Attaining our objectives under the Strategic Framework will also involve some
significant changes and shifts in policy:
i. Shaping the international order of the future: we will move from defending
the status quo within the post-Cold War international system to dynamically
shaping the post-COVID order, extending it in the future frontiers of cyberspace
and space, and protecting democratic values. This will require active diplomacy,
especially in using regulatory diplomacy to influence the rules, norms and standards
governing technology and the digital economy. It will also require us to maximise
our convening power and to do more to win elections for senior positions within
multilateral institutions.
ii. Europe: the UK will remain deeply invested in the security and prosperity of Europe.
Our exit from the EU means we have the opportunity to follow different economic
and political paths where this is in our interests, and to mark a distinctive approach
to foreign policy. Equally, we will work with the EU where our interests coincide – for
example, in supporting the stability and security of the European continent and in
cooperating on climate action and biodiversity.
iii. Climate and biodiversity: we will lead sustained international action to accelerate
progress towards net zero emissions by 2050 and build global climate resilience,
starting with our presidency of COP26 in 2021 and our International Climate
Finance commitment of £11.6 billion. And we will lead efforts to reset the world’s
relationship with nature, including by committing £3 billion of our ICF to solutions
that protect and restore nature.
iv. Science and technology: we will take a more active approach to building and
sustaining strategic advantage through S&T, using it in support of our national
goals. We will create the enabling environment for a thriving S&T ecosystem in the
UK and extend our international collaboration, ensuring that the UK’s successful
research base translates into influence over the critical and emerging technologies
that are central to geopolitical competition and our future prosperity. We will adopt
an own-collaborate-access framework to guide government activity in priority areas
of S&T, such as AI, quantum technologies and engineering biology.
v. Responsible, democratic cyber power: we will adopt a comprehensive cyber
strategy to maintain the UK’s competitive edge in this rapidly evolving domain. We
will build a resilient and prosperous digital UK, and make much more integrated,
creative and routine use of the UK’s full spectrum of levers – including the National
Cyber Force’s offensive cyber tools – to detect, disrupt and deter our adversaries.
vi. Space: we will make the UK a meaningful actor in space, with an integrated space
strategy which brings together military and civil space policy for the first time.
We will support the growth of the UK commercial space sector, and ensure the UK
has the capabilities to protect and defend our interests in a more congested and
contested space domain – including through the new Space Command and the
ability to launch British satellites from the UK by 2022.
II. Overview
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