Minister Sajjan meets with newly appointed counterpart in United Kingdom, discusses human rights with Shirin Ebadi and attends remembrance service

November 14, 2022 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, recently returned from a 3-day visit to the United Kingdom, where he met with his newly appointed British counterpart, Andrew Mitchell, Minister of State for Development and Africa.

During their meeting, Minister Sajjan congratulated Minister Mitchell on his appointment and they discussed areas for further collaboration between Canada and the U.K. on international development commitments, including the advancement of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

On November 11, Minister Sajjan, a veteran, attended a service of remembrance at Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey hosted by Ralph Goodale, High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Following the service, Minister Sajjan met with Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. They discussed the situation in Iran and Canada’s commitment to human rights and democracy. They also discussed Canada’s ongoing efforts to empower women and girls and promote gender equality in all its international development initiatives around the world.

Minister Sajjan also met with officials in London from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to discuss their climate agenda. Climate change has a devastating and disproportionate impact on small and developing nations. With this in mind, Minister Sajjan highlighted Canada’s proud commitment to initiatives like the EBRD’s High-Impact Partnership on Climate Action, which supports investments and solutions that reduce or prevent emissions, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change.