Christopher O'Connor

Middle East Peace

We had the great pleasure a few days ago to host Martin Day, our Arabic language spokesman. The centre-piece of his visit was a symposium run by the International Studies Association, a leading Tunisian think tank, on the Middle East conflict.

Both Martin and I had the opportunity to speak about Palestine and the UK perspective on the way forward.  I hope the event went some way towards addressing some misconceptions as well as underlining just how important a solution is to this conflict, both for the region and for the wider world.

Posted at 13:35 02 November 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Election time

Tunisia held Presidential elections on Sunday 25 October. We did not have formal observers, but Embassy staff paid close attention during the campaign and on election day. And we compared notes with other Embassies in Tunis who did the same.

The result, a fifth term for President Ben Ali, came as no surprise to Tunisians. Colleagues in the Tunisian government have pointed to the reduction in his percentage of the vote from 94% last time to 89% this time as an indication that political life here is evolving. They say the same about the increase in opposition seats in the legislature.

Certainly plurality at the political level can make a positive contribution to ensuring healthy debate on policy issues. I look forward to the continuing development of that kind of debate here.

Posted at 11:22 27 October 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Military visitors

We are now hosting 12 senior officers from the Royal College of Defence Studies. They are undergoing training on strategic security and governance issues to prepare for positions at the very top ranks of the military. Interestingly the visitors are mostly not from the UK.

They are also from Japan, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, China, Qatar, Jordan and Canada. The international participants provide the British officers (and eachother) with a really varied set of perspectives. In Tunisia they have been given a warm welcome from government figures and people outside government including the South Mediterranean University and Shell Tunisia. It has been a pleasure to host them.

Posted at 11:39 20 October 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Blog Action Day: Climate Change - Global public opinion needs to be mobilised.

Today is Blog Action Day . The Foreign Secretary David Miliband has rightly said there is no more pressing issue on which global public opinion needs to be mobilised. The potential effect of doing nothing is dramatic. Vulnerable communities will be decimated. And according to the estimations of Sir Nicholas Stern, former Chief Economist to the World Bank, the world will lose the equivalent of 5-20% of GDP, now and forever. 

The response needs to be on all levels. The Copenhagen Summit in December will seek to provide a strategic framework. But we all need to act in our daily work and lives to play our part in a healthy, sustainable, low-carbon global economy. There will be challenges, but also opportunities for growth in renewable energy and elsewhere. The site Act On Copenhagen  is worth a look.

Posted at 17:54 15 October 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Linking up with an Islamic University

I was much encouraged by a visit yesterday to Al Zeitouna Islamic University. It is the only university in Tunisia which specialises in Islamic studies. And it is something of a regional hub, attracting students from all over the region. 

In discussion with the rector, we found a good number of ways in which we could build productive linkages, mainly in English language teaching, but also perhaps by connecting Al Zeitouna with UK Universities' departments of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. 
 
Building this sort of connection should help Al Zeitouna extend its international reach. And it should help our efforts to address the negative stereotypes that some Muslim communities can have about the UK.

Posted at 19:36 13 October 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Building Links in Finance

I am convinced there are major opportunities for the UK and Tunisia to build stronger links in the financial sector. Senior government leaders on both sides are enthusiastic. Now it is time to turn that political will into practical steps forward.

This week we have been pleased to have Philippe Gautier, a top level specialist in banking and finance, visit Tunis. He is meeting all the relevant decision-makers here to pin down how and where we should focus. Tunisia has plans to develop a role as a regional financial centre. It is putting the legal framework and physical infrastructure in place. I hope that as Tunisia builds its capacity in this sector it does so with UK experts as its partners.

Posted at 20:15 08 October 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Promoting Business Opportunities

I've just returned from an event in London promoting business opportunities in Tunisia.

The Chief Executive of UK Trade and Investment, Sir Andrew Cahn  set out just how wide-ranging the opportunities are, including in energy, finance, services, manufacturing, tourism and English language teaching. Tunisian Minister of Trade, Ridha Mosbah, spoke about the "one-stop-shop" arrangements in place for setting up a company in Tunisia. Private sector speakers also offered their experiences and advice.   

Trade between Tunisia and the UK is growing but there are more opportunities available. Our job is to bridge the information gap. I encourage British businesspeople who are interested to get in touch with me and the UKTI trade team here to find out more.  

Posted at 18:19 02 October 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

"Extreme weather event"

The weather forecasters are predicting a tropical storm in Tunisia over the next 24 to 48 hours. Already 17 people have died in flooding in the south. There is every possibility of worse flooding to come. We have prepared our consular team for what might be in store, and we have contacted our network of "wardens" to let them know what is predicted. These individuals play a really important role by helping make sure information from the Embassy reaches as many British citizens in Tunisia as possible.

This is an opportunity to remind British readers living in Tunisia of the importance of registering with us. You can do so via the consular pages on our website, through a system called LOCATE.  It helps us a great deal if we know where our citizens are clustered and if we know how to contact them when the unexpected happens.

Now we watch and wait.

Posted at 11:24 24 September 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Building business links

In difficult economic times it is ever more important that we support our business community in finding new opportunities.

