Monday, February 26, 2007

£20m to ask muslims to like us.

The British Council, which promotes British culture and education overseas, is cutting its budget for Europe to shift its focus to Muslim countries.
The Council says it plans to close offices, libraries and information centres on the continent.

It will then spend up to £20m on a three-year programme to strengthen links with the Islamic world.
The Council's director general designate said the move was vital to bridge a "widening gap of trust".
Martin Davidson insisted it was time to tackle the "new challenges the world faces" by forging new relationships with the Middle East and Asia.

It is essential that we step up our investment to build trust and understanding between these countries and the UK Martin Davidson, director general designate of the British Council

Overall, funding for European countries will be slashed by 30% over the next two years.
Instead, money will be devoted to spreading British values in Islamic countries and in particular to fund projects that steer young Muslims away from extremism.
Mr Davidson said: "We can achieve more impact for less money by changing the way we work.
"This unlocks funds to invest in areas of the world such as the Middle East where cultural relations can make a major contribution to the UK's long term security and prosperity.
"It is essential that we step up our investment to build trust and understanding between these countries and the UK."
Iraq and Afghanistan are two of the 50 countries that will receive a 50% increase in funding.
'Britishness'
One flagship project called Reconnect will work with madrassas - religious schools - in countries like Pakistan to try to combat radicalisation.
Some initiatives will be run in Europe too, for example, a multi-lateral scheme to strengthen European identity among European Muslims.
The Council was founded in 1934 after the government became concerned about the need to promote "Britishness" abroad.
It receives an annual grant of £186m from the Foreign Office and earns a further £300m from paid-for English language classes and examinations.
Currently, the council operates in 109 countries and territories across the globe, but this move will see it reduce its public presence in Europe from 19 countries to nine.
Offices have already shut in Bulgaria, Germany, Slovakia and Belgium, and more are expected to follow later this year in Finland, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria and all three Baltic states.
Science, arts and education events will also be cut back and almost all information centres will close.
Partnerships
Orchestra tours, like that by the London Sinfonietta to the Baltic States last year, will no longer be funded, but logistical support will still be given to travelling artists.
Self-financing language schools and other projects like the Erasmus university exchange programme will also continue.
More and more, Mr Davidson said, the Council would work in partnership with other European nations, rather than on its own.
"We share a common set of values with our European partners and by working with them we can have greater impact within Europe and beyond," he added.

1 comment:

Umm Maariyah said...

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