Public Diplomacy Strategy Board

The Public Diplomacy Strategy Board is an advisory committee designed to improve the cohesion, effectiveness and impact of Government efforts to promote the UK overseas. It subsumed the work of the Britain Abroad Task Force and held its first meeting on 28 October 2002 under the chairmanship of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Board is responsible for formulating a national public diplomacy strategy to support the UK's key overseas interests and objectives.

Among its objectives are the development of a programme of specific promotional campaigns. China was the focus of a major public diplomacy campaign in 2003 - Think UK. In 2004 the Board initiated a campaign - Crossroads for Ideas - to welcome the eight new Central European states to the EU. The Board has also overseen a year-long campaign in North Amercia to promote UK excellence in Science and Technology - particularly in the fields of energy and environment and bio-healthcare.

The Board meets four times a year. It is chaired by the Permanent Under-Secretary of the FCO, Sir Michael Jay, and includes the FCO Minister with responsibility for public diplomacy and senior officials from other Departments and organisations concerned with public diplomacy (British Council, UK Trade & Investment, BBC World Service, VisitBritain, Department for International Development, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) together with private sector members.

In 2006 the Board was abolished and replaced by the Public Diplomacy Board.

The remaining members of the defunct Public Diplomacy Strategy Board such as DFID and UKTI have regrouped as an advisory panel called the Public Diplomacy Partners Group, under the chairmanship of VisitBritain.[129]