Statement from Albania; Australia; Canada; Costa Rica; European Union; Iceland; Japan; Republic of Korea; Republic of Moldova; Montenegro; New Zealand; North Macedonia; Norway; Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu; Ukraine; United Kingdom; and the United States:

“We, the Ministers of the undersigned WTO members, stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. At the 12th Ministerial Conference of the WTO we engaged in finding multilateral solutions to pressing global issues and negotiated to deliver for communities across the globe. This does not represent a normalizing of trading relations with Russia.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine, assisted by Belarus. Belarus’ accession to the WTO was halted in 2020 and we will not consider it further. We stand in unwavering support of Ukraine and will work together to find ways to use trade to support Ukraine to rebuild its economy and society. The Russian Federation’s actions, which have continued unrelenting for more than 15 weeks, are an unprovoked, premeditated attack against a sovereign democratic state. They also constitute an egregious violation of international law, including the UN Charter, and undermine fundamental principles of international peace and security. These actions show the Russian Federation does not respect international institutions, disciplines, and norms.

Russia’s indiscriminate attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and blockades of Ukraine’s seaports have also exacerbated pre-existing problems affecting supply chains in multiple sectors, with 1.7 billion people in over 100 countries now facing severe food, energy and commodity supply issues and price rises.

Together, we insist that the Russian Federation must urgently stop its military aggression against Ukraine and immediately withdraw its troops. We are firmly convinced that the Russian Federation must be held accountable and must cease its actions, which undermine global peace, security and international law.

We will continue to take actions, as WTO Members, that we each consider necessary to protect our essential security interests, and we will continue to impress upon the Russian Federation the urgent need for it to live up to its responsibility to restore and maintain international peace and security.”

International Trade Secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, said:

“I want to thank everyone who has worked around the clock at the WTO Ministerial Conference over the past week. Our hard work was not in vain. As the Director General said in her closing speech, we have successfully shown that the WTO is capable of responding to some of the biggest challenges of our time.

As the UK’s first Ministerial Conference as an independent member, I am incredibly proud of the active and principled role that we played. We approached negotiations with a constructive spirit, and showed flexibility to get things done.

I was pleased to convene fellow Ministers to discuss trade measures in support of Ukraine. Against the backdrop of Putin’s illegal war, it was important to demonstrate the breadth of support for our heroic Ukrainian friends. Whilst Russia may have had a presence at MC12, I am clear that it does not represent a normalisation of trade relations between the UK and Russia.

Global food insecurity was already an issue before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. So it was right that the WTO membership gave this issue the attention it deserves by signing a new political declaration, which recognises the important role that trade can plan in improving global food security.

There was apprehension going into MC12 about whether the membership could put aside their differences and unite behind common goals. I am proud that we proved the naysayers wrong. The reality is that this Ministerial Conference has produced positive outcomes.

We know that businesses, in both developed and developing countries, wanted us to guarantee tariff-free digital trade. I am happy to say that we delivered for them. Digital trade is what allows a start-up in Malawi access to the same global opportunity as an MSME in Manchester, or indeed a multi-national in California. In the digital age, the E-Commerce Moratorium provides certainty and lowers costs for global supply chains. And, in time, we want to see this Moratorium made permanent.

Coming into discussions about the WTO’s response to the pandemic, we were clear that the solution to the access of Covid-critical goods lay beyond Intellectual Property, such as principles in applying export restrictions, increased transparency supporting trade facilitation and tariff reduction. While we pressed for the WTO Declaration to go further, we welcome the fact that members found common ground and committed to keep working to improve our preparedness for future pandemics.

The UK is a long-standing champion of equitable access to vaccines. However, we could only accept an outcome on TRIPS that was operable and did not undermine the existing Intellectual Property framework. That is why the UK fought hard to clarify the exact intent and scope behind the TRIPS Decision. After intense negotiations, we are satisfied the final text is sufficiently workable.

Let me be clear: this is not about waiving IP rights. This decision should make it easier for developing countries to export the vaccines they produce within existing flexibilities.

The Fisheries Agreement does not go as far as many members wanted (the UK included). But it does go some way to delivering what our ocean’s need and all those that are dependent on them. We made a firm commitment to continue negotiations so that we can support the recovery of global fish stocks.

The agreements we reached this week may not be perfect, but they do provide a platform on which we can continue to build. No one has worked harder than the Director-General, who has moved mountains in her efforts to bring about consensus. I congratulate her, the WTO Secretariat, Committee Chairs and Facilitators for their tireless efforts.

The UK still believes in the centrality of the WTO to the global trading system. The outcomes achieved in Geneva this week show that we are not alone in this belief. Let’s not wait until MC13 to keep making progress.”

