• Alok Sharma to address audience at Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. on Friday 14 October, with last keynote speech before COP27

• Mr Sharma will urge global institutions to urgently adapt and ensure tackling the climate crisis is a fundamental part of their overall purpose

• Address follows Mr Sharma’s engagements at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings this week

COP26 President Alok Sharma will today (Friday 14 October, 2022) deliver a major keynote address at the Wilson Center think-tank in Washington, D.C., outlining key climate finance priorities ahead of COP27 next month.

Mr Sharma is expected to address how the international system – including multilateral development banks, businesses, central banks, finance ministries and regulators – must reform to support faster climate action in line with the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact, which was agreed by nearly 200 countries at COP26 last year.

Mr Sharma is expected to say: “The world is recognising that we cannot tackle the defining challenge of this century, with institutions defined by the last.

“We have to incentivise every aspect of the international system to recognise the systemic risk of climate change, and to make managing it effectively its central task,” he will add.

The COP26 President is also expected to echo a “compelling call for an overhaul of our global financial architecture” as set out in the Bridgetown Agenda by the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley.

Mr. Sharma will say that multilateral institutions of today were not set up with the purpose of tackling an existential climate crisis and that “climate must be at the very heart of what they do, and they must do more to lead on this agenda.

“The world cannot afford for such institutions to be cautious in how their considerable climate resources are deployed. That, I think, is a matter of social justice as well as environmental security.”

Speaking to an audience of policy, finance and business representatives, with just three weeks remaining until the start of COP27, Mr Sharma will also reflect on the legacy of COP26 and the UK’s Presidency.

“It will soon be time for Egypt to pick up the baton. I want COP27 to build on the success of COP26, just as COP26 built on COP25, and COP24 before that,” he will say.

Mr. Sharma will say that this momentum has been challenged by competing priorities governments have faced this year, but will also emphasise these priorities cannot be tackled in isolation or distract from the net zero transition. The COP President will also recognise that despite progress during the UK Presidency year, including 24 new Nationally Determined Contributions, countries are not on track to deliver the full promise of the Glasgow Climate Pact.

He will conclude by urging all Parties to arrive in Egypt with the same spirit of urgency, collaboration and compromise that underpinned the success of COP26 in Glasgow. As the impacts of climate change become more extreme and spiral, this will include addressing core issues like loss and damage.

Mr. Sharma will call on countries to tackle loss and damage by building “on our collective progress at COP26” but “go further still.” He will also confirm that the UK believes it is right that there is a new agenda item on this issue.

The event is hosted by the Wilson Center, in partnership with the British Embassy, Washington D.C.

The speech will be live streamed via the Wilson Center website at 1500 BST / 1000 ET on Friday 14 October, and on the COP26 Twitter channel.

The UK is providing further humanitarian support to Pakistan following the devastating floods that have killed over a thousand people and affected more than 33 million.

As part of a visit to the country, FCDO Minister Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon has today announced a further £10 million of humanitarian aid, bringing the UK Government’s total contribution to £26.5 million.

The extra support will be spent on urgent life-saving needs such as providing shelter, water and sanitation to prevent waterborne diseases. It will focus on supporting people who are still displaced and those that are returning to their land, by helping re-establish communal water supplies.

During his visit to Pakistan, Lord Ahmad will meet the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and other government counterparts to discuss the impact of the floods, visit the areas most affected and speak with key UK-funded aid agencies on the ground in Sindh.

UK Minister of State for South Asia, FCDO, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon said:

The UK continues to help the people of Pakistan recover from the recent devastating floods.

Our support will help to tackle the spread of waterborne diseases and to improve access to clean water, sanitation, medical care and shelter across the country.

We are working night and day with Pakistan and our international partners to ensure that UK aid reaches the hardest hit areas.

As well as helping with urgent life-saving needs, the UK is supporting Pakistan’s economic recovery and resilience against future climate disasters.

The UK’s new Developing Countries Trading Scheme will help grow trade by giving duty-free access to 94% of goods exported from Pakistan to the UK.

In addition to the UK’s £26.5 million donation in humanitarian funding, a UK Royal Air Force flight recently delivered eight boats and ten portable generators for use in flood relief operations.

As well as discussing the floods, the Minister will also use this visit to raise the need for strong international support for Ukraine following Russia’s illegal annexation of sovereign territory, and reaffirm the strong people-to-people links between the UK and Pakistan in the context of the 75 year anniversary of Pakistan’s independence.

