It is an honour to be here this morning on behalf of the British High Commission.

When I was asked to attend the certificate giving for the Cambridge and Edexcel exams I’ll be honest, I got rather nervous. I was nervous because I knew that last year we had over 3,000 Zambians taking the exams, which meant I was going to have to get my cheek muscles working overtime for the amount of smiling I was going to have to do when presenting the certificates. I’m delighted that we’ve got a representative group rather than the whole lot here today!

The 3,000 is part of a bigger group of nearly 22,000 exams provided by UK exams boards, undertaken by students in Zambia in the past 12 months. I’m delighted that schools and education institutions in Zambia still recognise the UK education sector as the best in the world. Cambridge and Edexcel exams in particular have given opportunities to thousands of Zambians to continue their secondary education and prepare them for university. I hope that many of you will choose the UK as your destination of choice for your higher learning.

Now is the perfect time to go; the latest Higher Education global rankings recently recognised two British Universities, Oxford and Cambridge, as the world’s best. Of course, I’m biased, but having two children who’ve recently completed their university studies I can promise you that not only will the academic course fully meet your expectations, the exceptional diversity and cultural opportunities that you’ll benefit from will help you realise your full potential. Last year we had over half a million international students from 200 countries study in the UK. So it not only offers exposure to the UK’s rich history and culture, but a networking opportunity that’s truly global.

The UK has always been an outward looking country, keen to export our skills and products for use by others. Whether that’s our expertise in financial services (as with the Lord Mayor of London’s visit to Zambia last week), the Premier League (which seems to be gaining ever more followers from abroad) or our cutting-edge educational programmes, the UK has, and always will, remain keen to share. I am pleased that the UK Government, specifically in Zambia the British Council, has continued to support efforts of the government of Zambia in providing quality education. UK qualifications are globally recognised which ensures candidates have opportunities to work not just in Zambia but anywhere in the world.

As parents, teachers and those responsible for the pastoral care of students, we all want what is best for our children. Often this will involve making sacrifices to allow our children the opportunities that we may not have had. I hope, seeing your children succeed and do so well in these examinations will show that your efforts were worthwhile.

Of course, there is always more that we can do. The British Council is working with 10 partner institutions in Lusaka, including the University of Zambia, providing them with examination services, quality assurance and supporting professional development of their tutors. I’m delighted we’re now looking further afield and have partnered with the Copperbelt University to offer the first IELTS exams session outside of Lusaka and we look forward to developing that relationship further. It is right that, for Zambia to develop all of its children to their fullest potential, we look to take our expertise out of the capital.

Once again, I’m thrilled to have been invited here today to participate in this ceremony, and congratulations to all those who are receiving their certificates.

Thank you.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

And thank you very much for being here. This is the first time that world leaders and the tech industry have come together to speak at the United Nations. And I am particularly grateful to my co-hosts, President Macron of France and Prime Minister Gentiloni from Italy, for their leadership in this area, and also to Kent Walker from Google for representing the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism.

Now, the internet and social media can and should be forces for good. But they have also been co-opted by terrorists to incite acts of evil. The internet is one way groups like Al-Qaeda and Daesh recruit, radicalise and direct their supporters, and it is proving increasingly effective.

Recent attacks have demonstrated a new trend in the threat we all face, as home-grown perpetrators are radicalised online and inspired to attack their fellow citizens, often using the crudest means. Daesh publications available online contained instructions of how to use a motor vehicle to attack pedestrians. This was the methodology which was used in the attacks on Westminster Bridge, London Bridge, Finsbury Park, Nice, Barcelona, Berlin – the list goes on. Those killed and injured came from all corners of the globe. And just last week, we saw the London Underground targeted by terrorists using an explosive device. This is a global problem and all our populations are affected, whether at home or abroad. As a global community, we must do all we can to tackle it.

Now, the United Kingdom has provided leadership in the global effort to remove dangerous content from the internet and we’ve been joined by friends and allies, including France and Italy. But governments alone will not succeed. Internet companies also have a vital role to play, and I am pleased that they are stepping up their action in this area.

In June, Facebook, Microsoft, YouTube and Twitter jointly launched the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism at an event attended by our Home Secretary. These and other companies are already making progress in stopping the spread of terrorist content, which we warmly welcome.

The average lifetime of Daesh propaganda online has now dropped from six days to just 36 hours in the first six months of the year. But that is still 36 hours too long, and the challenge ahead of us remains significant. As we make progress in one area, the extremist threat shifts and we must redouble our efforts in others. Terrorist groups are aware that links to their propaganda are being removed more quickly and are placing a greater emphasis on disseminating content at speed in order to stay ahead.

Industry needs to go further and faster in automating the detection and removal of terrorist content online and developing technological solutions which prevent it being uploaded in the first place. Our aim should be to ensure that links to new terrorist material are detected and removed within one to two hours. As it becomes harder for terrorists to share new propaganda and supporters look across the internet to re-share existing material, it is essential that companies prioritise the removal of legacy content and ensure it cannot be uploaded again.

