Dear Members and Friends,
I am sure you will join me in wishing Her Majesty The Queen hearty congratulations on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee and convey our thanks and gratitude for Her 70 years of service marked by nationwide celebrations this weekend.
With the short week, we are sending you our weekly newsletter a few days early. I thought I would take the opportunity to provide you with a high-level overview of our plans through June and July.
As you are all aware we are already counting down to our ‘Meet the Ambassadors’ series in June. We also look forward over the summer to connecting with several Trade Commissioners and Trade Envoys to help support our members’ growth aspirations, together with plans for Market Opportunity Overviews (in collaboration with in-country Heads of Mission and DIT Teams) covering sectors including infrastructure, education, climate change solutions etc and economies as diverse as Azerbaijan, Egypt and Pakistan.
We have plans in place to meet with representatives of the World Bank as they share the latest edition of the World Bank Global Economic Prospects (GEP) report; the British International Investment (BII) (formerly the CDC) will present their new strategy aligned to the recently published Strategy for international development, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will share insights on the priorities and areas of opportunity for UK plc; in addition, we look forward to hosting lunches with Bim Afolami MP, the acting Australian High Commissioner, and the Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to the UK.
Our exploration of the issues, challenges and opportunities around climate change and infrastructure will continue with a series of engagements across key markets including East Africa, the GCC, Uzbekistan and Israel. We are also planning to issue a second version of our Climate Change report on the Built Environment. In addition, we look forward to an event with the DIT team on Sports Infrastructure opportunities.
Our focus on Education continues to build deep bonds with the ASEAN community, as we host the launch of a Policy Brief that provides recommendations to tackle the biggest problems in education in Southeast Asia. Our members were honoured to engage with Ministries of Education in the ASEAN region around the ‘Recover Learning, Rebuild Education’ report back in March.
As we head into early June, we look forward to launching our report on the UK Private Sector’s vital role in supporting the delivery of the UK’s International Development Strategy. The report will build on the UK government’s recently published International Development Strategy issued by the FCDO and will be followed by further events as we explore future opportunities. We also look forward to hosting an event that will explore the latest experiences and learning from members who are directly involved in humanitarian responses.
So it is, I hope you will agree, a busy period ahead. Even in this short week, we have managed to convene two events. On Tuesday 31st May, we hosted a climate change-focused event on the impact that the European Union’s Green New Deal (EGD)will have on UK businesses. Emmanuel Moyart from DAI explained the EU Green Deal (EGD). This is a collection of individual priorities and areas where legislation is being proposed to help the EU meet its GHG goals for 2030 and 2050. The EGD covers subjects such as deforestation, waste shipments, battery regulations and much more. When enacted, companies will need to demonstrate their green/sustainable credentials (and that of their supply chain) before being allowed access to the EU market or will face being heavily taxed. Whilst the discussion covered the EU proposals, other countries including the UK, USA and China are considering following similar regulations. This is certainly an area and topic to watch in the years ahead. BEI members can watch the recording here.
Today, Wednesday 1st June from 2.00pm, we will also be hosting a panel event the with BEI Built Environment/Infrastructure Working Group who will be presenting their latest work on Resilience in the Built Environment. I will include a summary in next week’s newsletter.
Given it is a short week, may I highlight for you three key events taking place next week:
Next Tuesday 7th June, we are hosting an event in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam, Chair of the ASEAN Education Sector. Together we will be launching a new policy brief on recovering learning and rebuilding education in the ASEAN region. This policy brief summarises an important discussion between members of the British Expertise International Education Working Group, Ministers of Education from all ASEAN countries, and UK government officials, which was held in March 2022 to share knowledge and support the remediation of education challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic. Please click here to register.
We still have a couple of spots available on Wednesday June 8th, join us as we host Lynette Wood, Australia’s Acting High Commissioner to the UK as she shares some insights and ambitions for growing UK-Australia trade as well as perspectives on key areas of opportunity for UK companies in Australia. Please email our events team to confirm your interest on events@britishexpertise.org
On Wednesday 8th June, with an ever-increasing mandate and a new strategy, we look forward to welcoming British International Investment (BII) previously the CDC Group’s Colin Buckley (Managing Director) and Andrew Palmer (Director of Global Affairs) as they present on the UK’s development finance institution’s new 2022–2026 strategy and key highlights on its role as part of the UK Government’s international development financing offer. For more details and to register for these events, please click here.
Finally, may I wish you all a great weekend of celebrations as we mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, with every hope that the weather remains fine for all.
With Best Wishes
Derrick
Derrick Sanyahumbi
Chief Executive Officer
British Expertise International
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See our full events programme here, and to enquire about becoming a member of BEI, register your interest here.
Join our Working Groups — as part of our member focus, the working groups offer opportunities for peer-to-peer engagement, learning & sharing, profiling expertise & capabilities and highlighting thought leadership. Groups include Climate Change, Education and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and we also support a Safeguarding Leads Network. For details please contact Joe McLynn.
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Upcoming Events
For any event registration support please contact the events team. Click on titles to access full event details. The full calendar of events can be viewed here.
6th June — BEI Education Working Group
7th June — ASEAN Education Policy Brief Launch
8th June — British International Investment Strategy Update (formerly CDC Group)
8th June — Lunch with Australia’s Acting High Commissioner
9th June — Infrastructure: A Proposal for a Global Certification Framework
13th June — BEI Girls’ Education Working Group
13th June — Meet The Ambassadors: West Africa
14th June — Meet The Ambassadors: Middle East (GCC)
14th June — Meet the Ambassadors: The Caribbean
15th June — Meet the Ambassadors: East and Central Africa
15th June — Meet The Ambassadors: Latin America
15th June — BEI Climate Change Working Group
16th June — Meet The Ambassadors: Central Asia
16th June — Meet the Ambassadors: North Africa
21st June — Meet the Ambassadors: South Asia
21st June — Meet the Ambassadors: Southern Africa
22nd June — Meet The Ambassadors: Southeast Asia
22nd June — Meet The Ambassadors: Middle East (non-GCC)
23rd June — Meet the Ambassadors: Western Balkans
28th June — BEI Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group
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External News & Events
10th June — The Africa Forum (Africa in the emerging global economic order) is an annual gathering where OECD officials and African policymakers, private sector, academia, and civil society leaders weigh the continent’s approaches to face the present and the challenges that lie ahead. Event registration and more information can be found on the OEDC development page
28th June — The Saudi British Joint Business Council (SBJBC) is planning a half-day Renewable Energy Forum in London on 28 June 2022 in partnership with the Lord Mayor and City of London. The Forum will focus on investment and partnership opportunities in renewable energy and clean-tech, including hydrogen, and the finance available. For further information or to register your interest please contact Cordelia Begbie at operations@sbjbc.org or visit the SBJBC Events Page.
28th — 29th September — Field Electronics and Sensors Training : The one-day BEGINNER course will give you an introduction to electronics as applied to environmental sensors in the field. The one-day ADVANCED course will build on the Beginners course and Learners will gain advanced knowledge on data logging systems, sensors, communication protocols and remote data downloading. Find more details HERE.
Date TBC — The Government of Jamaica intends to commission the construction of a new Parliament building. JAMPRO intends to host a webinar to explain the opportunity — date to be confirmed and will share with members. Please see below details: ePPS — View Competition details (gojep.gov.jm) https://udcja.com/2022/04/04/construction-of-the-new-jamaica-houses-of-parliament-at-national-heroes-park-kingston-jamaica/
https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20201118/us50m-price-tag-new-parliament-building
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