London, United Kingdom, 5 February 2026 – His Highness the Aga Khan was welcomed to 10 Downing Street yesterday by Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Sir Keir Starmer. They discussed strengthening cooperation on international development and humanitarian initiatives, and promoting pluralism and interfaith relations.

Earlier in the afternoon, His Highness and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the United Kingdom and the Ismaili Imamat, marking a new chapter in a longstanding institutional partnership. 

Signed at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London, the agreement renews our commitment to work together to tackle global priorities, including climate change, empowering women and girls, and driving economic growth. It establishes official representation between the two parties with a joint coordinating committee.

Since 1973, the Aga Khan Development Network – a group of development agencies established by the Ismaili Imamat – has partnered with UK agencies such as the FCDO and British International Investment, as well as organisations like The King’s Trust International, on development projects in Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Middle East. The institutions built through their collaboration positively impact more than 15 million lives annually.

Institutions of the Ismaili Imamat based in the UK include the Aga Khan Foundation (UK), established in 1973; the Institute of Ismaili Studies, established in 1977; and the Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, founded in 2002. These organisations are based at the Aga Khan Centre in London, a place for education, knowledge and cultural exchange. Along with its library, gallery and public tours programme, the institutions at the Aga Khan Centre work together to bridge the gap in understanding about Muslim cultures, address the root causes of poverty and connect the public to global development issues.

His Highness is in the UK this week to visit the Ismaili community from the UK and Ireland. Earlier in the week, he called upon the Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan at City Hall, where they discussed the work of Imamat institutions based in London. The Ismaili community has lived in the UK for more than 60 years and contributes actively to the strength and prosperity of the country.

Notes:

The Ismaili Imamat, a supranational legal entity, refers to the institution or office of the spiritual leader of the global Ismaili community, established in accordance with applicable customary law. Founded in 632, it is the contemporary office of His Highness the Aga Khan V, which spans a timeline of almost 1,400 years of history and 49 uninterrupted successions by direct hereditary lineage. 

The Aga Khan Development Network is a contemporary initiative to fulfil the mandate of the Ismaili Imamat through institutional action to improve the quality of human life, irrespective of origin, faith, or gender. Its multifaceted development approach aims to help communities and individuals become self-reliant.