Your Excellency, Minister of Defence, MPs, Ladies and Gentlemen. Today, fifty-five years ago, the UK and Mongolia established diplomatic relations. Much has changed in our countries since 1963. But some things have not changed. If fact, reading through the documents on our early relations many things haven’t changed at all. They have simply grown – possibly unimaginably for those who wrote them – from that early dialogue.

There were discussions about increasing Mongolian exports to the UK, of bringing innovative UK equipment into Mongolian industry. Discussions on student exchanges. And, appropriately given where we are tonight, and the phenomenal success of Mongolian Opera singers in the last two BBC Cardiff International Singer competitions – how to link the Opera singers of our two countries.

Fifty-five years on the UK is Mongolia’s second largest export market, British companies have invested billions into Mongolia. And British innovation and technology is strengthening Mongolian business and industry across the country. Examples of this, I would like to thank tonight’s principal sponsors Transwest, representing Joy Global’s UK-made conveyors and Komatsu, and Cummins. Across Mongolia you can find heavy machinery and trucks, including Komatsu’s, powered by formidable Cummins engines made in the UK.

I am, also delighted to be able to make two announcements this evening. Firstly, almost as I speak, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, is informing the UK parliament of the appointment of Julian Knight MP as her Trade Envoy to Mongolia. Secondly, that UK Export Finance, the world’s oldest export credit agency, will increase support available for UK trade with Mongolia to £200million. And also the ability to support transactions in Mongolian Tugrug, as part of its world-leading local currency financing offer. This will allow Mongolian buyers of UK goods and services to access finance in your own currency.

Fifty-five years on the UK and Mongolia are working closely together on some of the greatest global challenges. Peace-keeping, human rights, climate-change, sustainable development, countering the illegal wildlife trade.

Fifty-five years on the UK government’s Chevening Scholarship scheme, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, is flourishing, as are the ever growing links between UK and Mongolian universities and our vibrant alumni network.

When I am asked about diplomatic relations, there is often the sense that I am being questioned about the first word: diplomacy. The treaties, MOUs, bilateral agreements that provide the formal structures for our countries’ work together. But we should never forget that critical second word. Relations. A country, a culture, an ethos are the sum of its people. People and ideas shape the world we live in.

The UK and Mongolia stand together today as proud democracies. Outside this building you can see the work of a Mongolia artist, Batmunkh. A Mongolian rendition, in an appropriate medium for a Mongolian January, of the Houses of Parliament. Behind it the Ikh Khural. But you will also see a sculpture of the Beatles. They released their first single in 1963. And their music. Their message – unmediated by diplomats or governments – helped inspire a generation of young Mongolians to shape the country and democracy you live in today. Tonight is the last formal event that I will host as British Ambassador to Mongolia. And, how fitting that my abiding memory of you and Mongolia is exactly that of my first predecessor, Sir Terence Garvey. In his report back to London after handing over his credentials in 1963, he wrote: ‘no effort was spared… to mark the occasion with gestures of friendship. The effect of this was much enhanced by the natural grace, good humour, good manners and friendliness of the Mongolians.’

For all of the grace, good humour, good manners and friendliness that you have show to me, and to the British Embassy and the United Kingdom over the last 55 years, thank you. I am confident that together our two countries and two peoples will continue to turn our vision and ideas into realties. Here, in the UK, and globally, for the next 55 years to come. And from me, personally, I hope it is goodbye and not farewell.

UK-Mongolia celebrated the 55th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations on 23 January 2018.

Her Majesty’s Ambassador Catherine Arnold launched the year-long celebration with an official reception and she announced the appointment of UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Mongolia and UK Export Finance’s decision to increase support. Julian Knight MP has been appointed by Prime Minister Theresa May to act on behalf of the British Government to support and increase trade and economic co-operation between the United Kingdom and Mongolia.

UK Export Finance, the world’s oldest export credit agency, also announces an increase in support available for UK trade with Mongolia to £200million. UK Export Finance can now also support transactions in Mongolian Tugrug, as part of its world-leading local currency financing offer. This will allow Mongolian buyers of UK goods and services to access finance in their own currency – or to ‘buy British, pay local’.

The British Ambassador to Mongolia, Catherine Arnold, said: ‘These are two significant announcements to support and grow the trade and investment partnership between the UK and Mongolia. On 23 January 1963 the UK became the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with Mongolia. Our first diplomat arrived a year later and we have had diplomatic representation here in Ulaanbaatar ever since. Our partnership has been sustained and unwavering over the last 55 years. I am delighted to launch our 55th anniversary year with these two significant trade announcements. The UK remains committed to working with Mongolia both here and globally, to strengthen our economies, increase sustainability, and nurture democracy and human rights.’

