WHAT IS A BACKGROUND BRIEF?
ANNEX B
Background Briefs are attributable papers, which bear the FCO imprint. They are designed for circulation overseas by our Posts, to contacts in government departments, to journalists, academics and other opinion formers. They are also sent to a limited number of interested people in the UK, including some and members of the House of Lords. The Briefs have a special use in Third World countries where there may be limited local resources for research and where, for instance, officials would welcome factual background on an item on the UNGA agenda, but they are also widely distributed in the US and Western Europe.
The Briefs provide accurate and balanced information on topics of current international interest. They can play a part in providing a basis for policy decisions in those countries as well as for public discussion and the creation of a climate of opinion conducive to HMG's view of international events. We aim to ensure that HMG's line is incorporated into the paper wherever appropriate, although a disclaimer appears at the foot of each one, to the effect that it should not be construed or quoted as an expression of government policy.
In many instances the aim is to counter hostile propaganda, but the scope is wide-ranging and includes:
issues which may come on to the international agenda (eg human rights abuses in certain countries, repatriation of Vietnamese boat people), sometimes requiring active lobbying at the UN or elsewhere;
political/economic subjects of current interest (eg conflicts in the Middle East, developments in Central and Eastern Europe, decline of the one-party State in Africa);
issues of wide and long-term interest (eg AIDS, development problems, drug trafficking).
Information Department seeks the views of Political Departments on subjects to be covered, and on the content and thrust of individual Briefs. Thereafter Briefwriting Section drafts and clears a Brief in consultation with the Political Department. All papers can be improved - almost ad infinitum but final editorial responsibility lies with Information Department, and suggestions at the clearance stage should ideally be restricted to matters of substance. They should also be cleared as speedily as possible: posts are always asking for briefing material to be timely and up-to-date; and drafts that wait around for too long are likely to need up-dating before they can issue.
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