UK and Kuwait sign health and maritime MoUs in London
If you’re studying how countries work together in practice, here’s a live example. On 23 October 2025 the UK and Kuwait held the 22nd Joint Steering Group meeting in London, co‑chaired by Hamish Falconer MP and Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al‑Ahmad Al‑Sabah. According to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, ministers reviewed trade, defence, industrial strategies and development partnerships, discussed regional priorities including the situation in Palestine, and witnessed two memoranda of understanding: one on healthcare cooperation and one on hydrographic surveying to support maritime security.
If you’re new to the term, a Joint Steering Group is a regular minister‑led forum that keeps a bilateral partnership moving between high‑level visits. The UK–Kuwait JSG began during the Kuwaiti Amir’s state visit in 2012 and has met many times since to deepen cooperation across areas such as trade, education and security.
Who’s in the room matters. Hamish Falconer is the UK’s Parliamentary Under‑Secretary of State responsible for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan at the FCDO, appointed in July 2024 after being elected MP for Lincoln. His counterpart at the table, Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al‑Ahmad Al‑Sabah, serves as Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister.
In plain English, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) is a short written agreement that sets out what the parties intend to work on together. It usually isn’t legally binding by itself; instead it sets the framework-objectives, roles and timelines-so ministries and agencies can build detailed programmes or contracts afterwards.
For healthcare, that kind of framework often covers staff training, clinical exchanges, hospital management know‑how and public health cooperation. The value is clarity: who will do what, when, and with which teams, while keeping room to adapt if needs change.
Hydrographic surveying sounds technical, but it simply means measuring and describing the shape and features of the seabed so ships can sail safely and ports can plan better. The UK Hydrographic Office says its ADMIRALTY products are relied on by over 90% of large ships worldwide, supporting safe, efficient trade and defence tasks across the globe.
That helps show why a UK–Kuwait hydrographic MoU can matter day‑to‑day: shared data standards, quicker updates to hazards and smoother search‑and‑rescue coordination all make busy waters safer and reduce delays. This is our inference based on UKHO guidance about how hydrography supports safety, trade and security.
If you’re mapping how this fits inside UK institutions, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency runs the Civil Hydrography Programme and commissions surveys, while the UK Hydrographic Office checks quality and publishes official charts and notices. International cooperation sits alongside this technical work.
For learners and teachers, this is a helpful template for policy in motion: a Joint Steering Group sets direction; MoUs organise first steps; then officials, clinicians and hydrographers turn those into training courses, datasets and fieldwork. To track progress, watch for published workplans, procurement notices and exchange programmes over the next year.
Recap you can quote: 22nd UK–Kuwait Joint Steering Group, London, 23 October 2025; co‑chairs Hamish Falconer and Sheikh Jarrah; two MoUs on healthcare cooperation and hydrographic surveying; discussion also covered regional priorities including Palestine. Source: FCDO.