Dear Members and Friends,
Once again, we end the week with another flashpoint in the headlines, this time between Israel and Iran, while all of the other conflicts – Israel/Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan, to mention perhaps the most high-profile – continue, even if they fall for a while from the front pages. The media’s attention span is not the only problem: it’s also too easy to treat them as distinct items rather than interrelated. In the reality, linkages are real if complex, and players in one region watch carefully developments in the others. Many of us have business interests impacted by uncertainty; others will be involved more directly in response to conflict. There are particular challenges for the UK, faced with a need to strengthen defence – and, I’d say, our broader strategic international posture – with very constrained resources and a politics focused very much on the domestic. Our D Group colleagues have produced a brief summary of the recently-published Strategic Defence Review and we now look forward to the Integrated Security Review in the coming days. These are important statements of intent but, amid extreme uncertainty, won’t in practice be the last word on the UK’s role in the world of the late 2020s and beyond. The upheaval in the area of international development is provoking a radical reappraisal but overall there’s a long way to go in reaching any kind of national view to answer the old question “what are you for?”, across the range of our economic and political interests. More on this in the coming weeks.
With this in mind, this week we hosted an event on navigating risk & opportunity in Ukraine. We heard from an excellent panel of speakers, including Lesia Vasylenko, Lawyer and People’s Deputy in the Parliament of Ukraine, Glib Buriak, Macroeconomic Advisor to the Parliament of Ukraine’s Economic Committee, Duncan Spinner, Head of Country, Ukraine at Prevail Partners, and George Dagnall, COO at Hotspot Insurance. The event explored how, despite the ongoing conflict and uncertainty, Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts present unique partnership opportunities for UK organisations. Look out next week for a blog summarising the key takeaways.
Also this week, we held our final Water Resilience Working Group session before the launch of the launch of the new edition of the Group’s position paper. The new edition revisits the essential themes that underpin water resilience in today's rapidly-changing environment: project and blended finance to accelerate water initiatives, the critical contribution of energy security, as well as the role of governance and political will in driving resilience. The report presents a suite of practical tools for sustainable water management in an evolving landscape. Join us on 8 July, either in person or online for a panel to launch the report: ‘Rethinking Water Resilience: Strategies for a Changing World’.
Next week we are looking forward to hosting a number of events around London Climate Action Week 2025, including a roundtable on Achieving Systems Change for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Adaptation on Thursday 26th June; and a virtual panel on Blended Finance as a Catalyst for Systems Change also on Thursday 26th June. We’ll report on these and our other discussions around London Climate Action Week in the next newsletter.
Also rapidly upon us is our annual ‘Meet the Ambassador’ programme starting on 1 July. We look forward to welcoming UK Ambassadors and High Commissioners to Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, South Africa, Algeria, and Indonesia. This is only the start and we will be planning meetings with other Heads of Mission during their visits to the UK in the coming months. Watch this space.
Finally, I should mention a webinar we’re organising in partnership with UK Export Finance taking place on Tuesday 15th July from 11:00 – 12:30 BST. ‘Meet UKEF – Africa & LATAC’ will offer UK organisations a valuable opportunity to explore UKEF's diverse offerings, engage directly with UKEF stakeholders and gain key insights on pipelines in Africa and LATAC.
I hope you enjoy the picture at the top of this week's newsletter: a preview of our new neighbourhood once we start operating from Birdcage Walk in September.
I hope you’re able to enjoy what promises to be a very summery weekend,
David Landsman
Executive Chairman
British Expertise International
Recordings of recent past events:
- 19th June 2025: Navigating Risks and Opportunities in Ukraine
- 10th June 2025: International Finance Corporation (IFC): Working Upstream
- 10th June 2025: Public-Private Partnerships in the Philippines
- 5th June 2025: Intersection of Climate Change and Social Security
- 29th May 2025: Deep Dive Into Infrastructure Opportunities in Kazakhstan
Key events coming up include the following:
- 26th June 2025 15:00 – 16:30 BST: Blended Finance as a Catalyst for Systems Change - Bringing together expert voices driving systems change across finance, sustainability and climate resilience, this virtual panel will explore how blended finance can form part of sustainable strategies for driving business growth and long-term resilience.
- 30th June 2025 09:30 – 11:00 BST: Meet the Ambassador: Nigeria & Ghana - Join us in person as we welcome Dr. Richard Montgomery CMG, British High Commissioner to Nigeria & Harriet Thompson, British High Commissioner to Ghana.
- 30th June 2025 11:30 – 12:30 BST: Meet the Ambassador: Ethiopia - Join us in person as we welcome Darren Welch, British Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
- 30th June 2025 13:30 - 15:00 BST: Meet the Ambassador: Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan & Turkmenistan - Join us in person as we welcome His Majesty’s Ambassadors to Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan & Turkmenistan.
- 30th June 2025 15:30 – 17:00 BST: Meet the Ambassador: Armenia & Azerbaijan - Join us in person as we welcome John Gallagher, British Ambassador to Armenia & Fergus Auld, British Ambassador to Azerbaijan.
