Foreign and Commonwealth Office training
We deliver training courses for Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff and those across the UK Government working on South Asia or in the region. The programme is taught by academic staff from the King’s India Institute and the Department of War Studies, with contributions from external experts and practitioners.
This is the flagship programme of the FCO’s South Asia and Afghanistan Directorate (SAAD) and is led by Dr Rudra Chaudhuri at King's.
The training courses range in length from one to five days, delivered both in London as well as in South Asian capitals. Containing a mixture of plenaries and focused group discussions, the curriculum examines the key social, economic, political and strategic issues relevant to diplomats and policy staff working in or around South Asia and Afghanistan.
Topics covered include the modern history of states in the region and their interrelations, domestic politics and culture, the role of extra-regional powers, business and economic opportunities, and key policy issues affecting the region.
More than 400 diplomats from the FCO, as well as analysts working on South Asia and Afghanistan from across the British government have graduated from this course since 2012. This includes includes the present Political Director of the FCO, the former Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Foreign Secretary, British Deputy High Commissioners to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and the present High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Pakistan.