NEW UK PARTNERSHIP TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE IN LATIN AMERICA

these disasters.

Lord Mayor said: “I am deeply saddened by these devastating earthquakes which have so far claimed more than 15,000 lives and leaving millions homeless. Many in our city will be affected by this and my sympathy is with you.

“I am urging people to donate what they can to help with this international appeal to get help, support and aid to those areas affected and all those displaced by this disaster.”

Cllr John Cotton, Cabinet Member for Social Justice, Community Safety and Equalities, added: “These people have lost everything without warning – not just possessions, but homes, loved ones and their lives, in two horrific earthquakes within hours of each other.

“If you’re able to donate, please do. A donations of any amount will help the DEC Appeal with what will be a major international operation to ensure that aid reaches all of those who need help following this appalling and tragic disaster.”

The UK has joined IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) focused on development through the private sector, in a move designed to boost the UK’s work reducing poverty and tackling climate change across Latin America and the Caribbean through support for small and medium sized businesses.

Development Minister Andrew Mitchell was joined by IDB President Ilan Goldfajn and IDB Invest CEO James Scriven in London to complete the UK’s membership of the group that provides almost £5billion of annual finance to businesses across the region.

Membership will ensure the UK can influence investments that the institution makes annually and promote the UK’s development objectives through the work of the Bank.

Development Minister Andrew Mitchell said:

Unleashing private sector investment across the Caribbean and Latin America is vital to delivering the UK’s International Development Strategy.

Joining IDB Invest will help us promote private sector investment, alleviate poverty and tackle climate change in a region experiencing its most severe effects.

The UK and IDB Invest will build on their existing partnership through the UK Sustainable Infrastructure Programme (UKSIP), which supports Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Brazil to reduce their emissions and transition to sustainable infrastructure.

UKSIP support for IDB Invest projects is expected to raise over £150million in private finance for the development of two solar power plants and the purchase of 400 electric buses.

The solar plants will produce around 440GWh per year, the equivalent power required for 230,000 homes in Colombia. Green electric buses are expected to save an estimated 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over their lifetime – the equivalent to taking 100,000 cars off the road for a year.

In the last decade, IDB Invest has listed over £5billion in bonds on the London Stock Exchange. This demonstrates the strength of its partnership with the City and London’s role as the leading hub globally for green finance – ranked first in the world, for a third consecutive time, according to the Global Green Finance Index.

Last year, British International Investment, the UK’s own development finance institution, made its first invest- ment in the Caribbean for over twenty years, investing alongside IDB Invest and local partners with the aim to deliver thousands of jobs and support productive, sustainable and inclusive economic growth across the region.

During their meeting, Minister Mitchell and President Goldfajn agreed on the critical role of the Bank Group in increasing global climate ambitions. The Minister set out the UK’s commitment to international investment in green businesses, stressing its importance in addressing the strategic vulnerability of climate change.

The UK’s International Development Strategy also outlines its commitment to help countries strengthen their energy security and provide affordable, reliable, and clean energy for all, employing the full development finance toolkit, including British International Investment. This put the UK’s strengths – its capital markets, innovation, and expertise in science and technology – to work in mobilising more private finance to advance climate and nature goals.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is visiting India to mark a new scheme allowing young Brits and Indians to live and work in each other’s countries for up to 2 years, which was announced by the Home Secretary earlier this week. The Foreign Secretary will meet his counterpart, External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, ahead of foreign ministers gathering in New Delhi They are expected to discuss progress on the UK-India 2030 Roadmap, which aims to bolster the 2 countries’ ties in defence and security, trade and investment.

During a visit to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi, the Foreign Secretary will mark the opening of the Young Professionals Scheme, an ambitious new partnership between the UK and India which allows up 3,000 Brits and 3,000 Indians a year the right to live and work in the other country for up to 2 years.

The Foreign Secretary will also announce the creation of the UK’s first Tech Envoy to the Indo-Pacific region, who will boost ties with India as a priority. This envoy is the second of its kind to be announced by the UK (after the appointment of a Tech Envoy to the US in late 2020) and demonstrates our commitment to the region and techdiplomacy. The new Tech Envoy role will boost the UK’s status as a science and tech superpower. The envoy will work with our partners in the region on areas of shared interest, including setting global technology standards and helping to solve challenges through innovative technology.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

India is a hugely important partner to the UK and the deeper ties we are forging now will help to grow the UK economy and boost our industries for the future. This landmark migration scheme will enable the brightest and best in both our countries to benefit from new opportunities.

India is also an emerging global leader on technology and there are immense opportunities for better collaboration between us in this sector. That is why we will be sending our first Tech Envoy to the Indo-Pacific region, to maximise the tech expertise of both countries.

India has the world’s third highest number of tech unicorns and startups, with 108 start-ups gaining the unicorn status of a private company valued at over $1 billion. This announcement illustrates the UK’s clear commitment to boosting partnerships in India and across South Asia.

On Thursday the Foreign Secretary will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting to work with partners to advance global efforts on food and energy security, climate change and development. He will also continue to call Russia out at the G20 and work with partners to mitigate the global impacts of Russian aggression in Ukraine. If the war were to end today, the effects of the exacerbated food insecurity would still run into 2027. The Foreign Secretary will also address an India-Europe business event in the capital where he will reaffirm the UK’s commitment to conclude a Free Trade Agreement with India. With more links than almost any country in the Indo-Pacific region, the UK-India trading relationship is already worth £34 billion, growing by £10 billion in 1 year.

Royal Navy ship HMS Lancaster seized weapons from a vessel travelling south from Iran whilst on a routine maritime security patrol on 23 February 2023. A United States fixed-wing Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform detected a suspected smuggling vessel travelling at high speed in international waters in the Gulf of Oman during the hours of darkness.

The vessel was also tracked by HMS Lancaster’s Wildcat helicopter. The smugglers initially ignored hails from the Royal Navy and attempted to navigate to Iranian territorial waters but were apprehended before they could do so. In accordance with international law, a team of Royal Marines stopped and boarded the vessel. They discovered suspicious packages which were recovered to HMS Lancaster.

Initial inspection suggests that the packages include anti-tank guided missiles (Iranian versions of the Russian 9M133 Kornet, known in Iran as ‘Dehlavieh’), and mediumrange ballistic missile components. The United Nations has been informed about the seizure and invited to conduct its own inspection of the materiel, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions 2216 and 2231.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

This seizure by HMS Lancaster and the permanent presence of the Royal Navy in the Gulf region supports our commitment to uphold international law and tackle activity that threatens peace and security around the world.

Commander Paul Irving, Commanding Officer of HMS Lancaster said:

This boarding was a fantastic team effort, and I’m really proud of the way the whole Ship’s Company worked together to achieve such a brilliant result. The Wildcat helicopter was able to locate and stop the skiff after being cued on by a UAS operated by our American partners.

Our Royal Marine Boarding Team then intercepted the skiff and carried out a search which revealed the weapons. Royal Navy EOD specialists checked the weapons to ensure that they were safe to bring them back onboard Lancaster.

The operation is a clear demonstration of successful UK and US cooperation in maintaining maritime security, combining assets from both countries to uphold peace and stability in the region. The UK’s maritime security operations sup- port the collective actions of partners in the region to disrupt malign and illicit activity at sea.