Transcript
Laura Clarke:
It's not actually a cut in that it's simply that the UK has legislated to always provide not 0.7 percent of GDP to overseas development assistance. And of course, as our economy contracts, as a consequence of COVID that proportion that North 0.7 percent is less. And so we've had to look very hard at where we can delay spend, where we can, reduce programmes. But in terms of our programme in the Pacific, lots of our commitment is already delivered through multi-laterals and that's committed over a long period, so three or four years, and the OECD breaks down all the different money that is contributed through all the multi-laterals. And the UK spends 89 million a year in the Pacific or did in 2018, the last year that we have figures for. So, you know, I am not worried about, um, this overall contraction affecting our overall development and diplomatic effort in the Pacific. As we know, we've just opened up three new posts, and we put a lot of money in through multi-laterals, whether it's climate finance or the world bank or UNICEF, but we've also done some sort of tactical bilateral support as well, whether in the wake of (Cyclone) Harold, or as a result of the measles epidemic in Samoa. And so we're really committed to the region. And despite this global context, I think the UK is very committed to still being a really serious development partner with all its friends around the world.
Johnny Blades:
You've spoken to quite a bit about climate change, how it's the central plank of the UK's partnership with the Pacific. Are those efforts being interrupted at all by the pandemic?
Laura Clarke:
No, because it's incredibly important because of course, climate change has for a long time been a top priority for us, both domestically and internationally. And we're one of the few countries that's been able to grow our economy while dramatically reducing emissions. And as we look to our presidency of COP, of the UN climate change conference in Glasgow next year, those diplomatic efforts around climate change are even more important. And the Pacific is of course, absolutely on the frontline of those climate change impacts. And so we see both our preparations for COP and ensuring that there's really high ambition for that, combined with this need to build back better from COVID, as a really key priority because as we're all investing in the recovery of our economies, we want to make sure that we're putting our economies on clean, low carbon trajectories rather than just trying to build back what we had before. So absolutely, you know, and I think that the Pacific Islands, as small Island developing States, they've got a real moral authority and influence when they speak about climate change, because they're absolutely on the front line in terms of impacts like sea level rises. So we really want to work closely with them on all of that.
Johnny Blades:
Right. So with the aid efforts or the climate change programmes, there are no specific changes afoot because of the UK's shifting economic situation?
Laura Clarke:
You can never say never, but right now we've got a whole number of programmes. Some are global. We just announced a Blue Planet fund, which is all about protecting the oceans and protecting our marine economies. That's a huge new programme. It's 500 million pounds, the Blue Planet Fund, which is helping countries protect their marine resources. And then we've got a number that are focused on the Pacific as well. And, you know, we talk a lot about climate change, but the ocean is the other side of them biodiversity. You can't really talk about climate change without also talking about biodiversity. And so we have projects like the Commonwealth Marine Economies programme and the Commonwealth Clean Ocean's Alliance also, which is largely about tackling plastics. And the UK has also, in response to concerns from the Pacific, we've doubled our climate finance. So we're now going to be sending 11.2 billion pounds, and that's going to be split evenly between adaptation and mitigation. So there's a lot still being put in, and a big focus on the Pacific.
Johnny Blades:
Ocean health is so integral, isn't it. But, I'm seeing worrying signs. For instance, some of these Pacific Island countries are considering deep sea mining, and it's such an unknown. Do you worry about that kind of stuff? You know, because in times when countries are needing new economic opportunities that they might go for stuff like that.
Laura Clarke:
I think that the management of the marine economy is incredibly important. And I always like that term that the prime minister of the Cook Islands has used, but I think other Pacific leaders use as well, which is saying we're not small Island States or territories, we're large oceans territories. You know, that sense that it's much more than your land, it's your ocean, and you need to develop that economy to the best effect. And when I go to the meetings of the Pacific community with my Governor of Pitcairn (Island) hat on, because Pitcairn is a member of the Pacific community, there's very much a focus amongst these Pacific leaders on how they develop that.. that sense that the ocean is integral to their survival and how they work with the flow of nature and how they protect it. So that's really important. And our Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance is about partly how we work together to reduce plastic pollution. Because I saw our Minister for the Pacific, this extraordinary statistic last week that by 2050, if we're not careful, there will be more plastic in the ocean by weight than there is fish. And so that's quite stark. So we've got a lot to do on that front, working in partnership with these, with these states.
