§ The Duke of Edinburgh and I were pleased to receive the state visit of the King and Queen of Jordan last November.
§ We recall with pleasure our visits to Jamaica and New Zealand in February and our subsequent visit to Australia on the occasion of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The Duke of Edinburgh and I were also delighted to pay a visit to Canada in October.
§ Following the shocking events of 11 September, my Government has taken decisive action to help combat terrorism around the world and support the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
§ My Government has continued to play a leading role in efforts to improve the competitiveness of Europe's economies and bring the European Union closer to its people. Legislation has been enacted enabling the United Kingdom to ratify the Treaty of Nice and implement decisions on the Union's future funding.
§ My Government has played a key role in agreeing a timetable for enlargement of the European Union and in identifying practical ways to strengthen the Union's foreign and security policy, particularly its support for peace building in the Balkans.
§ My Government has worked to strengthen NATO, equip it for the challenges of the future and develop its growing partnership with Russia.
§ My Government has worked for a more effective global effort to reduce poverty, including initiatives on debt relief and HIV/AIDS, and has enacted legislation to strengthen the poverty focus to Britain's development work.
483§ My Government ratified the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change along with other EU partners, as well as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
§ In the United Nations, the Commonwealth and other fora my Government has been active in promoting human rights and tackling the causes of conflict, including support for UN efforts in newly independent East Timor.
§ My Government enacted legislation to grant British citizenship to British Overseas Territories citizens in qualifying territories.