Recommendation 19

HM Government Accepted

19.1 We agree with the committee’s recommendation. Climate change and global health security - both their causes and impact – are priorities for the FCDO’s diplomatic and development work. 19.2 The UK has a strong record in global health security. We support partners to prevent, detect and respond to health threats, as set out in the International Health Regulations (2005). The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the importance of key elements of the UK’s approach to global health security, while also showing that we need to do more. 19.3 To support the global response to COVID-19 and advance the global health security agenda, the UK has made significant financial and political commitments. These include committing up to £1.65 billion over the next 5 years to maintain global efforts against vaccine preventable diseases in the world’s poorest countries; and committing up to £571 million to COVAX, a new initiative designed to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine across the world. We have also demonstrated our commitment to the World Health Organisation by announcing a core contribution of £340 million over the next four years, and we continue to promote the vital role of WHO in leading an effective, evidence-based, public health response. 19.4 We are working with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and other departments to implement and undertake international engagement on each element of the Prime Minister’s five-point plan to prevent future pandemics, using our public health expertise and our diplomatic network. The UK will use its G7 Presidency, its work with WHO and the other agencies (the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health), and wider multilateral and bilateral engagement, to strengthen the global health security system in line with these five points. 19.5 COP26 is a top priority for Heads of Mission across the network and addressing climate change will continue to be a Government priority beyond the Glasgow Summit. Our Climate Change and Energy Attaché Network was the world’s first diplomatic network dedicated to this work. 19.6 The UK will provide at least £5.8 billion of International Climate Finance (ICF) between 2016/17–2020/21 as part of the commitment by developed countries to mobilise $100 billion of climate finance annually by 2020. The Prime Minister also pledged, in 2019, to double the UK contribution to £11.6 billion over the next five-year period. Ministers are actively lobbying internationally in support of a clean and resilient recovery from COVID-19, encouraging investment in areas that will support economic growth and a sustainable recovery (such as investment in renewable energy sources, adaptation and resilience and nature). 19.7 In our response to the FAC inquiry this summer, we stated that ‘Success would see the world make concrete commitments towards net zero Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2050 and put adapting to the impacts of climate change at the heart of their long-term plans’. The work of FCDO, the COP Unit and colleagues across government has been delivering on this. Recent Net Zero by 2050 announcements by Japan and the Republic of Korea, alongside President Xi’s announcement that China will achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2060, show we are building global momentum. The Climate Ambition Summit co-hosted by the UK, the UN and France, in partnership with Italy and Chile on 12 December sought to maintain this momentum and reinforce the urgency of climate ambition into 2021. The Summit saw seventy-five countries announce commitments to climate action with twenty-four countries committing to net zero and carbon neutrality and 45 leaders bringing forward strengthened and more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions. The UK pledged to end financial support for overseas fossil fuels and led the way on cutting emissions by 2030.