Johnny Blades:
The UK has a lot on its plate right now. All our countries do, but you know, the UK has had some really rough times lately. Is it doing anything to help the Pacific Island countries specifically deal with with COVID-19 at all?
Laura Clarke:
Yes, absolutely, is the first thing to say. And you're right, it's been a really hard time in the UK in terms of COVID and then of course the economic impact, but we've been really committed throughout to the international response and providing really strong leadership on the international response to COVID. And two of those strands are: support for vulnerable countries - and of course we've been doing that through G7 and we take on presidency of the G7 next year - and the other big strand is vaccine diplomacy. So we hosted this great big global vaccine summit in June, a huge pledging summit and have been contributing a huge amount to vaccine development, vaccine research through the various organisations. And of course that will also go to the Pacific to support... as and when a vaccine is developed, but also with other immunisations, so that we're protecting health in vulnerable countries. More generally not just focussed on COVID.
Johnny Blades:
The vulnerability played out last year in Samoa with the measles epidemic with vaccines, and how people regard vaccines. Because of the fear about vaccines and I guess, misinformation, that was deadly in that case, wasn't it?
Laura Clarke:
We sent out an emergency medical team to support Samoa at that time because it was just so tragic how fast it took hold. So yes, also we've got a huge amount of science collaboration, and also science communication is so important. And we've got a big strand of work, looking at vaccine disinformation, which is really important: how you get the messaging, right, how you get people on board, and don't let the anti-vaxxers dominate the discourse. And that is really important, both in terms of how we communicate the science, how we reach out to communities, but also how you tackle that disinformation on the various social media.
Johnny Blades:
So it sounds like the pandemic hasn't necessarily affected the implementation of the UK's move back into the region. I mean, not that you ever left, but you know what I mean... was it called the 'Pacific Uplift'?
Laura Clarke:
We've increased our engagement. Last year we opened three new posts in the Pacific. We did have three and we opened three. We reopened in Tonga and in Vanuatu. And then we opened a new high commission in Samoa. We'd never had one in Samoa. So that was a doubling of our diplomatic presence. And with that goes, you know, the existing development assistance that we've been doing through the EU and through other multi-laterals, but we're now more visibly present. And I think that's partly, you'll know that the foreign office and our department for international development are merging, and that's partly about making sure in an ever more contested world that our development and our diplomacy efforts are pulling in the same direction, but also that we get greater visibility of our development support and development assistance. Because so often it goes through all these multi-laterals, very hard to communicate how much of that comes from the British taxpayer. And it's really important, actually, I think in these times that you can say, actually, this support came from the UK. It's not necessarily (to) put badges all over it, but to say this support came from the UK. And so that's going to be a big focus as well as how do we work with the multi-laterals and how do we work bilaterally to ensure that the fact that the UK is one of the biggest international, aid donors in the world, how is that sufficiently recognised.
Johnny Blades:
Working together in the international community is so important. This is such a polarised time, and you have this contested space in the Pacific. Are things worse now because of the scabs that have been pulled off during this pandemic so far?
Laura Clarke:
I think that the pandemic is accelerating geopolitical trends that were already there. So I think it's accelerated US/China tensions, for example, it's accelerating a whole load of different geopolitical trends. And of course there's a fear that in some places it will strengthen strongmen, that it will make action on climate change or human rights more of a "nice-to-have", all sorts of risks, I think, that are exacerbated by COVID. But I think that what's important is that we look to build partnerships as much as we can. So partnerships with our friends in the Pacific, many of whom are Commonwealth countries with long historical links partnership, obviously with Australia and New Zealand and the US. Partnership across the board. You know, with China we need to work really closely as they look to host their Convention on Biological Diversity. We want to have a really strong bridge between the Convention on Biological Diversity that they are hosting and then our climate change COP meeting. It's really important that we're working out where there are common goods, common priorities that we need to work on together, and that's a big focus for us.
