Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0056/00562.txt

Text File | 1991-06-24 | 28KB | 472 lines

$Unique_ID{COW00562}
$Pretitle{405}
$Title{United Kingdom
Britain's Overseas Relations}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC}
$Affiliation{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC}
$Subject{community
britain
european
member
council
states
overseas
british
policy
co-operation}
$Date{1990}
$Log{}
Country:     United Kingdom
Book:        Britain's Overseas Relations
Author:      Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC
Affiliation: Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC
Date:        1990

Britain's Overseas Relations

     Britain's overseas relations have been shaped by its history as a major
trading and maritime power and its concern to maintain peace and to promote
global prosperity through international co-operation.

     Since 1945 Britain has progressively, and largely peacefully, dismantled
its Empire. Yet it retains world-wide trading concerns and continuing
responsibilities for 14 dependent territories and for the 6 million of its
citizens who live overseas. London is a major world financial centre.
Britain's overseas investments are the second largest in the world, fast
catching up with Japan's. Britain imports over one-third of its food and more
than half of its raw material requirements. Exports account for over a quarter
of its gross national product (GNP).

     In a world where communications, information and problems are
increasingly on a global scale, Britain regards regional or world co-operation
as the best way to attain its overseas objectives. It has diplomatic relations
with 165 countries and with around 20 of these it has common security
arrangements, principally through the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
Britain provides development assistance to over 120 independent countries
as well as to its remaining dependencies. It is a member of some 120
international organisations, ranging from the world-wide United Nations to
regionally based and technically orientated bodies. The principal regional
organisation to which Britain belongs is the European Community: Britain
increasingly co-ordinates its foreign policy through the mechanism of European
political co-operation. As a member of the Commonwealth, which evolved out of
the British Empire, Britain is part of a representative cross section of the
international community, whose 48 members share a common language and close
professional, academic and commercial links. Britain also has strong ties with
the United States, including a common language and similar political and
cultural traditions.

     Britain considers that the maintenance of international order, governed
by respect for a generally accepted system of law, is vital if international
co-operation is to be effective. As a permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council, it makes support for the United Nations a central feature
of its foreign policy.

Administration

     The general conduct of overseas relations is the responsibility of the
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs acting through the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and over 200 British diplomatic posts
overseas. The latter comprise embassies and high commissions in about 130
countries, together with subordinate consulates-general and consulates,
and missions at ten international organisations. These posts, like the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, are staffed by members of the Diplomatic
Service and locally engaged people. Excluding supporting administrative
and communications services, 30 per cent of front-line diplomatic staff
and senior locally engaged staff are involved in commercial work such as
export promotion and the protection of British commercial interests, 25 per
cent in consular/entry clearance services, 18 per cent in political and
economic work, 9 per cent in information and 7 per cent in other work.

     Other departments which have a primary concern with overseas relations
include the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry, the
Treasury and the Overseas Development Administration (ODA, which is part of
the FCO); but the involvement of most has increased with the growing
dependence of domestic economic policy on international decisions and with
Britain's membership of the European Community.

     Where questions of overseas policy involve matters within the
responsibility of other departments, the FCO formulates policy in
consultation with the departments concerned. The balance of responsibilities
is a matter of constant adjustment, and the department with the predominant
functional interest, even though it may be primarily domestic, takes the lead.
This is particularly so in policy concerning the European Community and
international monetary matters. In the case of policy towards the Community,
the FCO exercises its co-ordinating role at official level through the
machinery of the Cabinet Office.

     Other bodies whose work has an overseas dimension include the British
Overseas Trade Board and ECGD (the Export Credits Guarantee Department),
which provide export services for industry; the Crown Agents for Oversea
Governments and Administrations, which helps to arrange purchases from
British aid funds and appointments under technical co-operation programmes
(as well as providing mainly purchasing and management services to overseas
governments and institutions); and the British Council.

The British Council

     The British Council, established in 1934, aims to promote Britain
abroad through cultural, educational and technical co-operation. The
activities of the Council, which is represented in over 80 countries,
include the teaching of English and the recruitment of British teachers
for posts overseas; administering the Government's educational assistance and
technical co-operation training programmes; fostering personal contacts
between British and overseas people, especially in the educational,
professional and scientific areas; running, or helping to maintain, libraries
of British books and periodicals overseas and providing information through
touring exhibitions and bibliographical services; and presenting overseas
the best of British arts and culture. Overseas it acts as education adviser
to Britain's diplomatic missions and is responsible for educational assistance
in developing countries in which it is represented and for links and exchanges
in higher education which require official support. In Britain the Council
is concerned mainly with arranging programmes for professional visitors and
with the placing, administration and welfare of overseas students. A basic
principle is that the Council's work should be of benefit both to Britain
and to the receiving country.

     In 1987-88 the Council assisted 28,050 overseas students, trainees and
visitors to come to Britain and 60,400 students learnt English through the
Council and associated teaching centres overseas. Apart from FCO- and
ODA-funded schemes, the Council provided 1,682 fellowships and 3,212
short-term professional visits to Britain in 1987-88. Many visitors finance
all or part of the costs while others are paid for by overseas governments
and international agencies. Training in Britain was arranged for 3,340
people and funded by clients.

     Book, audio-visual and periodical issues made by the Council's 116
libraries around the world totalled 7.4 million and users contributed 1.2
million Pounds to the costs. In many places the libraries have film and video
stocks, software demonstration equipment and on-line access to British
databases. The Council supported 700 British drama, dance or music events,
including experimental work and jazz and rock concerts for younger audiences.

     In 1988-89 the Council's annual grant from the FCO was 77.8 million
Pounds. It also received another 132 million Pounds, mainly from the ODA, to
manage various government-assisted programmes. The Council's own programmes
are funded by its government grant and by earnings. The latter- 63.6 million
Pounds in 1987-88-derive mainly from English