services to turn to whenever they need help.

Dr Clare Gerada, Medical Director of NHS Practitioner Health, said:

I am immensely pleased and proud that the work we have done over the last decade has demonstrated the value of a service like NHS Practitioner Health. This means that any doctor or dentist in England can access free, confidential NHS mental health support and treatment and get the help they need.

No doctor or dentist need shy away from seeking help. They can be assured of the same levels of confidentiality we would afford members of the public who access care, and the stigma and barriers to seeking help through mainstream NHS services have been removed.

To sign up, call 0300 0303 300 or email prac.health@nhs.net.

The line is open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 2pm.

Text NHSPH to 85258 for the out-of-hours crisis text service.