• Women’s Health Ambassador to support the implementation of the upcoming Women’s Health Strategy for England
• Dame Lesley to be supported by a Deputy Ambassador focused on better understanding the challenges faced in accessing services across communities

Women’s health and care will be further improved following the historic appointment of Dame Lesley Regan as the government’s first ever Women’s Health Ambassador for England.

Bringing with her a raft of expertise spanning a 42 year career in women’s health with particular interest in miscarriage, period problems, gynaecological surgery and menopause, she will support the implementation of the upcoming Women’s Health Strategy. The strategy aims to tackle the gender health gap and ensure services meet the needs of women throughout their life.

She continues in her role as Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Imperial College London St Mary’s Hospital Campus, and remains in active clinical practice.

Women’s Health Ambassador Dame Lesley Regan said:

Having spent my career working with and caring for women, it is a great honour to be appointed as Women’s Health Ambassador for the first Government-led Women’s Health Strategy in England.

This is an important opportunity to get it right for women and girls, and make a real difference to 51% of our population by addressing the inequalities that exist across society.

I look forward to working with women, girls, health services, charities, policy makers, the Government and other key partners to implement this strategy.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:

The healthcare system needs to work for everyone, and I am committed to tacking inequalities which exist within it, particularly for women.

Closing the gender health gap is critical for a fair health and care system in the future. I look forward to working closely with Dame Lesley on our shared mission to ensure all women feel listened to by the health and care system and are able to access the support and services they need.

Closing the gender health gap is vital to the governments wider levelling up ambition. A lack of support, awareness and understanding of health conditions specific to women can be harmful not only to the health and happiness of women, but the health of the economy.

1 in 4 women consider leaving their job as a result of the menopause, and ensuring women have the right support in place to stay in the workplace for longer will not only enable them to live fulfilled lives, but help to boost the economy and help tackle the rising costs of living. To demonstrate this, the civil service recently signed the Women of Work Menopause Pledge, committing to ensuring those going through the menopause are supported.

Dame Lesley will be instrumental in driving forward the system level changes needed to close the gender health gap and eradicating deep seated biases.

Bringing with her a wealth of contacts across the medical profession, including from her roles as Honorary Secretary of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and the Immediate Past President (2016-2019) of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), Dame Lesley will leverage her networks ensuring the scale of change needed, and the role clinicians need to play in tackling the gender health gap is understood.

Minister for Women’s Health Maria Caulfield said:

Since we launched our Women’s Health Call for Evidence over a year ago, we have made great progress in raising the profile of women’s health. From the formation of the UK wide menopause taskforce and publication of our Vision document, to legislating to ban hymenoplasty and virginity testing and appointing a chair of the HRT taskforce to help more menopausal women access this lifeline medication.

The appointment of Dame Lesley as the Women’s Health Ambassador for England is yet another step in the right direction to giving women’s health the platform and profile it needs.

We are embarking on an important journey to eradicate the gender health gap. There is no quick fix. But I look forward to working together with Dame Lesley as we take the next steps to implement our Women’s Health Strategy and beyond.

To maximise the positive impact of the Women’s Health Ambassador, the appointment of Dame Lesley will be followed by the appointment of a deputy ambassador who will work closely with the Ambassador and be responsible for increasing awareness of the Women’s Health Strategy and its ambitions and better understanding the barriers and issues of concern of under-served groups of women and girls, for example through community outreach.

Building on the Vision for the Women’s Health Strategy in England publication, the Strategy will be the first step to realising the government’s missions:

• that all women feel comfortable talking about their health and no longer face taboos when they do talk about their health
• that women can access services that meet their needs across the life course
• that all women will have access to high-quality information and education from childhood through to adulthood
• that all women feel supported in the workplace and can reach their full potential at work
• to embed routine collection of demographic data of participants in research trials to make sure that our research reflects the society we serve

This is the latest step taken by the government to ensure women’s healthcare needs are met. This includes taking action to increase access and reduce the cost of HRT meaning women can pay a one-off charge equivalent to two single prescription charges, currently £18.70, for all their HRT prescriptions for a year.

The creation of a prepayment certificate will mean women can access HRT on a month by month basis if need be, easing pressure on supply, while keeping the cost of HRT low. This system will be implemented by April 2023.

To ensure women can reliably access HRT, decisive action has been taken including the appointment of Madelaine McTernan as chair of the HRT supply taskforce and issuing of Serious Shortage Protocols to even out distribution and provide greater flexibility to allow community pharmacists to supply specified alternatives, where appropriate.