This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Part of UK in Hungary

8th November 2013 Budapest, Hungary

Open Government Partnership Summit in London

Guest blog by Levente Nyitrai, Senior Policy Officer.

Some of you might have heard already that London hosted the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Summit 31 October and 1 November. OGP, of which the UK is a founding member, is an international platform for domestic reformers committed to making their governments more open and accountable.

Close to 1500 delegates from governments, businesses and civil society attended the Summit opened by British Prime Minister David Cameron. A delegation from Hungary, a member of OGP, was amongst them. Led by State Secretary Bence Rétvári, they joined dozens of countries to announce how they (through more thorough company background examinations in EU funding applications and integrity trainings for civil servants and citizens) intend to improve the level of transparency in Hungary.

The announcement was indeed welcomed and well received.

Including as the current G8 President, the UK encourages greater openness, integrity and accountability both at home and around the world. The British Embassy in Budapest is also a dedicated supporter of transparency.

Members of the British Embassy Budapest in a transparency water fight at Sziget Festival
Members of the British Embassy Budapest in a transparency water fight at Sziget Festival

We’ve sponsored a number of (sometimes rather unique and innovative) projects in Hungary, which have helped highlight the harming affects of corruption and have drawn peoples’ attention to the undeniable link between transparency and prosperity.

And talking about greater openness and accountability, I guess I’d better admit to my fiancé before she gets home that, unlike promised, I failed to do the washing up this morning…

About Jonathan Knott

Jonathan Knott was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Hungary in March 2011 and arrived in Budapest in February 2012 to take up his post. He left this post on April…

Jonathan Knott was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to
Hungary in March 2011 and arrived in Budapest in February 2012 to take
up his post. He left this post on April 2015.
He has previously held a variety of diplomatic posts at home and
abroad, several with a particular focus on commercial and corporate
finance issues. Jonathan has served in a number of positions in the
British Diplomatic Service since joining in 1988:
Before his appointment was Deputy Head of Mission and Director for Trade and Investment in South Korea from 2008 to 2011.Between 2005 and 2008 he held the post of Deputy Finance Director in the FCO.From 2000 to 2005 he served as First Secretary (Trade, Corporate Affairs and Finance Negotiator) in UKDel OECD Paris.From 1996 to 2000 he was First Secretary (Head of Political/Economic/Aid Section) in Mexico.From 1995 to 1996 he worked in the FCO as Deputy European Correspondent at the EU Directorate.Between 1991 and 1995 he served as Third later Second Secretary (Political / Press and Public Affairs) in Havana.From 1990 to 1991 he was Desk Officer in the FCO’s First Gulf War Emergency Unit.Between 1988 and 1990 he worked as Desk Officer in the FCO in the Anti Drugs Cooperation Department.
Jonathan holds an MA in law from Oxford University, and he is a
member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He speaks
English, French, Spanish and Hungarian. He is married to Angela Susan
Knott and has one daughter and two sons.

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