- UK support announced for ongoing mpox and cholera outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to improve access to clean water.
- Lord Collins made the announcement during a visit to the DRC where he also discussed how the two countries can deepen their collaboration across a range of sectors.
- He welcomed the recent ceasefire in eastern DRC and commitments to bring an enduring peace to the region.
The UK has announced new funding to work with DRC to bolster the regional African response to outbreaks of mpox and cholera in the country.
During a visit to the Institute National de Recherche Biomedical (National Institute of Biomedical Research) in the DRC, Lord Collins announced £3.1m of UK funding for a new partnership with UNICEF that will benefit over 4.4 million people in affected communities as well as help preventing the further spread of mpox to neighbouring countries.
This funding announcement follows a declaration from the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the upsurge of mpox in the DRC and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
The Minister for Africa, Lord Collins of Highbury said:
"Working together, with our partners and using the expertise and dedication of Congolese scientists, including those at the world-leading research centre I have visited in DRC, our support will play an important role in ensuring global health security for all.
"By protecting the health and well-being of communities across DRC, and by helping contain these outbreaks, we reduce the risk of diseases spreading further afield. This will ultimately benefit us all."
The UK remains in regular contact with the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on developments of the outbreak and is supporting the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa to respond to this health emergency.
The UK Health Security Agency is closely monitoring the situation, working with international partners including the World Health Organisation, European, US and Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and national public health agencies.
As the largest flexible donor to the WHO globally the UK is also helping it to allocate resources where most needed through vaccines and treatments. As the second biggest donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance - providing £1.65bn over the 2020-2025 period - the UK is also working closely with them on ensuring access to mpox vaccines for low and middle income countries.
Professor Christian Ngandu, Public Health Emergency Operations Centre Coordinator at DRC's National Public Health Institute said:
"The UK's support to the DRC, in partnership with UNICEF, on the mpox response, will contributed to saving the lives of affected populations by aligning with the DRC's national mpox preparedness and response plan."
The announcement came as Lord Collins visited DRC this week to bolster bilateral ties between the UK and DRC and drive forward the bilateral relationship in key areas, including climate and trade and investment.
The Minister announced £6m of new UK funding to provide clean drinking water and sanitation to some 200,000 displaced in partnership with UNICEF and SAFER, helping improve access to clean water for all.
In meetings with key government ministers including the President, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, Lord Collins welcomed the UK and DRC's strong partnership and underlined the UK's commitment to strengthening collaboration in areas such trade, investment, climate and combatting sexual violence in conflict.
Following the successful UK-DRC Trade and Investment Mission in April, the Minister met with UK-linked businesses to discuss how the UK can play a constructive role in supporting improved supply chains of critical minerals in DRC and assist British businesses entering the DRC market.
The Minister also welcomed an announcement by British International Investment this week to invest up to $35 million (£27 million) into the development of Banana Port, a $300-400m project led by Emirati company DP World, that will help transform DRC's economy.
In addition, he welcomed the UK's new £90m Congo Basin Forest Action programme which will look to improve economic livelihoods whilst preserving forests and nature.
Lord Collins also discussed the UK and DRC's long-standing collaboration to combat Conflict Related Sexual Violence, meeting with government ministers and civil society to understand more about this issue.
On the conflict in eastern DRC, Lord Collins welcomed the ceasefire agreement between DRC and Rwanda, recognising the important role played by Angola. He expressed UK support for President Tshisekedi's commitment to bring an enduring regional peace to the east and underlined the UK's condemnation of the actions of all illegal armed groups in eastern DRC, including the UN-sanctioned M23.
The UK is delivering a three-year humanitarian programme in the east of DRC, providing life-saving emergency assistance and increasing the resilience of crisis-affected communities affected by the conflict.
