Coalition for Global Prosperity CEO Ryan Henson gives his view on the Coalition’s work throughout 2020 and the incredibly exciting events that we have coming up in 2021.

On Thursday 10th December, the Coalition for Global Prosperity hosted a number of Conservative Members of Parliament for a virtual visit to Cameroon to see the impact of UK backed aid projects for themselves.

The Coalition were thrilled to co-host a day long virtual conference on UK Leadership for Climate and Nature together with Green Alliance.

On Thursday 26th November, Myles Wickstead, interviewed Layla Moran MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and International Development on how the Liberal Democrat party can continue to champion International Development in Parliament, ensuring that the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office maintains a focus on global education.

Africa’s combined GDP is set to reach $3.2 trillion in the next five years and is home to five of the world’s fastest-growing economies. With these opportunities ahead of us, now is not the time to abandon our promise to spend 0.7% on UK aid and development

Following media speculation that the UK Government was considering reducing the UK’s international development budget, the Coalition for Global Prosperity brought together a wide ranging group of high profile figures who all spoke on the importance of maintaining the UK aid budget.

On Wednesday 14th October, the Coalition for Global Prosperity and The Kyle House Group were delighted to co-host a private roundtable.

On Thursday 8th October, the Coalition for Global Prosperity and The Institute for Government were delighted to co-host a private roundtable.

On Tuesday 15th September, our COO, Libby Smith, interviewed Preet Kaur Gill MP, Shadow Secretary of State for DFID on how best to tackle the global challenges of our time, what the role of UK aid should be, Labour's vision for international development and how to create a safer, healthier and better off world.

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.