The UK Overseas Business Risk Joint Advisory Group is seeking feedback on their OBR country and thematic pages and the Political and Economic updates section of their website. UK-based NGOs are encouraged to participate – read on for further information!
Evidence from UK SMEs often points towards a lack of knowledge of, or fear of the risks of undertaking business in, overseas markets (particularly emerging markets) as a key barrier to exploring new markets and increasing exports. The FCO’s Overseas Business Risk (OBR) web portal aims to address this by offering free information to help identify and mitigate overseas business risks, so that companies may enter new markets with confidence. OBR web pages (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/overseas-business-risk) cover over 80 overseas markets and include information on the political and economic situation in each market; levels of bribery and corruption; threats from terrorism and crime; human rights liabilities; protective and cyber-security advice; and the protection of intellectual property.
A Political and Economic Updates section, focusing on over 20 key, high-growth markets, provides more frequent reporting and analysis from the FCO’s overseas network. The FCO is currently reviewing the scope and helpfulness of the information provided to ensure it meets the needs of UK SMEs, and is inviting business feedback via a short e-survey:http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/businessrisk?preview=true. This is an opportunity for UK-based NGOs to have their views heard and shape the future of the service.