23-Letter to the Chairman of the Committee
from the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
In recognition of the increasing importance
of the FCO network in delivering our climate change goals, the
Government has looked again at our strategic international priorities,
set out in the Government White Paper "Active Diplomacy for
a Changing World: the UK's International Priorities", published
in March. Climate change was covered in the White Paper and implicit
in strategic priorities 5 and 6. We believe that we need to emphasise
its central importance to our international agenda by creating
a new Strategic Priority. The new priority will be:
"Achieving climate security by promoting
a faster transition to a sustainable, low carbon global economy."
I know that your Committee will undertake a
long-term review of the international priorities as well as taking
them into account in your current work.
I am announcing the new Strategy Priority in
a Written Ministerial Statement today. At the same time I shall
also announce the appointment of John Ashton as my Special Envoy
for Climate Change. His primary focus will be to build a stronger
political foundation for international action on climate change,
working to influence key governmental and non-governmental actors
in priority countries, including on the long-term stabilisation
goal.
DEFRA will continue to lead our international
work on climate change. But the new Strategic Priority and John
Ashton's appointment will strengthen significantly the contribution
the FCO can make.
Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
8 June 2006
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