• according to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Agency, the flooding in Pakistan has destroyed or damaged 2 million houses, with 546,000 people now living in relief camps. The disaster has also damaged 12,716 km of roads and 22,000 schools. In total, 745 health centres have been damaged or destroyed

• today’s announcement takes the total UK contribution to the floods response to £26.5 million. £21.5 million is going to the relief efforts in the areas worst-hit by the flooding. The remaining £5 million will go directly to the Disasters Emergency Committee Pakistan Floods Appeal, after the UK government match funded pound for pound the first £5 million of DEC donations by the UK public. Further donations can be made at www.dec.org.uk or by calling 0330 678 1000

• British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are offering free relief shipments, in their cargo, of any aid goods being sent from the UK to Pakistan

• the DEC appeal has notably been supported by the England men’s cricket team, who were touring Pakistan for the T20s last month, with the team making a personal donation which was then matched by the England Cricket Board

• the UK pledged over £55 million to partner with Pakistan to fight climate change, manage water more sustainably and unlock climate investment in November 2021 during the COP26 Conference in Glasgow

ENDS

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The government of the Federative Republic of Brazil, represented by the Ministry of Economy (ME), and the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, represented by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), have been cooperating since 2019 to promote inclusive economic growth in Brazil through the internationalisation of Brazilian micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

This cooperation is a direct result of the 20 August 2019 Memorandum of Understanding between the Foreign & Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (FCO) and the Ministry of Economy of the Federative Republic of Brazil (ME) on Prosperity Fund Cooperation on Trade Facilitation.

The main deliverable of this cooperation is the Global Trade Hub (GTH), or BRAEXP in its Brazilian brand name, a digital marketplace for export services focused on MSMEs and based on the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) Integrated Services for MSMEs in International Trade (ISMIT) concept, to be fully developed and transferred to Brazilian ownership and operation by March 2023.

An early outcome of this cooperation is the full digitisation and automation of the Brazilian National Plan of Export Culture (PNCE) export maturity self-assessment service, based on a benchmarked methodology originally developed by the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI). The PNCE service allows any Brazilian MSME from any region or sector and with access to the internet to self-assess its export maturity and receive, for free, a tailor-made internationalisation plan with the identification of the export services it needs to consume to access or expand its sales in international markets.

The PNCE service digitisation, automation, and technological transfer to ME was concluded in July 2022. While the service is already available to Brazilian MSMEs, it will be fully integrated into the GTH once the digital marketplace for export services is transferred to Brazilian ownership and operation and goes online.

The PNCE service and the GTH digital marketplace are based on open source, cloud-ready, and cutting-edge technology as well as on innovative international best practices. They place Brazil as a leader among emerging economies in the digitisation of foreign trade procedures and trade facilitation, as well as demonstrate the value of British Official Development Assistance (ODA) to foster inclusive economic growth and strengthen bilateral economic partnerships.

FCDO will continue to provide technical and financial support to the delivery of the GTH until March 2023 while ME will continue to lead negotiations with GTH stakeholders to secure a Technical Cooperation Agreement with a roadmap for the full implementation of the digital marketplace and the definition of its final legal and financial models. ME will also aim at adopting a new brand name for PNCE with a view to increasing MSMEs awareness and use of the service.

The Brazilian and British governments consider their cooperation on inclusive economic growth through the internationalisation of MSMEs as very successful and will continue cooperating with a view to concluding it by March 2023.

Thank you Mr Chair, Secretary-General, all

Member States have a responsibility to the UN and the people it serves to ensure the Organisation has the correct level of resource to carry out its mandates, in particular in support of the 2030 Agenda.

We will evaluate the Secretary-General’s budget proposals carefully. Programmes must use resources efficiently and effectively, to deliver results that make a real difference for those in greatest need. We will hold the Organisation to account for how it has used, and will use the resources we give it.

The United Kingdom welcomes the Secretary-General’s reforms, in particular the move to an annual budget cycle, which have contributed to a UN that is more results-orientated and better able to respond to fast changing challenges. While we see positive progress on results and responsiveness, there is always scope to go further.

We look to all programmes to ensure effective coordination and to collaborate across the UN system; to focus activities where they have comparative advantage and avoiding duplication; and to use innovation, evaluation and continuous improvement to enhance performance and mandate delivery. It is crucial that every dollar the United Nations spends has the greatest impact on the ground.

The UK notes a number of proposals to move activities previously funded through extra-budgetary contributions onto the regular budget. We support predictable and sustainable funding for UN work. But shifting more activity onto the regular budget is not always the solution, especially at a time when national budgets are under pressure. Nevertheless, we will consider such proposals on their individual merits.

Mr Chair,

Like others, we have serious concerns about certain ACABQ recommendations on the 2023 budget. Member States expect the ACABQ to provide clear, technical and evidence-based advice to inform our decision-making. But we have seen recommendations that seek to expand the ACABQ’s remit to extra-budgetary funded activities, to reopen long-standing GA resolutions. Most concerning, are recommendations that, if endorsed, could result in defunding human rights council mandates. We welcome the opportunity to engage with the ACABQ on these issues.

Finally Mr Chair, I would like to assure you and the Secretary-General of my delegation’s commitment to work constructively with all delegations to reach a good and timely outcome on the 2023 budget.