At home in Wales and in nations all over the world, people with Welsh heritage – and people who are Welsh at heart – are today celebrating St David’s Day and all that is great about our country.

Children will be travelling to school dressed in national costume; Eisteddfod audiences will be regaled with Welsh poetry, and hundreds of people, heads bobbing under the weight of bright yellow daffodil hats, will be taking part in colourful St David’s Day parades up and down the country.

I’ve always been aware of the power of what it means to be Welsh.

I’ve long been fascinated by centuries-old literature at the National Library and been proud to bring the Welsh language to Westminster debates in my time as Secretary of State for Wales.

I’ve been entertained by the Welsh National Opera and marvelled at the exploits of our sports stars around the world.

I’ve been moved by heroic tales of the Welshmen that fought for our freedom at First World War centenary commemorations.

And I’ve been transported back to my childhood by our museums and Eisteddfods.

These have all been experiences that have made me proud to be a Welshman, and proud of all that we contribute to the world.

For centuries, Wales’ greatest asset and greatest export has been its people.

We are international in our outlook and have taken our flair, inventiveness and determination to succeed to the four corners of the globe.

Wales has helped bring peace and security to nations, made some of the world’s greatest inventions, and been at the forefront of international trade in every continent.

Because this is a country whose achievements in industry, in technology, sport, music, literature and the arts – they far outweigh our size.

I have also been playing my part by getting on the road to open doors for Wales. From my trade missions to Japan, the USA and the Middle East – they all demonstrate that this Prime Minister and her UK Government is fully behind Wales and I am sending a message to the world that Wales is one of the best places to live, work, visit and trade with.

And our reputation as Europe’s best kept secret will soon be no more as so many more people will come to see for themselves just how much Wales has to offer when the tolls to cross the Severn Bridges are abolished later this year, and flights from Cardiff to Qatar take to the skies in May.

Because in this period of momentous change, we must shout louder than ever before about Wales – I will always champion the Welsh entrepreneurs, inventors and creative people that are leaving an indelible mark around the world. About the business and investment opportunities we have here, about our calibre as a first class sporting and cultural destination.

And today, we celebrate that success by flying the Welsh flag high over N10 Downing Street at the UK Government’s St David’s Day reception – just as it will be flying over our public buildings, churches and schools all across Wales.

So let’s prove that we can be proud of our individual nations and also be committed to our precious union of nations. Because no matter how great we are alone, we will always be greater together.

Once again, to everyone across Wales and around the world, I’d like to wish you a very happy St David’s Day. Dydd Gwyl Dewi hapus I bawb.

Almost three-quarters of women start breastfeeding when their child is born, however by 6 to 8 weeks this drops to just 44%. This makes breastfeeding rates in England among the lowest in the world.

A new survey of 1,000 mothers of young children commissioned by Public Health England (PHE) revealed that in hindsight, mothers wished they had been better prepared for breastfeeding. Before the birth of their first child, mums’ biggest priorities were:

• buying baby equipment (66%)
• preparing for labour (49%)
• buying baby clothes (40%)

However, post birth, nearly a quarter (24%) wished they had read about and were more prepared for breastfeeding and 1 in 4 (26%) of those who had given breast milk to their first child wished they had known that asking for help can make a real difference.

Evidence shows the right support helps mothers to breastfeed for longer. PHE’s programme Start4Life has created the Breastfeeding Friend to encourage parents to adopt healthy behaviours. It is available for free on a range of platforms, including Facebook Messenger, and now for the first time it will also be available as a skill for Amazon Alexa’s voice service.

Mothers can ask Alexa a variety of questions about breastfeeding and the answers will be provided tailored to the age of the baby. This means that they can get helpful advice even when their hands are full.

The survey also highlighted that almost a third (31%) of mothers also felt embarrassed about asking for help with breastfeeding from healthcare professionals. Many mothers can find breastfeeding challenging and often this may cause them to give up.

It also found that almost two thirds (64%) felt that access to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week breastfeeding support, such as a phoneline, website or chatbot, would make new mothers:

• more likely to have a positive experience of breastfeeding
• more likely to decide to try breastfeeding (59%)
• breastfeed for longer (58%)

PHE recommends exclusive breastfeeding for around the first 6 months. Breastfeeding boosts a baby’s ability to fight illness and infection, and babies who are not breastfed are more likely to get diarrhoea and chest infections. Breastfeeding also lowers a mother’s risk of breast cancer and may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.

