92 Accepted

In 2019, our predecessor Committee heard that DFID had been “hollowed out in terms of...

Conclusion
In 2019, our predecessor Committee heard that DFID had been “hollowed out in terms of expertise”.187 Two years later, the FCDO’s largest thematic network consists of climate, energy and environment attachés and advisors.188 Alongside the FCDO, the Government also created the “Climate and Environment Directorate (CED)” with around 100 members of staff within the new Department who are all engaged in COP26.189
Government Response Summary
The government partially agrees with the observation, highlighting the FCDO's structure and ongoing initiatives, such as virtual conferences and weekly teach-in sessions, to build and enhance climate and environment expertise across its global network.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government Accepted
Partially agree As set out by the Prime Minister in the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, and remaining a world leader in international development, are key priorities for the UK. The creation of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office supports this, integrating diplomacy and development to achieve greater impact and address the links between climate change and extreme poverty. Following the Spending Review, the FCDO’s business planning process will provide oversight of financial allocations on climate and biodiversity. Central teams meet regularly with regional FCDO climate teams to ensure that programme and strategy delivery are aligning across different geographies and central steers are provided to ensure a coherent approach is taken. There is already strong ministerial oversight for this policy area. The Rt Hon Lord Goldsmith is Minister of State with responsibility for climate and environment. The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan was appointed UK International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience for the COP26 Presidency. There are a number of initiatives that are building the capability of the FCDO’s network. For example, this year we held a virtual conference of several hundred civil servants working across the world from the climate, energy, and environment networks to enhance capability in these areas. Throughout 2021 there were weekly teach-in sessions on key COP26 topics for staff in the overseas network and in the UK, to ensure that all staff were equipped to engage with their host governments. These were complemented by sessions reflecting key events in the climate calendar, such as the release of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report: AR6 Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis in August and the release of the UK’s net-zero strategy.
Addressee Bodies
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Timeline
Recommendation age 4.8 yrs
Report published 26 Oct 2021