Sometimes that means top level meetings, like yesterday's in London between Tunisian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi and Secretary of State for Business Lord Mandelson.

The meeting helped identify how we can build on areas where business links are already strong such as energy, develop growing ones such as financial services, and identify new opportunities in sectors where we are not yet involved.

Now for the hard work of putting the plans into practice!

Posted at 19:06 18 September 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

The role of the unions

I am struck by how many different institutions play a role in governance.
 
Last week I met with the Secretary General of the Tunisian General Workers Union (UGTT) and his senior team. These determined individuals have all been lifelong unionists. Now they represents the views of the majority of workers in the country.
 
Beyond the traditional lobbying and bargaining role, the UGTT has social and economic programmes. And it has a formal place in consultations with government on social policy. It even has a quota of representatives in Tunisia's Senate, although for complex reasons it has not taken up these seats for the moment.
 
Clearly the unions are key players in civil society, especially in a time of global economic turndown. The UK has done some work with the UGTT in the past. They have good links with their British and European counterparts. I hope these will continue.

Posted at 18:43 04 September 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Education in Tunisia

I have arrived back from leave, and Tunis appears quiet.  Many people working in government and business are taking holidays in the hot month of August.
 
But there are those whose timetables do not fit the pattern. Yesterday I called on the Minister of Education, together with the Director of the British Council here. The Ministry was buzzing with activity. Upgrades to school facilities all need to be done over the summer- the Minister described how a set of pilot schools are all being equipped with interactive "smart-boards". Teachers need to be trained to operate the new equipment. And new initiatives of all sorts need to be put in place before the deadline of the end of the school holidays.
 
The Minister was particularly focussed on the introduction of English teaching into primary schools and overhauling the way English is taught in secondary schools. The British Council and the Ministry are working together on this through a major project with potentially far reaching impact. If it achieves all we hope, there is every prospect for it to become a model for similar initiatives in many other countries in the future.
 
So August is not so quiet after all.  

Posted at 13:40 07 August 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[4]

Queen's Birthday Party

Last night we hosted our first Queen's Birthday Party in Tunis. This is the British Embassy's equivalent of other countries' national day celebrations, and a time to thank the many friends of Britain and diplomatic colleagues in Tunis for their support in helping us do all the things we do here. We had 710 guests and I think made a good splash.

I was particularly pleased that we were able to cover the costs of the event through sponsorship. BG Tunisia, International Power, Rolls Royce, Petrofac and British Airways all offered support. A classic win-win, with these companies able to generate visibility, ourselves able to showcase British commercial activity, and British taxpayers money saved.

Posted at 16:50 19 June 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[3]

Keeping airports safe

I have just come from a really good session in which British and Tunisian experts on airport security were comparing experiences on the challenges they face and their approaches to tackling them. It struck me that running an airport is a huge team effort involving all sorts of different government bodies.

The Tunisian participants included customs, police, immigration, air traffic control, civil aviation and the transport ministry. Our delegation involved aviation and counter terrorism experts from a range of backgrounds including the Head of British Airways' Aviation Security who is also a professional pilot. It was good to be part of an exchange which so clearly benefited everyone.

And good too that British visitors can be assured that their hosts understand in detail the nature of the potential risks and work with dedication towards our common goal of ever better protected travellers.

Posted at 13:20 18 June 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[0]

Transport and Tourism

Analysts here have debated for some time how the economic crisis will affect tourist numbers. Most people here expect fewer visitors this year, especially from Europe. But there is some chance British tourists will come in larger numbers since exchange rates make Tunisia a good deal cheaper than European destinations.

It is too early to tell from the figures so far. But tour operators I spoke to this week thought we were on for at least as strong a year as last. So no slack summer for our consular section!

Meanwhile Tunisia is developing as a venue for spa treatments, golf, adventure tourism, and even visits for medical treatment. This makes good sense. So does progress on an "open skies" agreement to let low-cost airlines fly here. The negotiations will be complex, but opening up air travel here will bring in more visitors and benefit the wider economy.

Posted at 18:06 12 June 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[3]

Visit by HRH the Duke of York

This week I had the privilege to host a visit by His Royal Highness the Duke of York, his first in his capacity as UK Special Representative for Trade and Investment.

Part of the purpose was to underline the really significant links the UK and Tunisia have on energy. His Royal Highness visited the BG complex near Sfax, where a huge new plant is about to open. And in Tunis he spoke to the Secretary of State for Energy about expanding still further UK involvement in this sector. 

The Duke of York also wanted to explore opportunities for new activities in other sectors. When he asked the Prime Minister for suggestions he heard that the Tunisian government would appreciate more engagement from us on English teaching, IT and Financial services. I was pleased that the Tunisian Prime Minister's thinking was so close to our own. We had already arranged for the Duke of York to discuss with the British Council its efforts to support English teaching, and a session with Financial sector experts on how UK expertise can be brought to bear in Tunis. I need to find out a little more about the IT sector.

Posted at 18:37 22 May 2009 by Christopher O'Connor  |  Comments[2]