International Policy
The International Unit was established to address the need to take a broader, cross-sectoral view of the Department's work and to provide a more integrated approach to policy development on the European Union and international fronts.
Its establishment is also a response to the Prime Minister's call to Ministers and officials to improve working relations with counterparts abroad, especially European Union partners. The aim is to make DCMS more effective and efficient in dealing with international issues.
The Unit has not taken on the international work of other DCMS policy divisions: it is important that specialist work continues to be carried out by appropriate experts. However, the Unit has developed a strategy for international work in the Department in order to render our approach as coherent and professional as possible.
The International Unit deals with cross-cutting areas that do not sit easily within a particular division. For example, the Unit leads on the Department's involvement with UNESCO, although specific tasks are carried out by divisions. Such cross-cutting issues inevitably have an important read across to other Government Departments, and a large part of the International Unit's work is to ensure that the DCMS' international role is properly known and appreciated in Whitehall, especially in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Cabinet Office.
The Unit aims to ensure that the DCMS policy on international matters is in line with that of the Government and, where possible, influence Government EU/international agendas to meet DCMS policy objectives.
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