UK Foreign Secretary at Manama Dialogue on Gaza, Sudan
If you’re trying to make sense of today’s foreign policy headlines, Bahrain is a good place to start. On 1 November 2025, the UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper addressed the 21st IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, setting out how Britain sees the path to de‑escalation in Gaza and urgent action in Sudan. The UK Government published the transcript the same day, which helps us pin down what was said and why it matters.
First, Gaza. The speech acknowledged a fragile but real pause in fighting that began on 10 October 2025. That pause has allowed hostage returns and a small but growing flow of aid, while reminding us how quickly gains can slip. For students tracking events, it’s been just over three weeks since the ceasefire took effect-long enough to save lives, not long enough to feel secure.
How did we get here? The Foreign Secretary credited a summer of shuttle diplomacy, regional mediation by Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, and a US‑led push under President Donald Trump centred on a 20‑point plan. That plan ties a full ceasefire and hostage‑prisoner exchanges to phased Israeli withdrawals, humanitarian surges, and an interim security presence. It’s controversial, but it created the space for the current pause.
Recognition politics also shifted. In September, the UK formally recognised the State of Palestine alongside Canada and Australia; France followed during UN week in New York. The government frames this as protecting the two‑state horizon, while insisting Hamas can have no role in Gaza’s future. If you’re revising for exams, note the dates: 21–22 September 2025 marked a coordinated wave of recognitions.
The UK’s stated end‑goal remains two states-Israel and Palestine-living side by side. In practical terms, the speech points to UN resolutions, governance reform within the Palestinian Authority, and new security arrangements in Gaza. That includes a temporary stabilisation force working alongside vetted Palestinian police, with Britain offering expertise in civil‑military coordination and weapons decommissioning. Think of this as the scaffolding that lets a permanent political structure take shape.
What this means for daily life in Gaza is simple and immediate. The Foreign Secretary said humanitarian aid must not be conditional. That means fuel for hospitals, safe corridors for food, and medical care that reaches children in famine‑threatened areas, regardless of the talks’ tempo. The ceasefire has opened cracks for aid to move; whether those cracks widen depends on continued pressure and verified access.
Then the focus turns to Sudan, where the tone shifts from hopeful to stark. Recent reports from Darfur-especially around El‑Fasher-describe mass executions, sexual violence, and attacks on hospitals during the city’s fall. UN monitors and independent investigators have warned of ethnically targeted killings. The speech calls this out as a failure of international attention and a test of our willingness to act.
On funding, the UK announced an extra £5 million for the El‑Fasher response on top of £120 million already allocated this year for Sudan. Those figures sit within a broader, later decision to double UK aid to Sudan and the region as the crisis deepened-useful context when you see different numbers reported across the autumn. The big point for us as readers: no amount of aid can substitute for a ceasefire that stops the killing.
Why does this sit in a ‘global security’ forum? Because conflicts spill over. The speech links Red Sea attacks that disrupt shipping, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and Sudan’s collapse to a single lesson: when multilateral systems wobble, violence and hunger travel. The Manama Dialogue is one of the places countries compare notes and, at their best, commit to shared rules again.
Quick glossary for your notes: A ceasefire is a formal pause in fighting, often time‑bound and monitored. A stabilisation force is a temporary multinational security presence to protect civilians and backstop local policing. Decommissioning means verified removal of weapons from conflict use. A two‑state solution refers to an independent State of Palestine alongside Israel, agreed by both sides and guaranteed by international law. A UN resolution records the collective position of UN members and can mandate monitoring or sanctions.
Timeline check so you can track sources with dates: the UN General Assembly adopted the New York Declaration on 12 September 2025; the UK, Canada and Australia recognised Palestine on 21 September, with France formalising recognition around the UN high‑level meetings; the White House released its 20‑point Gaza plan on 29 September; and the Gaza ceasefire took effect on 10 October. The Manama speech landed on 1 November.
What to watch next in class or study group: whether aid into Gaza scales from trickle to sustained flow; if a credible transitional authority and policing model emerges; whether the UN locks in monitoring for any next phases; and, in Sudan, whether a serious international push can secure a ceasefire that protects civilians in El‑Fasher and beyond. Use the official Bahrain transcript as your anchor text, then read across independent reporting to test claims. That’s media literacy in action.