As the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, the British Council develops relationships with people from a wide range of backgrounds. Engaging positively with the richness of the diversity is central to what we do and in line with our core values.

We have developed our Integrated Equality Scheme to help us promote equality and eliminate discrimination in the areas of gender, race and disability. Find out how we are applying this scheme worldwide.

Our purpose is to build mutually beneficial relationships between people in the UK and other countries and to increase appreciation of the UK’s ideas and achievements. We work in 110 countries and every year we help to create some form of personal contact with the UK for 16 million people around the world.

Our 129 teaching centres teach over one million classroom hours every year.  We also connect people through visits, student exchange programmes, exams, library services and the many arts and cultural events.

Our work has a special focus on youth. Connecting young people across all cultures has never been more important and we seek to create genuine mutual trust and understanding.