The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is committed to providing British companies with information on a range of security related issues they might face when operating or investing overseas.

On 1 May the Government launched a new product, titled Overseas Security Information for Business (OSIB), which will provide this information free of charge through the website of UK Trade and Investment. The intention is to give useful support to British businesses in order that they can successfully meet the key security related challenges of doing business overseas and to improve their competitiveness.

The information provided will be both generic and country specific. While OSIB is an FCO/UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) initiative, a great deal of its added value is the result of bringing together systematically a range of sources of information from across government. The new product will cover issues such as political security risks, bribery and corruption, physical and personnel security, the terrorist threat and organised crime. It is presented in a co-ordinated and easily accessible way, including links to useful non-governmental websites.

OSIB will complement the information and advice already made available through the FCO travel advice to British nationals who travel or reside overseas. Also, it will draw on, and complement, information provided by our embassies and high commissions, which in many cases already have arrangements in place to exchange information on security issues with locally based British companies and to provide information on request to business visitors.

In setting up this new product the Government have worked closely with business in order that the product can best meet business needs and reflect business advice. UKTI intends to establish shortly a joint advisory group, to be chaired by a business representative, comprising a cross-section of business and officials from the government departments most closely involved in the initiative. We anticipate that the joint advisory group will meet three times per year. It will provide direction to OSIB and facilitate collaboration with key international business security associations.

OSIB supersedes the previous Security Information Service for Business Overseas (SISBO), a joint business/FCO venture which closed on 30 April. The FCO and UKTI have worked closely with the SISBO board to achieve a successful transition from SISBO to OSIB.