Feb 6, 2026

BEI Weekly Update - 6th February 2026

by

David Landsman

by

Dear Members and Friends,

This week, I had the opportunity to chair a discussion for our sister organisation the D Group with the Ambassador of Estonia. I drew the (hardly surprising) conclusion that, if you’re in a country like Estonia, what we might call “international relations” is all too close to home: with defence spending now over 5% of GDP, it is quite clearly the top priority. The UK is in a very different position, geographically and in mindset. Even though recent events have reinvigorated the debate about our role in the world, those of us working internationally have often to make the case for the country to take both trade and international development as seriously as a country with our history, interests and reach arguably should. There’s more work to do, across the board.

To make the case means perhaps explaining the breadth and depth of Britain’s international engagement and why it matters. Our programme for the coming weeks reflects the range of our members’ interests, both geographically and sectorally.

Next week, we look forward to meeting with the Minister of Economy and Finance from Uruguay alongside senior colleagues from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. This will be an opportunity to discuss the ways in which UK organisations can work in Uruguay as it rolls out a programme of major infrastructure projects. This session is fully booked, but I shall report on takeaways in our next newsletter.

Next week we also look forward to continuing our series on water risk with a virtual panel on Thursday 12 February from 14:00 - 15:30, organised in partnership with Arup. “Reducing Risk and Unlocking Funding for Water Resilience” aims to help those working in the water sector better understand the conditions for creating investment-ready environments which reduce climate risk and unlock funding for urban water infrastructure. If you are interested in joining, please register here.

Water will remain the theme of Thursday 12 February as we look forward to welcoming the World Bank Group's Global Water Director, Saroj Kumar Jha, to discuss the Bank’s Water Strategy Implementation Plan. He will be joined by colleagues from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to explore and present case studies on private sector development in the water sector. This is also a popular event, already with a waiting list: please let us know if you’d like to express an interest.

Our international development programme has two imminent in person events. First, we will be welcoming back the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) on 26 February in the shape of Commissioner Harold Freeman. He will discuss ICAI’s latest review on the effectiveness of the UK’s support for clean energy transition in low- and middle-income countries. If you are interested in joining, please register here.

Secondly on 3 March, we will be holding the first of a series of events on ethical AI in international development. This session will explore frameworks for the ethical use of AI across the international development sector, how AI can accelerate sustainable development and the challenges and opportunities for AI integration in emerging and developing countries. If you are interested in joining, please register here.

We are in the process of planning a number of events in our Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion programme, which will explore a range of intersecting topics including healthcare. More on this soon.

I also wanted to highlight the Cambridge Education Legacy Webinar Series which is a series of sessions sharing key lessons from 45 years of supporting education systems worldwide and looking ahead to the future of the global education sector. A great opportunity to benefit from Cambridge’s long experience.

You may be interested in an event being planned by the British Embassy in Yerevan, Armenia in collaboration with UK Export Finance building on the UK-Armenia Strategic Partnership. The session will explore UK–Armenia trade partnerships, strengthen the UK’s commercial presence in Armenia, and highlight UKEF as a key enabler of sustainable, bankable projects in the market. This event will be particularly relevant to our infrastructure and energy members. Please email Sofia Pennacchietti via sp@britishexpertise.org if you are interested in joining.

Despite the rainy weather, warm wishes for the weekend and the week ahead,

David Landsman

Executive Chair

British Expertise International

Event Recordings and Resources:

(Member access only)‍

27th January 2026 - Unlocking Free Trade Agreements and CPTPP in Practice
22nd January 2026 - COP30 Insights
10th December 2025 - Integrating Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) into Education Systems
2nd December 2025 - Working with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
4th November 2025 - India - Water Resilience
23rd October 2025 - Trade and Investment Opportunities in the British Overseas Territories
18th September 2025 - Infrastructure Opportunities in South Africa
16th September 2025 - Meet UKEF: Asia and the Middle-East

Upcoming BEI Events:

10th February 2026 13:30 – 15:00 GMT: Meet the Minister of Economy & Finance, Uruguay - Join us for a dialogue with Gabriel Oddone, Minister of Economy & Finance in Uruguay, and senior colleagues from the Ministry of Economy & Finance This roundtable event will provide the Minister with the opportunity to engage with UK companies with an interest in Uruguay, as well as providing a platform for UK organisations to gain market insights and demonstrate their expertise.
12th February 2025 09:30 – 11:30 GMT: Water Sector Investment Opportunities with the World Bank Group - BEI is pleased to be joined by the World Bank Group’s (WBG) Global Water Director, Saroj Kumar Jha, for a roundtable session. The event will provide an overview of how the WBG engages private-sector partners and will highlight investment opportunities in the global water sector.
12th February 2025 14:00 – 15:30 GMT: Reducing Risk & Unlocking Funding for Water Resilience- Adaptation finance for the water sector remains minimal compared to the level of need. This session, in partnership with Arup, will aim to help UK organisations better understand the conditions for creating investment-ready environments which reduce climate risk and unlock funding for vital urban water infrastructure.‍
19th February 2026 12:00 – 13:00 GMT: Water Resilience Working Group - The UK has a distinctive offer and world-leading expertise in sustainable and climate-resilient water services. This group, in partnership with UK government, IFIs and other key stakeholders, aims to define that offer and leverage it to increase exports.‍
26th February 2026 13:30 – 15:30 GMT: ICAI Review: UK Aid for Energy Transition - A new review from the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) assesses the effectiveness of the UK’s support for clean energy transition in low- and middle-income countries. Join Harold Freeman, lead commissioner at ICAI for this review, and other panellists to discuss the findings of the report, the government’s response and how UK aid can be used most effectively to meet this global challenge.
3rd March 2026 10:00 – 12:00 GMT: Ethical AI in International Development - As the first in a series of upcoming events, this in-person panel will provide a timely opportunity to explore the role of AI in international development. Speakers will highlight frameworks for the ethical use of AI across the international development sector, how AI can accelerate sustainable development, the challenges and opportunities for AI integration in emerging and developing countries, alongside corresponding case studies.