The British Council, a body that promotes British culture abroad, acknowledged on Thursday that it will have to close several of its cultural centers around the world due to lack of resources, after having to cancel classes and exams during the pandemic.
“Due to the impact of COVID on our business revenues, which we previously used to subsidize our overseas offices, and an overall drop in our funding compared to pre-pandemic levels, we are facing a significant funding gap,” he explained to the AFP is a spokesman for the British Council, an important tool for British cultural influence in the world, which depends on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
As a result, “we will have to consider doing our work remotely or digitally in 20 countries,” he added, confirming information from the Politico website.
The institution will close its centers in Chile, Uruguay, Belgium, Afghanistan, Namibia, Sierra Leone and South Sudan.
Likewise, in the next two years, it plans to phase out its presence in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.
The programs will be offered remotely from neighboring countries.
Some of the UK’s closest allies, such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, will also be hit by staff reductions at their centers, despite the government’s desire to strengthen ties with these countries after Brexit.
Funding for the British Council comes from income from English classes, government grants and international development aid.
Given his liquidity problems, the British executive granted him loans for a total of 245 million pounds (340 million dollars, 287 million euros), which he must repay before December 31, 2021.
Due to the economic impact of the pandemic, Prime Minister Boris Johnson cut British development aid by a third this year, drawing strong criticism from his own conservative ranks and massive cuts in the budgets of numerous humanitarian organizations.
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