When the Prime Minister announced the merger of the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in June, he called it a chance to boost the UK’s impact on the world stage. As we get closer to the September 1st start date for the new department, in a post-Covid and soon to be post-Brexit world, the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will be crucial in amplifying our international influence.

The new Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) will tackle both the root causes of poverty and counter authoritarianism.

An effective development budget, alongside an active diplomatic and defence strategy, helps keep Britain at the forefront of saving lives, alleviating poverty, and bringing freedom, security, and prosperity to all.

On Wednesday 22nd July, our CEO interviewed former Foreign Secretary and Chair of the Health Select Committee Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP on the big issues of today, including the UK’s relationship with China, our response to the Coronavirus pandemic and the UK’s role as a force for good in the world.

What Britain does overseas matters. We may not be the biggest, but our history, diversity, and unique place in the world, captured in our membership of both the Commonwealth and the UN Security Council, means we have the privilege of being in a position to assert our values and our objectives in a way most other countries can only dream. From our Oscar winning actors and Grammy winning musicians, to the Premier League, our COVID-fighting international development experts, and above all, the best armed forces on the planet, we use our soft power every day to shape the world in our image.

The Coalition for Global Prosperity is delighted to announce that Rt Hon Alistair Burt will be joining our Board. Alistair joins the Coalition following a distinguished 32-year career in Parliament during which he served as a Minister at both the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development

This week twenty-five years ago, over 8,000 Bosnian Muslims, mainly boys and men, were murdered in what became known as the Srebrenica genocide. It happened in Europe, part of an ethnic cleansing campaign, and took place in what the United Nations had declared a ‘safe area.’ Srebrenica occurred fifty years after the liberation of Auschwitz, on our doorstep, half a century after the world had vowed, ‘never again.’

Beijing’s latest crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong marks the end of the territory as we know it. We are still yet to understand the full implications of China’s new security law. But what is clear, is the ramifications will ripple much farther than East Asia. This is also a seismic moment for Sino-British relations.

A new report published on the 18th June by the British Foreign Policy Group Running Out of Credit: The Decline of the Foreign Office and the Case for Sustained Finding sets out the trajectory and impact of cuts to the Foreign Office back to 1973, and urges the government to increase funding for the Foreign Office (FCO) to ensure it can deliver the UK’s post-Brexit ambitions and strengthen Britain’s global influence.

COVID-19 has spread around the world, leaving devastation in its wake and social and economic upheaval before our eyes. These dramatic shifts also mean that the media’s attention has shifted from focusing on the zoonotic genesis of the disease to the impact on people’s health and the health of the global economy. This focus will likely shift again to how the economy can recover and the necessary changes to public health systems in light of COVID-19.

What does Global Britain mean? There was little mention of it when I was out campaigning for a Leave vote four years ago. Nor do I recall being asked when I was the Conservative candidate in marginal Bedford last December.

As we’re currently unable to host events in Parliament, the Coalition were delighted to host our first online panel event yesterday, on UK Aid and Pandemic Preparedness, discussing how investments in Research & Development and Global Health Security not only benefit the world’s poorest, but help to keep us safe here in the UK.

Coronavirus has caused a crisis unseen in modern times. Across the globe the virus is devastating, with overwhelming human and economic cost. Thankfully, signs of reprieve are emerging; in the West, active cases have started to fall and lockdown measures are being loosened. However, we must remember that these are momentary victories.

Update from the Coalition for Global Prosperity.

On International Women’s Day 2020, it’s important that we not only celebrate the huge strides made but recognise that every day, women and girls still face discrimination, poverty and violence just because they are women. We know that when we empower women and girls great things happen, yet women and girls everywhere are still being silenced and denied their rights.

In the lead up to International Women’s Day, the Coalition were delighted to host a packed room in Parliament to hear former Australian Prime Minister and Chair of the Global Partnership for Education Julia Gillard AC discuss the role that Girls Education plays in achieving a more peaceful and prosperous society for everyone.

As Britain sets out on a new and independent path, one of our first priorities should be to work out how the UK can maintain its global reputation as a force for good. Following the recent reshuffle, the new Minister for Africa, James Duddridge, will have a vital role to play in this.

The United Nation’s SDG Progress Report, published last year, revealed that no country was on track to achieve the Global Goals by 2030. With time running out, the APPG for the UN Global Goals, Coalition for Global Prosperity, International Chamber of Commerce and Project Everyone met in Westminster this week to discuss how business and government can renew the drive towards a fairer, more prosperous world and deliver the Global Goals in the Decade of Action.

The Coalition were thrilled to convene leaders from across business, government and civil society in Parliament this week to discuss how the UK can drive progress and deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.