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Paul Johnston

Ambassador to Ireland

Part of UK in Sweden

12th September 2012

Visitors and visions

You can tell the Autumn season has started as an Ambassador when the steady stream of official visitors to Stockholm resumes.

Last week I hosted the Head of the UK Civil Service, who was here to see what an Embassy does, not just to support the UK Foreign Office, but to help the work of a whole range of UK government departments.

So Sir Bob Kerslake was able to meet people in the Embassy, British, Swedish and other nationalities, who talk to Swedish counterparts about UK objectives, seeking to promote ever closer partnership between our two countries on bilateral, EU and international issues. Examples include working with the British Treasury and Swedish finance Ministry on the future EU budget, with the Energy and Climate Change Department in London and the Environment Department here on global warming, as well as our trade and investment team helping British companies exporting here and Swedish investors in the UK and our visa team dealing with thousands of applications every year from non-EU nationals here wanting to go to the UK.

This week we had the official head of the UK’s Department for International Development, talking to Swedish officials, academics, NGOs and others about the challenges in taking forward the international development agenda.

Coming to Sweden was particularly relevant given the role that our two governments will play on the new UN panel looking at the future of international development beyond the current term of the Millennium Development Goals, which is 2015. Our Prime Minister is one of the chairs, and Gunilla Carlsson, Sweden’s Development Minister is also a panelist.

So there’s great scope to work together on the challenge of abolition of poverty and through that opening the prospects of greater prosperity and security to even more people around the world.

1 comment on “Visitors and visions”

  1. Dear Mr. Paul Johnston, 1st. of all I think that it is just great – that there is a new open door- a link to Stockholm, Sweden.So, after yr. 1st. report about the successful “Paralympics” /London here are some lines of mine to”Visitors and Visions”.To me, there is in re. of info-exchange and teamwork nothing better, as to get an “Eye-to Eye” contact and an impression of a company or customer. If only just by 2 or 3 visits per year.And according to yr. proper and very good report- this is exactly of what Sir Bob Kerslake did.. There is also 1 considerable point of which you have wrote:The fact that you and he have been able to look “…and seek..” for aspects which are promoting the Kingdom of Sweden and the United Kingdom in the best way.It was also interesting for me to read of how many total different levels you, yr. team and Sir Bob Kerslake (and his team!)had talks and discussions..Most notable to me:Trade and investment. I also do think that it is important that you are open for dialogues between NGO ´s and governments.Finally: It is just necessary to talk about international developements BEFORE and AFTER 2015.The reason ´s why are already metioned in yr. report.So these well described meetings, talks and visits will always be to the benefits of both: Kingdom of Sweden and Great Britain.. BW, Ingo-Steven Wais, Stuttgart/Cardiff

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About Paul Johnston

Paul Johnston joined the UK Civil Service in 1990, working for the Ministry of Defence initially. He has served in Paris and New York and has also had a wide…

Paul Johnston joined the UK Civil Service in 1990, working for the Ministry of Defence initially.

He has served in Paris and New York and has also had a wide range of political and security roles in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. Paul joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1993 as Desk Officer for Bosnia. As part of this role he was also Private Secretary to EU negotiator Lord Owen and his representative on Bosnia Contact Group.

His first foreign posting was to Paris in 1995-99 as Second Secretary Political. He was Private Secretary to the Ambassador and latterly part of the UK delegation to the Kosovo Rambouillet negotiations. Then he returned to London as Head of the Kosovo Policy Team, leading work on post-conflict policy in the EU, NATO, UN and G8.

Before his second overseas posting to New York in 2005, Paul held a variety of other EU policy and security appointments in London, such as Head of European Defence Section between 2000-01 and Head of Security Policy Department between 2002-04.

As Head of the Political Section in UKMIS New York, he advised on major policy issues for the UK on the Security Council and the UN World Summit, including the UK EU Presidency in 2005.

Paul returned to London in 2008 as Director, International Security for the FCO. He was responsible for policy on UN, NATO, European Security, arms control and disarmament, human rights and good governance.

Paul was British Ambassador to Sweden from August 2011 to August 2015 and then was Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO.

He was UK Ambassador to the EU for Political and Security affairs from 2017 to January 2020 and became Ambassador to Ireland in September 2020.

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department for international development sir bob kerslake uk civil service