Owen Jenkins CMG
Biography
Owen Jenkins is Director General for Indo-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
Owen was previously the British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste from 2019 to 2023. Before that Owen was the British Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, responsible for engaging at the highest levels in the region and internationally on issues such as the Afghan peace process, cooperation on counter-terrorism and bilateral relations. He was also the Director at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) responsible for South Asia and Afghanistan, covering Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan. This involved overseeing all of the UK’s diplomatic engagement in the region, including responsibility for over 3,000 staff and an operational budget of over £120 million.
A career diplomat, Owen joined the FCDO in 1991. He has served in British missions in Turkey, Argentina, Brussels (at the UK’s representation to the EU) and India, where he was based at the UK government’s development arm, the Department for International Development (DFID). He has worked on diverse issues, from the Balkan wars of the 1990s to climate change and economics, with a consistent interest in international security, emerging markets and the links between prosperity and sustainability.
Director General, Indo-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa
The Director General is responsible for the delivery of UK policy on the geographical areas of:
- Middle East and North Africa, including Afghanistan and Pakistan
- Asia and Pacific countries, including China
- India and Indian Ocean countries
As a board member, the Director General also gives corporate leadership to the FCDO by ensuring that the department meets the international policy priorities, Public Service Agreements targets and service delivery targets set by ministers.