On Friday, 26 May 2006 Prime Minister Tony Blair delviered a key foreign policy speech at Georgetown University in the USA, on the subject of the reform of international institutions. Mr Blair claimed there is a "hopeless mismatch" between the global challenges we face today and the global institutions available to confront them. He made tentative suggestions for changes to the "institutional architecture" of bodies such as the UN, World Bank, IMF and G8. His speech was the third in a related series. The first, in London, and the second, delivered in Australia, dealt with globalisation and the interdepedence of nations and reflected on the biggest challenges facing the world in the 21st century. Read the three speeches on the 10 Downing Street website: first speech ("a clash about civilizations"), second speech ("global alliance for global values"), third speech ("we must modernise institutions to meet challenges").

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the government department tasked with promoting the interests of the United Kingdom abroad. Margaret Beckett, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (the Foreign Secretary), is responsible to Parliament for the work of the FCO. She is supported by three Ministers of State (Geoff Hoon; Ian McCartney; and Dr Kim Howells, who is the Minister responsible for the UN and UN Reform), a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Triesman), and a Permanent Under-Secretary of State who is also the Head of the Diplomatic Service (Sir Michael Jay).

On 28 March 2006 the FCO published its White Paper Active Diplomacy for a Changing World: the UK's International Priorities. The FCO published its first White Paper on international priorities in 2003. The 2006 Paper updates this analysis and outlines the UK's foreign policy goals for the next 10 years. Key concerns in the 2006 White Paper include Britain's declining energy reserves, the necessity for renewable and secure alternative energy supplies, the problem of illegal immigration, terrorism and the need for Britain to be part of a strong EU.

Since 2003, the Foreign Office has also produced an annual report to Parliament on 'the United Kingdom in the United Nations' which outlines the UK's contribution to the work of the United Nations (UN). Click here to read these reports.

Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for managing Britain's aid to developing countries. DIFD's third white paper on International Development is due to be published in the summer of 2006. You can read about the first two white papers here. The Ministry of Defence is responsible for the implementation of government defence policy. Their policy papers about defence can be found here.