The Forum is showing positive leadership in each of these areas, from expanding the sharing of digital fingerprints that help disrupt the distribution of terrorist content to investing in research to better understand the spread of this material. I look forward to progress being made by the G7 interior ministers’ meeting in Rome in October.

I recognise this isn’t something that we can fix overnight, but I know that together we can make significant strides in tackling this issue. And while this event and the Global Forum are about preventing terrorist propaganda from spreading online and radicalising our citizens, we must also work together to tackle the abuse of encrypted messaging apps to plan, direct and coordinate terrorist attacks. This is also something that we require greater company cooperation with and I hope that we can use the spirit of positive collaboration that we see here to make greater progress in that area in the future.

If we are to continue making progress in removing terrorist content online, governments must support the efforts of industry and civil society. That’s why the UK called for the creation of the Global Internet Forum for Counter Terrorism and why I call on others in the room to support it today. In my remarks to the General Assembly last year, I emphasised the need to tackle all forms of extremism. Today, we have the opportunity to call on countries, industry and communities around the world to do everything possible, online and offline, to tackle those attempting to radicalise our young people. And if we do so, we can protect our citizens against those who would harm them, and we can help to build a safer world.

I would now like to invite my co-host, President Emmanuel Macron, to give his reflections on this challenge. And I value the very close partnership that the UK has had with France in addressing this issue, particularly following the launch of the UK-France action plan in July of this year. And I’d like to thank the President for his strong, personal support and commitment to driving this agenda forward.

Government is expected to invest more than £360m in developing the next generation of public servants, through a new Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework.

And small and medium-sized enterprises will have the chance to benefit from the move, signing up to provide training and recruitment expertise to government through the Apprenticeship Training and Related Services agreement.

38% of the successful suppliers are SMEs – 6 out of 16 appointed to the framework.

Peter Lawson, Strategic Category Director, People Pillar at CCS said:

This agreement supports the government to train the next generation of public servants, who will eventually be responsible for delivering efficient, effective services that meet the needs of citizens.

The framework is split into 12 specialisms, making it easier for SME providers to win places in their own field of expertise.

How it will work

Public sector bodies with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million per year are required to invest 0.5% of their total staffing cost into apprenticeship opportunities. This means that most public bodies are now required to have some kind of apprenticeship programme.

Employers will access the funds through a Digital Apprenticeship Account (DAA) controlled by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).

On average, the prices public bodies will pay are 22% below the upper limits on apprenticeship charges set by the ESFA. This will deliver annual savings of up to £8 million.

The new CCS framework will help organisations to set up their own programmes without having to do multiple, lengthy procurement exercises to access ESFA-registered training providers.

Lotting structure

The framework has been divided into twelve lots covering different apprenticeship disciplines.

Each lot is then subdivided into those through which civil service customers can make direct awards, and those through which all public sector customers can direct award or conduct further competitions.

• Lot 1(a) & (b): Leadership and Management Apprenticeship Training and Related Services
• Lot 2(a) & (b): Project Management Apprenticeship Training and Related Services
• Lot 3(a) & (b): Operational Delivery Apprenticeship Training and Related Services
• Lot 4(a) & (b): Human Resources Apprenticeship Training and Related Services
• Lot 5(a) & (b): Finance and Tax Apprenticeship Training and Related Services
• Lot 6(a) & (b): Higher Level Digital Apprenticeship Training and Related Services
• Lot 7(a) & (b): Digital Apprenticeship Training and Related Services
• Lot 8(a) & (b): Customer Service Apprenticeship Training and Related Services
• Lot 9(a) & (b) Commercial Apprenticeship Training and Related Services
• Lot 10(a) & (b): Higher Level Leadership and Management Apprenticeship Training and Related Services
• Lot 11(a) & (b): Business and Administration Apprenticeship Training and Related Services
• Lot 12(b): Property Apprenticeship Training and Related Services

CCS worked in collaboration with Civil Service Learning (CSL) to create a framework agreement with selected ESFA-registered apprenticeship training providers.

For more information, visit the Apprenticeship Training and Related Services webpages.

Universal female education and addressing gender inequalities in the workplace are crucial to strengthening economies, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has told business leaders at the Bloomberg Business Forum.

The Foreign Secretary and Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild co-hosted a session that focussed on knocking down barriers to women in the private sector and how the public and private sector could work together to accelerate change. They also discussed the role of gender reporting and whether it would be possible to set a recognised universal standard of gender equality in private companies.

According to the World Economic Forum the gender gap has worsened globally over recent years and could take up to 170 years to eliminate it. However, in the UK the gender gap is at its lowest recorded level of 18.1%.

The Foreign Secretary said:

We all know that no society can achieve its full potential with half of its population left behind. If women were to make their full economic contribution, we could add as much as $28 trillion to the world economy by 2025. But this cannot and will not happen unless all girls and women get equal opportunities in education and employment.

