David Miliband

British Council's 75th birthday

The British Council celebrated its 75th birthday yesterday. Through the aftermath of war; the end of Empire; the chill of the Cold War and the rise of Al Qaeda, the Council has upheld the values of democratic governance and debate, delivering a service of intercultural relations which is much admired (and still being copied) around the world. Last year alone, the Council engaged face to face with 13.2 million people and reached 221 million.

In 1936 The British Council’s Chairman William Tyrrell defined the Council’s role as "removing misunderstanding and promoting understanding”. Today, public diplomacy is arguably more important than ever. Citizens are more literate  and more informed.  They are connected to the outside world through trade, media and travel;  more able to communicate with each other, to organise, to hold power to account, and to exert influence over political decision making. This is not just true in established democracies - public opinion also constrains more authoritarian leaders.

So if we are to promote our values and influence our world in the 21st century, we must renew our soft power. The British Council, alongside other organisations such as the BBC World Service, have a central role to play in people-to-people diplomacy and I wish them many happy returns!

Posted at 10:05 06 November 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[2]