Right on Time: £800k for military logistics innovation

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has today launched a competition that seeks innovative ideas from industry and academia that could provide efficiencies for military logistics.

Ideas are sought that identify, develop, and demonstrate to the military logistics community that they could deliver a step change in military logistics capability across the Maritime, Land and Air domains.

Right on Time: Automating Military Logistics, is focussed primarily on innovative ideas in autonomy and the potential automation of the logistics chain. The aim is for the developed technologies to inform future military user requirements across the domains (Maritime, Land and Air).

The competition will feed into the Deployed Military Logistics Hubs development thinking.

The scope of this competition, run on behalf of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) covers two areas of innovation:

  • autonomy and automation

  • additive manufacturing

Full details of scope can be found in the competition document. Proposals which are relevant to either or both of these areas are welcomed and we seek all ideas that could provide better solutions and efficiencies for any Deployed Military Logistics Hub.

A total of £800k is available for this competition to fund multiple proposals, with projects showcasing their innovation at a demonstration event to be held in the UK during September 2021.

We are interested in technologies which can be progressed towards Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 6 within this timescale.

We encourage collaboration between organisations for this competition.

To support this we have a short survey to collect details of those who wish to explore collaboration possibilities. If you are interested in a collaboration, please complete the survey and your details will be circulated among other potential suppliers who have completed the survey and are interested in collaborating.

It is likely that a larger number of lower-value proposals (for example £40k to £80k ex. VAT) will be funded than a small number of higher-value proposals.

This competition closes at midday GMT on Thursday 25th March 2021.

A dial-in session providing further detail on the problem space and a chance to ask questions in an open forum will take place on 11 February 2021. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page.

A series of 15 minute one-to-one teleconference sessions, giving you the opportunity to ask specific questions will take place on 23rd February 2021. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page.



Natural England announces major extension to the Lower Derwent Valley National Nature Reserve to mark World Wetlands Day

Press release

Natural England, in collaboration with the Carstairs Countryside Trust (CCT) has announced today multiple extensions to the internationally important Lower Derwent Valley National Nature Reserve (NNR) near York.

A flock of water birds, perhaps geese, are seen taking off from a body of water. It is sunrise on a sunny day.

The Lower Derwent Vallet is an internationally important shelter for breeding and wintering birds.

Coinciding with World Wetlands Day on 2 February 2021, the extensions will increase the NNR by almost a third from 466 hectares to 602 hectares.

Ian Carstairs OBE, who founded CCT in 1989 as a rapid response organisation for conservation, was delighted that the Trust could support the government’s national drive to protect and build back nature:

The Trustees of CCT are pleased to work with Natural England to extend the NNR to benefit society and wildlife, especially as so many people seek the comfort of the natural world in these difficult times. At the same time, we are able to help to protect this vulnerable refuge from which nature can be rebuilt back across the countryside.

The Lower Derwent Valley, with its ancient traditionally-farmed hay meadows, is of international importance. The reserve and surrounding privately owned and farmed meadows, known as Ings, stretch for some 12 miles along the river Derwent and the Pocklington Canal. The reserve offers crucial areas of sanctuary and freedom from disturbance to large numbers of breeding and wintering birds. Lying remarkably close, and partly within the City of York, its amazing wildlife spectacles can be enjoyed throughout the year around the Valley at key visitor locations including at North Duffield, Wheldrake and Thorganby.

Describing the Lower Derwent Valley as a unique historic landscape, Natural England’s Senior National Nature Reserve Manager, Craig Ralston emphasised the international significance of the area and the privilege of having such an exceptional and easily accessible area for those living on its doorstep.

Craig said:

Not only does the Lower Derwent Valley support immense wildlife interest, but it stores and slows winter flood winter, locks away carbon and provides agricultural crops and livelihoods. “With the extension of the NNR we are balancing the provision of sanctuary areas for some of our most threatened wildlife whilst also providing areas were the public can responsibly visit and enjoy the spectacles without disturbance. This really is a special day.”

Further information

  • World Wetlands Day is celebrated annually on 2 February. It aims to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and planet. It celebrates all the benefits wetlands bring – from biodiversity, flood storage and reduction, food and jobs, clean water and access to health environments for recreation
  • An additional 143.5 hectares of land is now classed as a National Nature Reserve and is formed of 22 parcels of land situated in the parishes of Catton, Sutton upon Derwent, Wheldrake, Thornton, Allerthorpe, Bielby, Melbourne, Thorganby, Cottingwith, North Duffield, Ellerton and Bubwith in North Yorkshire and Humberside.
  • The Lower Derwent Valley National Nature Reserve is made up of a series of flood meadows, pastures and woodlands. The reserve supports a rich diversity of plant species and outstanding populations of breeding and wintering birds. In light of this, the reserve has been declared a Special Protection Area and a Ramsar site, and parts of the Lower Derwent Valley National Nature Reserve are managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the Carstairs Countryside Trust.

Published 2 February 2021



37th Universal Periodic Review: UK statement on Nauru

World news story

The UK delivers statement on Nauru at the 37th Session of Universal Periodic Review (UPR), sharing recommendations to improve their human rights record.

Palais

The Universal Periodic Review takes place in Geneva.

Thank you.

The United Kingdom appreciates Nauru’s continued participation in the UPR process. We commend Nauru’s efforts to implement the recommendations from the last review, despite capacity and resource constraints, and we welcome Nauru’s ongoing consultation with civil society in this process.

The United Kingdom acknowledges the challenges facing the Government in their efforts to address their human rights obligations, especially in the face of the growing impact of climate change, and we encourage Nauru to draw on available international technical assistance and expertise in this area.

We recommend that Nauru:

  1. Develop and implement a national action plan on human trafficking and modern slavery and allocate a fully-funded budget to the national action plan.