The evidence shows that gender parity in a company – particularly at senior level – is an excellent indicator of higher financial returns. There is no doubt of the moral and financial case for gender equality at home and abroad. The UK has taken important action to address the gender pay gap through legislation, and I want to continue working with the private sector to accelerate change.

By law, all UK companies with more than 250 employees must publish their data on gender pay by April 2018 – and every year thereafter. This level of transparency will create a powerful incentive for employers to demonstrate annual improvements, as gender parity is an indicator to investors and consumers that a company will likely outperform its competitors.

Our hosts, Bloomberg, have created a ground-breaking gender index for the financial services industry. I am eager to see more innovations of this kind and for them to be used to develop a recognised gender equality standard around the world. The UK remains committed to working alongside top businesses in the private sector to make gender equality in the workplace a reality.

Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, Chief Executive Officer, E.L Rothschild said:

At the Coalition for Inclusive Capitalism, we are seeing more global business and investment leaders focus on gender diversity as a driver of value. They believe that the diversity of thought provides a source of competitive advantage and innovative thinking that will help them better address the complex problems businesses face today.

But more work needs to be done. The business community needs to think more about the long-term value that is created when we invest in our workforce. To accelerate progress, more collaboration is needed across the public and private spheres to provide women and girls accessible career choice and advancement opportunities. Moreover, we need leaders to instill gender equality values in their organisational culture and measure and report on progress.

Roundtable attendees

• Co-Chair: Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, CEO, E.L Rothschild
• Moderator: Megan Murphy, Editor, Bloomberg Businessweek
• Simone Bagel-Trah, Chairwoman and Chair of the Supervisory Board and the Shareholders’ Committee, Henkel Group
• Rana El Kaliouby, CEO and Co-founder, Affectiva
• Sarah Al Suhaimi, Chairwoman and CEO, Tadawul (Saudi Arabia Stock Exchange) and CEO, NCB Capital
• Kara Goldin, Founder and CEO, Hint, Inc.
• Peter Grauer, Chairman, Bloomberg LP and founding US Chair, 30 Percent Club
• Dr Shirley Jackson, President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
• Eileen Murray, Co-President and Co-COO, Bridgewater Associates, LP

In September 2015 MacKinsey Global Institute reported that if women were to participate in the economy identically to men, it would add up to $28 trillion, or 26%, to annual global GDP in 2025 compared with a business-as-usual scenario. This impact is roughly equivalent to the size of the combined US and Chinese economies today.

Britain was among the first countries to introduce gender pay gap legislation in April of this year. It is now the law that all UK companies with more than 250 employees must publish their data on gender pay and bonus gap data as well as the proportion of male and female employees in each salary quartile from April 2018 onwards, and every year afterwards.

Businesses can lead research and development projects into low emission technologies for cars, motorbikes, lorries and vans as part of a long-term funding plan for the UK to lead the way in new vehicle developments.

Innovate UK and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) have up to £20 million to invest in new vehicle technologies. This is the 14th competition under their integrated delivery plan (IDP).

For the first time, a portion of the money is being set aside to support research into technologies for medium and heavy goods vehicles.

The funding was announced today by Roads Minister, Jesse Norman.

Acceleration towards zero-emission vehicles

Government’s ambition is for nearly all cars and vans on UK roads to be zero emission by 2050. It aims to support the acceleration towards zero-emission vehicles through technology development, particularly where this can significantly reduce system costs.

Projects could look at:

• electric machines and power electronics
• energy storage and energy management
• lightweight vehicle and powertrain structures
• highly disruptive zero emission technologies
• propulsion for zero emission medium and heavy goods vehicles

Medium and heavy goods vehicle projects could focus on the main powertrain and also on auxiliary power systems such as for refrigeration or trailer equipment.

The funding

Up to £18 million is set aside in this competition for research and development projects that develop technologies to support the transition, and a further £2 million is set aside for smaller feasibility studies.

Funding for the competition includes £15 million from OLEV and £5 million from the Faraday Challenge. This is the part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund that will particularly support battery technology.

OLEV was set up to work across government to support the early market for ultra-low-emission vehicles. It is providing £900 million to help place the UK at the forefront of development, manufacture and use of low emission vehicles.

Competition information

• the competitions for research and development and feasibility funding are open, and the deadline for applications is at midday on 13 December 2017
• a briefing event will be held on 27 September 2017

Feasibility studies

• we expect feasibility studies to have total project costs of up to £250,000 and to last up to 12 months
• projects must be led by a business working with at least one partner
• businesses could attract up to 70% of their eligible project costs

Research and development

• we expect research and development projects to have total costs of between £250,000 and £4 million and to last between 12 months and 3 years
• projects must be led by a business working with at least one partner and include an appropriate end customer
• businesses could attract up to 70% of their eligible project costs