• Removal of barriers secured that previously discouraged UK companies selling alcohol abroad in several countries
• Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch visits Scotch Whisky distillery to hail major win for UK industry which can now sell more products to countries including Angola and Argentina
• Visit will demonstrate how UK government’s trade agenda is delivering for the Union

British drinks companies can raise a glass to news the UK has unlocked export markets worth over £100 million after smashing trade barriers that deterred alcohol sales to multiple countries across South America and Africa.

Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch will toast the news on a visit today (13 October) to Glenkinchie Distillery to meet the whisky-makers set to benefit. Located near Edinburgh, the Victorian distillery has recently been transformed as part of a £185 million investment in Scotch Whisky tourism by leading British distiller Diageo. Glenkinchie is the Lowland Home of Johnnie Walker – the biggest selling Scotch Whisky in the world.

The changes in Argentina, Angola, Morocco and Tunisia will help the UK’s world-leading products to reach millions of new potential customers and boost alcohol exports, which reached £6.5 billion last year.

The newly resolved barriers add to an ever-growing list of obstacles to trade removed in the last two years – now totaling more than 400 barriers across 70 countries.

Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said:

Every week we remove a trade barrier somewhere around the world. From whisky in Argentina to gin in Angola, we’re slashing red tape and opening access to new markets and new customers.

With these trade obstacles gone and more to follow, my message to UK businesses is clear – make the most of the huge global appetite for your fantastic products and sell to the world.

As we line up deals with huge markets around the globe, including India and CPTPP, I can’t wait to celebrate the even greater wins which lie ahead.

Following the Government’s intervention:

• The Argentinean government reduced whisky tariffs from 35% to 20%.
• Morocco removed 49% tariffs that were mistakenly imposed on a range of UK spirits.
• Planned taxes on alcohol imports in Angola were cancelled.
• Alcoholic goods stuck at Tunisian customs were freed, allowing UK companies to benefit from lower tariffs under the UK-Tunisia association agreement.

They follow an announcement in June of an ambition to unlock export opportunities worth more than £20 billion by resolving a ‘hit list’ of around 100 priority trade barriers around the world.

Negotiators are also currently working on a free trade agreement that could lower tariffs and simplify other issues like customs to help distilleries sell to India.

The UK exported £146 million worth of whisky to India last year from distilleries such as Glenkinchie but faced steep tariffs of up to 150%.

With India forecast to become the world’s third-largest economy with a middle class of a quarter of a billion by 2050, any greater access to the market could be hugely significant for UK businesses.

Mark Kent, CEO of Scotch Whisky Association said:

Securing a deal with India to reduce the 150% tariff on Scotch Whisky is the industry’s top international trade priority.

We want to see a deal agreed, but not any deal. To deliver for the industry, any agreement must open up the market to more Scotch Whisky producers, which will in turn generate hundreds of new jobs across the UK, hundreds of millions of pounds of additional exports, and boost investment and revenue in India.

The ongoing negotiations are a once in a generation chance to give more Scottish distillers the opportunity to do business in India. That is the scale of the prize on offer.

We look forward to working with the Trade Secretary to deliver continued growth for the Scotch Whisky industry in India, and other key global markets.

Ewan Andrew, President of Global Supply Chain and Procurement at Diageo, said:

It was a pleasure to welcome the Secretary of State to Glenkinchie to see how we are investing in the future growth of Scotch whisky, with all the powerful economic benefits that brings to Scotland and the United Kingdom.

The UK-India Free Trade Agreement is a truly once in a generation, transformational opportunity for Scotch Whisky and we hope today’s visit will have given the Secretary of State a real understanding of our industry and the positive impact the India FTA could have on the sector.

A trade deal with India would be the latest in a long line of wins for the UK drinks industry, including:

• Suspending harmful retaliatory tariffs linked to the Airbus-Boeing disputes – these had targeted around £340m of single malt Irish and Scotch whisky exports to the US
• Removal of tariffs on all UK exports to Australia and New Zealand under these trade deals, making it cheaper to sell products such as gin and Scotch whisky down under.

The UK also continues to work towards accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership. Joining the £9 trillion GDP bloc could reap benefits for alcohol producers in the UK by securing lower tariffs for exports, including whisky.

Pernod Ricard, who own iconic British brands including The Glenlivet, Beefeater Gin, and Chivas Scotch, are also strong supporters of the UK’s trade agenda. They see big benefits both from Free Trade Agreements, and DIT’s work breaking down market access barriers, including helping to resolve recent issues exporting their Scotch whiskies to Morocco.

Anishka Jelicich, UK Director of Public Affairs for Pernod Ricard, said

UK spirits are winning markets and securing jobs thanks to the UK’s global trade policy.  We strongly support the free trade agreements now under negotiation with India and CPTPP.

We also value DIT’s often unsung work breaking down market access barriers every day across the globe.  For example, thanks to DIT’s intervention last year, we were able to resolve Customs paperwork issues which meant we would have had to pay a 49% tariff to Morocco, Africa’s fourth largest market for Scotch whisky.