  2. Adopt an open, merit-based process when selecting national candidates for UN Treaty Body elections.

  3. Protect and uphold the right to free and independent media in Nauru, including by reviewing prohibitively high foreign journalist visa fees to enable foreign journalists to visit the country.

Thank you.

Published 2 February 2021



COP26 brings countries together to protect world’s forests

  • New initiative brings key countries together to work towards sustainable food supply chains
  • Ministers from more than 18 countries come together to develop a route map for future international trade that will protect forests
  • Over 10 million hectares of forest are destroyed through global commodity production each year

A new initiative to protect rainforests from further destruction whilst ensuring development and trade is sustainable has been kick-started by the UK today as hosts of the COP26 climate summit in November.

The UK today launched the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT) Dialogue, which will bring together key countries exporting agricultural products and the countries consuming these products to discuss how to make this process greener and more sustainable.

COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma, was joined by ministers from more than 18 different countries, including Brazil and South Korea, to kick start this new initiative which will take collaborative action through 2021 to November’s climate conference and beyond.

International trade in commodities like palm oil, soy and beef, provides over $80bn per annum in export earnings for producer countries, and contributes to food security and economic growth in consumer countries. The sector supports 1.5 billion people who depend on it for jobs and livelihoods, many of them in developing countries. Forests continue to disappear at an alarming rate as a result of agricultural production and in some cases deforestation is increasing.

The FACT Dialogue aims to agree principles for collaborative action, a shared roadmap for the transition to sustainable supply chains and international trade, and to take action now to protect forests while promoting development and trade.

This comes as Professor Dasgupta publishes his review today, which calls for urgent and transformative change in how we think, act and measure economic success to protect and enhance our prosperity and the natural world.

COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma, said:

I am proud to bring together the countries that can make global trade more sustainable for everyone.

This is about working together to protect our precious forests while enhancing livelihoods and supporting economic development and food security, which is one of our key priorities as we work towards COP26 in Glasgow later this year.

Also joining today’s launch was the Dialogue’s non-governmental partner, the Tropical Rainforest Alliance (TFA) who announced the creation of a Global Multi Stakeholder Taskforce on commodity trade. The taskforce will bring together over 25 leading figures working on sustainability who will channel their expertise and advise the governmental dialogues throughout the year.

Fabiola Muñoz, Coordinator of the Peruvian Coalition for Sustainable Production and Co-chair of the Global Multi-stakeholder Taskforce said:

We have a unique opportunity to do things differently, to listen to all perspectives and regions, and collectively build the solutions that will lead us to a forest-positive future.

Action to protect the planet’s diversity and establish a sustainable future will require global collaboration across all society, from policy makers and industrialists, through to the individual consumers.

Protection of the environment is woven through the UN 2030 Sustainable Developments Goals which were agreed five years ago and Goal 15, Life on Land, speaks specifically to the sustainable use of ecosystems. The launch of the FACT Dialogue today and the establishment of the Global Multi Stakeholder Task Force represents a major step forward in international collaboration on this pressing issue.

International Environment Minister Lord Goldsmith said:

Forests around the world are being destroyed at a truly alarming and completely unsustainable rate, with severe impacts on nature, people and climate. The UK has a long and proud history of supporting action to combat deforestation and promote sustainable land use. Our new due diligence measure in the Environment Bill will clean up our supply chains by making it illegal for UK businesses to use key commodities produced on illegally deforested land.

As part of our Presidency of COP26, we are building a global alliance of countries committed to working together to tackle this important issue and this new dialogue will be instrumental in making this happen.

The event launch will be moderated by TV presenter, Julia Bradbury, and the musician, Nile Rogers, will also take part.

Ends.

Notes to editors

  • The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 1 – 12 November 2021.
  • The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
  • The UK is committed to working with all countries and joining forces with civil society, companies and people on the frontline of climate change to inspire climate action ahead of COP26.
  • Further information on today’s Dasgupta Review launch is available on GOV.UK.
  • The FACT launch event will be live streamed on the COP26 YouTube channel from 1100 on 2 February and will be available after the event. Access the event here.


MCA targets uncoded race yachts

The MCA has agreed to discontinue prosecution against the owners of Scarlet Oyster and Playing Around, under the condition both enter into a written agreement to ensure their vessels are coded when engaged in any commercial activity.

The outcome reaffirms the agency’s committed position to ensuring all vessels hold the correct documentation.

Small, commercially operated yachts must hold a valid code certificate when being used for any commercial purposes, including racing and training, while vessels must also only operate within the category of water for which they have been authorized. A failure to comply will result in enforcement action with the MCA committed to maintaining the rigorous standards of the UK Flag.

Despite initiatives to address concerns raised in 2019, such as publication of the information leaflet ‘Are you in code mode’ and officers attending Gran Canaria for the start of the ARC, investigations were begun into several yachts.

The Regulatory Compliance Investigation Team found a number of breaches, resulting in the owners receiving official cautions, paying several thousands of pounds in intervention costs to the MCA and ensuring their vessels were coded for future commercial use. Other yachts were sold or removed from the UK flag and no longer entitled to be UK registered.

Mark Flavell, Lead Investigator at the MCA as part of the Regulatory Compliance Investigations Team, said: “A misinterpretation of the code concerning yachts engaged in racing had developed. The MCA want to send a clear message and dispel this misinterpretation.

“Commercially operated vessels, including those engaged in racing, must be coded. This is to ensure commercial vessels are subject of an independent survey and inspection regime. The aim being, as with any scrutiny of commercial operations, is to keep employees and public safe.

“We will not hesitate to take enforcement action against yacht owners who don’t want to hear this message and fail to get their yacht coded.”