- 2nd July 2025 09:30 – 11:30 BST: Education Working Group Meeting and Workshop - Join us for a special meeting of the Education Working Group to discuss how the UK education sector can respond to recent shocks to the global education system. We will consult with members on the best possible outcomes from this discussion, which could include a one-pager to share with key stakeholders ahead of a seminar in the autumn.
- 3rd July 2025 14:00 – 15:30 BST: SME wider community engagement with the FCDO SME Advisory Forum - BEI is delighted to continue supporting the members of FCDO’s SME Advisory Forum to engage with the wider SME community. Our aim is both to ensure that members of the Advisory Forum are briefed on the full range of views of the SME supplier community and to enable them to provide feedback on the discussions after their meetings.
- 4th July 2025 10:00 – 11:00 BST: Meet the Ambassador: Algeria - Join us as we welcome James Downer, British Ambassador to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria on Friday 4th July.
- 7th July 2025 10:00 – 11:00 BST: Meet the Ambassador: South Africa - Join us as we welcome Antony Phillipson CMG, British High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa.
- 8th July 2025 10:30 – 14:00 BST: Rethinking Water Resilience: Strategies for a Changing World - The BEI Water Resilience Working Group is launching a new edition of its report, "Water Resilience – Unlocking Local and Global Benefits Through Collaboration." First published a year ago, this updated edition reflects the significant shifts in the geopolitical and funding landscape over the past 12 months. We’ve re-examined how policymakers and delivery partners can navigate and strengthen Water Resilience in an evolving world.
- 10th July 2025 10:00 – 11:15 BST: Meet the Ambassador: Indonesia - Join us in person as we welcome Dominic Jermey CVO, OBE, British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste on Thursday 10th July.
- 14th July 2025 10:30 – 19:00 BST: ADB Roadshow: Applying British Solutions for Asian Growth and Development - Join us at Arup’s offices (80 Charlotte Street, London W1T 4QS) as British Expertise International host a senior delegation from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as part of the 2025 ADB UK Roadshow programme. The UK Roadshow aims to connect the ADB with the latest UK expertise, technologies and solutions that can drive Asia’s growth and development.
- 15th July 2025 11:00 – 12:30 BST: Meet UKEF – Africa & LATAC - This virtual event will offer UK organisations a valuable opportunity to explore UKEF's diverse offerings, engage directly with UKEF stakeholders and gain key insights on pipelines in Africa and LATAC.
External Events and Reports:
- 19th – 21st June 2025: Central Asian Expo (CAEx), Tashkent, Uzbekistan - Eco Expo Central Asia will be the region’s largest international platform for dialogue and collaboration on environmental protection and sustainable development. The event will bring together leading experts, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, and innovators from around the world. Key exhibition sections will include: Green energy, Clean-tech and smart environmental solutions, Water-saving technologies, Green transport, Sustainable agriculture, Environmental education, Green finance, Green construction, Eco-tourism, AI and ecology, FMCG sustainability initiatives, Aral Sea and Priaral region ecology, Urban greening and landscaping, Protected natural areas. Further details are available, here.
- 25th – 26th August 2025: World Women Entrepreneurs Forum (WWEF), Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia - The World Women Entrepreneurs Forum (WWEF) emerges in response to this urgent need—to not only celebrate the progress made, but to challenge the systems that limit it. Held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, under the theme Inspire, Impact, Invest, the Forum will serve as a global platform to uplift women entrepreneurs by fostering connection, capacity, and capital. It will bring together leaders, changemakers, investors, and advocates to co-create an ecosystem where womenled businesses thrive and transform economies.
- 3rd – 5th September 2025: KazBuild 2025, Kazakhstan: Stand booking is now open for international exhibitors at KazBuild exhibition in Kazakhstan - the largest international building and interiors exhibition in Kazakhstan, annually welcoming over 7,000 specialist trade visitors to the show. KazBuild will be held 3-5 September 2025 in Almaty, the biggest city of Kazakhstan. Held since 1994, the exhibition showcases the latest products, services, technologies, and projects available on the market, and provides a key platform for governmental and building industry professionals to exchange experiences, establish cooperation and share the latest industry developments. Please contact Mrs. Tatyana Borodikhina by email: tatyana.borodikhina@exhibitions-conferences.com to learn more about how KazBuild can help to establish your business in Kazakhstan.
- 28th – 31st October 2025: AME Trade - 15th edition of Africa PPP in Windhoek, Namibia - Africa PPP 2025 is the longest running infrastructure finance, investment, and partnership summit, focused on increasing private sector participation in infrastructure development through viable PPPs and innovative financing mechanisms, for a sustainable economic growth. The event is organized with the support of Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board and the Ministry of Works and Transport of Namibia at the prestigious Hilton Conference Centre in Windhoek, Namibia. Africa PPP includes two-days Conference, one day masterclass on Project Preparation and one day Touristic and/or Technical Tours.
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