Memorandum submitted by BERR/UKTI
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PILOT (PDP): TURKEY
BACKGROUND
The Public Diplomacy Pilot is an initiative
of the Public Diplomacy Board, which was set up in 2006 following
the review of Public Diplomacy completed by Lord Carter of Coles.
Bringing together representatives of the principal FCO-funded
PD players—the FCO itself, the British Council and the BBC
World Service—the Board is chaired by the Minister for Europe
and includes two independent members. The Board decided to pilot
a new, more strategic approach to public diplomacy and the evaluation
of its impact in a small number of Posts. Public diplomacy partners
in these countries are focusing activity on the delivery of specific
priority objectives in two-year pilots which were launched from
April 2007. Additional resources have been directed to these pilots
to support this work. The priorities are:
— Supporting democratic development.
— Promoting the UK economy and British
business.
There are two objectives behind the pilot Posts
initiative:
(i) to concentrate efforts on priority issues
in priority countries in order to deliver the UK's foreign short
and long term policy objectives; and
(ii) to test public diplomacy approaches
to see what works and what doesn't, as a means of informing decisions
on future activity.
Two Posts were selected to pilot the UK Economy
and Business theme—Turkey and India. Strategies for each
have been jointly developed and agreed by the FCO, British Council
and UKTI. The Turkey strategy was approved by the Board in July
2007.
The FCO allocated a total of £150,000 spread
over 2007-08 and 2008-09 for the implementation of the initiative
in Turkey. This was matched by a similar amount from the British
Council.
ITS AIM
Its aim in Turkey is to promote the UK and what
it has to offer in particular:
— its business environment including
the innovative attitude of business;
— the city of London as the finance
centre of the world;
— our legal structure; and
— our professional development and
business management expertise, focusing in particular on corporate
social responsibility (CSR).
HOW IT
RELATES TO
UKTI ACTIVITY
It is fundamental to UKTI's strategy to strengthen
and deepen our economic and trade relationship with Turkey.
By working with Turkey on these issues and showing
what the UK has to offer, it will provide both opportunities for
British business to work with Turkish authorities in these areas
and ultimately provide a better environment for British business
to flourish in Turkey. An integral element of the pilot is to
ensure that effective evaluation measures are put in place to
assess the impact of pilot activity. All activities under the
pilot must therefore build in evaluation.
ACTIVITIES AND
OUTCOMES: PAST
AND PLANNED
— Two specialised Turkish economic
journalists were sent to the UK for a Financial Services Press
Tour. They returned highly enthused and wrote positive articles
for their magazines.
— UK legal bodies, including the Law
Society of England and Wales, are working with the British Turkish
Lawyers Association to identify areas where the Turkish legal
system works against foreign investment. They aim then to develop
three projects to address these problem areas, of which will focus
on alternative dispute resolution.
— Establishment of a CSR working group
at TUSIAD (equivalent to CBI) to offer the UK's experience of
ethical business practice. Among other things a mission of TUSIAD
members to London is planned in March.
— William Oulton, a strategic adviser
to the London's FTSE4Good index, visited Istanbul and is currently
preparing a proposal with support from FTSE and the London Stock
Exchange to develop the concept of a Turkish FTSE4Good Index.
The aim of the Index is to measure the performance of companies
that meet globally recognised corporate responsibility standards
and to facilitate investment in those companies.
— A Press Tour to Newcastle and Manchester
to promote investment in the technical textile and renewable energy
sectors.
— Training on ethical reporting of
Turkish media on economic, energy and environment themes through
the UK media NGO, the Thomson Foundation.
March 2008
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