Matt Baugh

Ambassador to Somalia

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20th July 2012 Nairobi, Kenya

by Matt Baugh

Ambassador to Somalia

Hargeisa Book Fair – Arts, Culture and so much more

And so to Hargeisa for the Hargeisa International Book Fair, an inspiring gathering of artists, authors, poets and more. Established by Jama Musse Jama and organized by the wonderful Ayan Mahamoud and her excellent team, the Book Fair is now in its fifth year. Hargeisa may have no theatre, no permanent library and no cinema, […]

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16th July 2012 Nairobi, Kenya

by Matt Baugh

Ambassador to Somalia

Olympic dreams

There are days when you realise just how much of a privilege it is to be an Ambassador. Growing up in the UK, I vividly remember watching Daley Thompson, Seb Coe and Steve Redgrave achieving Olympic glory. This year, our hopes rest on the likes of Jessica Ennis, Tom Daley, and, of course, Mo Farah […]

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10th July 2012 Nairobi, Kenya

by Matt Baugh

Ambassador to Somalia

Transparency Matters

Several weeks ago, I attended a briefing in Nairobi about a recent review of the now-infamous ‘Fartaag Report’ – a 2011 report that alleged corruption and misappropriation within the TFG on a significant scale during 2009-2010. The review provided – as far as possible – an investigation into the veracity of the charges within the […]

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2nd July 2012 Nairobi, Kenya

by Matt Baugh

Ambassador to Somalia

A happier anniversary?

And so off to Rome, for the 22nd meeting of the International Contact Group (ICG) on Somalia, where together with colleagues from London and the British Office for Somalia, we will join the UK delegation headed by our Minister for Africa, Henry Bellingham MP. The ICG is the latest – and last – in a […]

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21st May 2012 Nairobi, Kenya

by Matt Baugh

Ambassador to Somalia

The Roadmap: focus on the destination

This week the Roadmap signatories meet in Addis. Their aim? To resolve a number of outstanding issues relating to the political process. And it’s vital they do. Over the next few months, the Signatories have an historic opportunity to make real progress and help Somalia move forward towards greater stability. Theirs is a challenging agenda: […]

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5th April 2012 Nairobi, Kenya

by Matt Baugh

Ambassador to Somalia

We stand with those building a peaceful and better Somalia

Yesterday’s horrific bomb attack in Mogadishu has served as yet another reminder of Al Shabaab’s cruel and twisted ideology. The day was meant to be one of celebration – marking the first anniversary of the launch of Somali National Television at the newly re-opened National Theatre. Yet it is to be remembered now for the […]

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24th February 2012 Nairobi, Kenya

by Matt Baugh

Ambassador to Somalia

After the London Conference on Somalia: Share Your Views

In my opinion the London Conference on Somalia yesterday was a great success. In case you missed any of it then you can find full reports and links here. It was the biggest conference on Somalia, involving the greatest number of senior leaders, from as wide a range of countries and international organisations, as seen […]

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About Matt Baugh

Matt is married to Caroline, a GP from South London specialising in pre-hospital care and tropical medicine. They have 3 small children. Matt has been working on Somalia since May…

Matt is married to Caroline, a GP from South London
specialising in pre-hospital care and tropical medicine. They have 3
small children. Matt has been working on Somalia since May 2010, when he was appointed the UK’s Senior Representative and Head of the UK’s
Somalia Office. On 2 February 2012 he was accredited as the first
British Ambassador to Somalia for 21 years. Since taking up his Somalia
appointment, he has been able to travel to Mogadishu, Hargeisa and
Garowe, and has been deeply touched by the warmth of the welcome he has received, but also the scale of the challenges that Somali people face
every day.
Matt is a career civil servant and is currently on secondment to the
Foreign Office from the UK Department for International Development. Now 37, he has spent much of his career to date dealing with conflict,
security and humanitarian issues. Since 1999 he has worked in Iraq,
Sudan, Afghanistan and the Balkans, as well as a number of major relief
operations and protracted emergencies. He also helped to set up and lead
the UK’s Post Conflict Reconstruction Unit, now the UK Stabilisation
Unit. Matt is a graduate of the UK Joint Services Command and Staff
College’s Higher Command and Staff Course (2010) and was previously
Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for International
Development (2008-9).
Away from work, Matt is an avid England rugby fan (although he
refuses to admit his own playing days are long over). He is also a keen
mountaineer and skier and, together with Caroline, was part of a team
that raced to the Magnetic North Pole in 2005. These days he is more
likely to be found teaching his children how to swim and build
sandcastles.