The inaugural address for the annual conference, held
virtually this year from 9-11 July, was delivered by Prime Minister
Modi.
The strength of the UK-India relationship was on show today at
the India Global Week conference organised in London, with
Foreign Secretary leading a senior UK delegation
that also included Home Secretary , Health Secretary and Trade Secretary .
It brought together influential participants from the private and
public sectors to discuss India, the UK and the world. This
included a special address by His Royal Highness The Prince of
Wales - who visited India last year - highlighting enduring
UK-India bilateral ties and the importance of building a green,
sustainable future.
The UK Foreign Secretary gave a speech by video, discussing the
way Britain and India are maximising research and innovation
links to tackle the challenges posted by COVID-19 and climate
change.
Foreign Secretary said:
As leaders in the international COVID-19 response, the UK and
India also co-authored the G20 Action Plan, providing an
immediate package of $200 billion of global support to the most
vulnerable countries around the world. A vaccine developed in
Britain and manufactured in India, if successful in clinical
trials, will reach a billion people across the developing
world, thanks to Oxford University and India’s Serum Institute.
We also believe our friendship with India will be crucial as
the UK fulfils its ambition to be an even stronger force for
good in the world. When the UK hosts COP26 in 2021, we will
need to be key partners in tackling climate change.
Home Secretary said:
Our relationship with India is deeply rooted in shared history,
culture and our people to people ties. It is difficult to think
of two other countries so deeply intertwined as the living
bridge between our nations strengthens. Our partnership for the
future is based upon our shared values and determination to be
a force for good as we collectively embark upon new challenges
and new shared opportunities.
Other senior UK speakers included:
Lizz Truss, Trade Secretary.
She spoke about the expansion of the UK-India trade and
investment relationship, including the path towards a possible
free trade deal.
, Health Secretary. He
highlighted the strong collaboration between the two countries on
health-tech and pharmaceuticals during the pandemic, the
invaluable contribution of Indian professionals to the National
Health Service, and new opportunities to work together in areas
like genomics and bioinformatics.
Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of
Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and the
Commonwealth. He thanked the Government of India for its support
in the UK’s repatriation efforts and praised the living bridge
that links the two countries.
Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Member
of the House of Lords. He moderated a dialogue on the strategic
relationship between the UK and India.
John Murton, the
Government’s COP26 envoy. The UK will host next year’s UN climate
conference and he highlighted how the world can unite behind a
clean, resilient recovery.
Richard Moore, Director
General for Political Affairs, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
He participated in a discussion on how the UK and India can work
together to ensure that multilateral institutions continue to be
relevant.
Alan Gemmell, British Deputy
High Commissioner for Western India and Her Majesty’s Trade
Commissioner for South Asia. His session focused on effective
cross-sector partnerships to counter the COVID-19 pandemic.
India Global Week is organised annually by London-based India
Inc. This year’s event was entitled ‘#BeTheRevival: India and A
Better New World’. The full programme and list of speakers is
available, here.
The UK is a top partner for India on climate change issues,
having joined the India-led International Solar Alliance last
year, which aims to mobilise more than $1 trillion of
investmen)ts in solar energy by 2030. The UK will host COP26 next
year, and this week announced a £3 billion green investment
recovery package which will help build jobs, decarbonise homes
and cut emissions.
In March 2020, the UK became the first co-chair of the Governing
Council on the India-led global Coalition for Disaster Resilient
Infrastructure (CDRI), which aims to bring about a transformation
in how infrastructure is designed, constructed, operated and
maintained.
The UK has committed £313 million to research and development to
support the development of a possible vaccine to COVID-19, and
AstraZeneca is leading the development work with Oxford
University and India’s Serum Institute. This builds on the
already thriving science and technology collaboration between the
UK and India which has seen joint research and innovation
spending increase from £1 million in 2008 to over £400 million by
2021.
The ‘living bridge’ of people, ideas and institutions that tie
the UK and India together includes a vibrant Indian diaspora of
more than 1.5 million people in the UK. There are currently 15
Indian-origin MPs in Parliament, three of whom are Cabinet level.
