48 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review
5.5 We will use diplomatic skills and expertise to attract and support our allies, deter
our adversaries, and project and amplify the UK’s reach and influence. We will continue to
develop the best crisis response capability. We will maintain our diplomatic network. We
will extend deep country expertise to wider areas that are vital to our security and
prosperity, including language ability in Mandarin and Arabic; and we will extend our
expertise on Russia.
5.6 We administer and fund the Chevening, Marshall and Commonwealth scholarship
schemes through DFID and FCO, which create lasting relationships with the global leaders of
our current and future partners. We will fund and administer approximately 2,200 awards
a year for young people of high ability to study in the UK through the Chevening,
Marshall and Commonwealth scholarship schemes. We will maximise the benefits of this
investment over the coming years, building a strong international network of individuals who
support the UK and our values.
5.7
We will continue to promote our ‘GREAT Britain’ campaign, which showcases what
the UK has to offer, and inspires people to visit and to do business, invest and study in the
UK. It is the Government’s most ambitious international promotional campaign ever, active in
144 countries. It has delivered £1.4 billion for the UK economy, with a further £1.4 billion on
track, through higher levels of trade and investment and more people coming to the UK on
holiday and to study.
Development
5.8 In 2013, the UK became the first G7 country to spend 0.7% of our GNI on Official
Development Assistance – a commitment that we enshrined in law in 2015. DFID is a
world-leading organisation, present in 52 countries and committed to research and innovation,
transparency and value for money. We are committed to the independence, neutrality and
impartiality of our humanitarian assistance, delivered on the basis of need.
5.9 The UK plays a leading role in promoting global development efforts, most recently
through the Global Goals for sustainable development agreed at the UN in September 2015.
We are also a major contributor to multilateral organisations, such as the UN and the World
Bank, and to civil society organisations, including many British charities.
5.10 Our development programme helps to drive economic development and prosperity
overseas, enabling a permanent route out of poverty while creating markets for future
British business. Our assistance focuses on improving peace, security and governance;
equality of opportunity for girls and women; access to basic services for the poorest; and
building resilience to crises and responding to disasters when they occur. We promote the
golden thread of conditions that drive prosperity all across the world: the rule of law, good
governance and the growth of democracy.
5.11 The UK’s development assistance also makes a significant contribution to our longterm national security and prosperity. Tackling poverty and instability overseas means tackling
the root causes of many of the global challenges that we face including disease, migration
and terrorism. DFID will spend at least 50% of its budget on fragile states and regions,
including those most directly linked to our national security, in South Asia, the Middle East
and Africa. Our new strategy for UK Official Development Assistance will set out our priorities
in more detail and ensure that our aid is targeted to deliver more effectively for the world’s
poorest and for the UK national interest.