The Secretary of State for International Development (Justine Greening)
On 26 October, I will attend the Foreign Affairs Council for Development in Luxembourg. The meeting will be chaired by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. This is the first Council meeting since the new agenda for Sustainable Development 2030, which the UK played a strong leadership role in shaping, was adopted by world leaders at the post-2015 summit in September. As Secretary of State for International Development, I look forward to participating in the meeting to share the UK experience, including on humanitarian issues and improving the lives of girls and women, and to work with other member states and the Commission to deliver the new global goals by 2030. The UK’s continued focus on international development is very much in the national interest.
Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030
I will strongly welcome and underline the UK’s continued commitment to championing and implementing the global goals. Building on the Prime Minister’s co-chairing of the UN high level panel, the UK played a key role in creating a set of goals that are universal and inclusive, underpinned by a commitment to leave no one behind. The new global goals address the key elements of the “golden thread”, including peace, governance and justice and also an unprecedented ambitious goal on women and girls empowerment. The UK will continue to invest 0.7% of GNI on ODA and I will lobby others to meet their aid obligations. I will push the EU to come up with a comprehensive and ambitious plan for implementation.
Migration and refugees
Ministers will discuss preparations of the EU Africa Valletta summit in November. It is the UK’s view that Valetta needs to demonstrate Europe’s leadership, commitment and ability to respond quickly to the serious problems posed by migrants crossing the Mediterranean. I believe Valletta needs a substantive discussion on tackling the root causes of migration, which are a mutual challenge faced by Europe and Africa—a lack of growth, jobs, opportunity in African countries—and the concrete actions needed to turn the situation around. The UK has been taking a leading role in ensuring that Valetta will address the underlying causes of migration and displacement. I will continue to press the Commission and other member states to ensure that we approach Valletta with a positive and bold agenda.
World Humanitarian summit
Ministers will discuss next year’s World Humanitarian summit. I will strongly welcome the summit, underlining the need to be ambitious and deliver genuinely transformative change. The UK’s key priorities are: (1) a focus on the protection of civilians and International Humanitarian Law, (2) building resilience to natural disasters, (3) a new approach to smart finance, (4) a strong focus on women and girls throughout the summit. The summit must deliver significant reforms to the way in which we address humanitarian crises, in particular those associated with long-term conflict. I am particularly concerned to ensure that we leave Istanbul with a better approach to supporting long-term refugees: they must be able to access livelihoods and education if they are to have hope for the future. The UK is committed to longer term financing for protracted crises,such as our work in Syria.
Girls and women
On girls and women, as successfully with the global goals, the UK has been a key actor in shaping and developing the new gender action plan (2016-2020) (GAP). I have continuously pushed for girls and women to be prioritised in the new Commission. Moreover the UK’s important role in the GAP taskforce has ensured the document demonstrates a significant shift in the Commissions commitment to girls and women. The publication of the new EU GAP provides a landmark opportunity for the EU to take significant steps forward in delivering tangible results for women and girls across the world. The Council will endorse the new GAP at the FAC-DEV. I will press for its full implementation, ensuring that the Commission and EEAS are held accountable when and where the GAP is not implemented.
Post-Cotonou
The Commission and European External Action Service (EEAS) have launched an online public consultation on the future of EU-ACP (Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific) relations once the Cotonou agreement expires in 2020. This is an important opportunity for the EU to modernise its relationship with the ACP, so that it is relevant, forward-looking and consistent with agenda 2030. I will call for the Commission to keep all options open, base policy decisions on the evidence of Cotonou’s impact and actively seek a broad range of views during the consultation period, including with individual states and regional bodies that are inside and outside the ACP grouping.
Council conclusions and other agenda items
Council conclusions on the gender action plan and policy coherence for development will be approved. In addition, three AOB topics have been tabled: (1) Burkina Faso, (2) a joint letter from the Netherlands, France and Germany calling for a European initiative to support African Youth and (3) Capacity Building for Security and Development.
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