Viv Bennett, Chief Nurse at Public Health England said:

Breastfeeding, whilst natural, is something that mothers and babies learn together, and whilst learning, women may have questions and setbacks. PHE is working with health professionals to make sure women are not embarrassed and receive timely help. Health professionals do an excellent job of caring for new mothers, but they cannot be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which is where our Breastfeeding Friend from Start4Life is designed to help. This tool, together with the range of support materials from Start4Life, can provide breastfeeding advice at any time of night or day and support mothers and their partners and families through challenges they may face.

These digital offerings will help guide new parents through their first weeks of breastfeeding and beyond, providing help at any time of the day or night, and aim to complement support and advice from health care professionals and breastfeeding specialists. The information provided by all the Start4Life services is NHS approved and both services are independent of Amazon and Facebook.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, Executive Director Institute of Health Visiting, says:

This innovative new service will enhance those already provided by health professionals. Whether a mother manages to establish breastfeeding is largely determinant on the support she receives in the first few days after birth. However, with such short hospital stays, professional support is not as widely available as it once was. To have this back up, which can be accessed from anywhere, will be hugely helpful and we expect health visitors to want to promote the service.

Justine Roberts, CEO and Founder of Mumsnet, says:

Breastfeeding is a hard-won skill for many women, and most mothers will experience a setback along the way, particularly in the first few weeks. We see from conversations on Mumsnet that mothers are looking for breastfeeding support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and in fact middle of the night crises when face-to-face help isn’t available can be the most profoundly lonely and difficult. These new round-the-clock digital services could provide help when mothers need it most.

More information, advice and tips on breastfeeding is available on the Start4Life website.

1 – Once Breastfeeding Friend from Start4Life is enabled from the Alexa app, users can activate the skill on their Alexa by using the wake word ‘Alexa’ and asking for the ‘Breastfeeding Friend’. A ‘card’ will be sent to the user’s Alexa app showing some of the most common questions the Breastfeeding Friend can answer. Users can access quick tips or advice, and ask Alexa a variety of questions about breastfeeding. The answers will be provided tailored to the age of the baby. The 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Breastfeeding Friend from Start4Life aims to make it simple and easy for breastfeeding mums to ask for help if they are facing any breastfeeding difficulties.

2 – In addition to the Breastfeeding Friend from Start4Life there are many other ways that mothers can get breastfeeding support. The Start4Life website has a range of advice and resources which can help mothers continue breastfeeding. Mothers can also call a national helpline (0300 100 0212) provided by the Breastfeeding Network 365 days a year. Mothers can also get help through:

• friends and family
• their Midwifery team
• their health visitor
• local breastfeeding drop-in services

3 – The survey was conducted by Kantar Public from 26 January to 7 February 2018 with a nationally representative sample of 1005 mothers in England with children under the age of 4, on behalf of PHE. The data were weighted to population statistics based on age of mum, region and socio-economic group. Findings show:

• of those who ever gave breastmilk to their first child, younger mums were more likely than older mums to use online sources (42% of 18 to 34 years compared to 30% of 35 to 50 years) when researching or starting to breastfeed
• of mums who breastfed their first child, a quarter wished they’d known it can take a long time, but it’s quality time to spend with their baby (25%) and there is lots of help and support available from breastfeeding groups, other parents and online (24%)
• 1 in 4 (26%) mums felt using more online/digital tools and information would have helped them to be more prepared for becoming a mum
• in hindsight, mums wished their main priorities before the birth of their first child had been preparing for labour (33%), spending time with friends and family (26%), reading about and preparing for breastfeeding (24%) and preparing for night feeds (22%)

4 – Sometimes breastfeeding isn’t possible for a range of reasons. If this is the case, in terms of liquids babies should only be given infant formula milk for the first 12 months and no other types of milk.

5 – Start4Life’s Information Service for Parents and Start4Life website offers NHS information and advice for parents-to-be and parents of 0 to 5 year olds providing them with the advice they need to help get their child off to the best start in life.

6 – The Department of Health is also supporting Unicef UK to develop a neonatal infant feeding network to support sick and preterm babies.

7 – PHE exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities. It does this through world-class science, knowledge and intelligence, advocacy, partnerships and the delivery of specialist public health services.