Baroness Chapman's speech at a roundtable session at the Global Partnerships Conference: 19 May 2026
Speech by Baroness Chapman at the humanitarian emergencies roundtable on Day 1 of the Global Partnerships Conference
Good afternoon everyone and thank you for joining us today.
It’s great to see such a fantastic group of partners and experts, representing governments, science, philanthropy, and frontline delivery.
This is what the Global Partnerships Conference is all about – building new coalitions to tackle the biggest challenges we face.
Humanitarian action will always be at the heart of our work – saving lives, alleviating suffering, and protecting human dignity wherever it is threatened.
We know that Gaza is one of those places.
The situation for healthcare there is appalling. Around 90 percent of hospitals and primary care facilities have been damaged, and around half of all hospitals are now fully non‑functional.
Behind these figures are people unable to access urgent care that they need.
The UK has been helping, contributing over £40 million to support healthcare in Gaza since the start of the conflict.
This includes £26.5 million through our long‑standing partnership with UK‑Med, which has supported over one million patient consultations.
But we know the scale of need just remains enormous. And that means we can’t rely on traditional approaches themselves.
Modern humanitarian crises are more complex, more protracted, more demanding.
So we must think differently about how we mobilise resources, work together to harness knowledge, and deploy innovation.
That’s why partnerships do matter.
The UK is proud to work closely with philanthropic organisations and other allies who bring flexibility, speed, and a willingness to invest in new solutions.
These partnerships help turn cutting‑edge research and clinical expertise into real impact on the ground.
Our humanitarian partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a really good example of where this can work.
We are proud of what we have achieved together, including through our cooperation with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre.
This partnership is built on mutual respect, shared commitment, and an ambition to do even more in the years ahead.
The initiative though, we launch today – focused on improving care for children with blast injuries who urgently need prosthetics and rehabilitation – that’s what this is all about.
It brings together UK research, clinical excellence, and operational delivery – supported by international partners and the leadership of Community Jameel, Mohammed and Fady, rooted firmly in real‑world needs.
This is the model we want to see more of: practical, innovative, and deeply collaborative.
Above all, today is about demonstrating that by working together – across governments, academia, philanthropy, and humanitarian actors…
We can begin to alleviate some of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, despite the immense challenges that remain.
The scale of today’s needs really demands nothing less.
Thank you.
Watch the plenary sessions from the Global Partnerships Conference 2026 live on the FCDO YouTube channel.