ANNEX B
Public Diplomacy in the USA
1. Getting the UK message across on vital
issues is a key objective throughout the US. Each Post contributes
to the Public Diplomacy effort, showing what Britain has to offer.
The UK needs to engage with the increasingly influential US communities
which lack traditional links with the UK. Bringing influential
visitors to the UK is an important element of public diplomacy.
2. The current UK with NY festival (13-28
October 2001) is a good example of government working with a local
initiative to project modern Britain. Planned events were refocussed
to express UK solidarity and support for the people of New York
3. The BBC World Service attracts a North
American audience of 2.6 million, of whom some 95% now listen
to rebroadcasts on FM. Short Wave services ceased on 1 July 2001.
4. A recent review by the British Council
has confirmed that it should focus in the areas of education,
the arts and creative industries, seeking strategic partnerships
within the US.
5. The UK remains the most popular destination
for US students studying overseas, with an estimated 33,000 in
the UK, bringing in over £200m a year to the UK economy.
Increasing the number of US students in the UK is a key target
of the Prime Minister's Initiative which aims to achieve a 25%
share of the global market for higher education by 2005.
6. Over a thousand Marshall Scholarships
have been awarded since the programme was instituted by Parliament
in 1953 in recognition of assistance received from the US in the
aftermath of the Second World War. There is a strong alumni association.
The 50th Anniversary of the Marshall Scholarships will be celebrated
in 2003.
7. The Atlantic Fellowships in Public Policy,
established by the FCO in June 1994 to commemorate the fiftieth
anniversary of D-Day and the US contribution to the liberation
of Europe, bring 10-12 outstanding mid-career professionals each
year to study and gain practical experience in a wide variety
of public policy areas in the United Kingdom.
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