Expression of Interest Privacy Notice

1. What a Privacy Notice is

The General Data Protection Regulation requires that data controllers provide information to people whose personal information they process. Processing information means how we use it, store it, and share it, how long we keep it and how we destroy it.

This Privacy Notice includes:

• who we are
• what information we collect about you and how
• how we use your information
• why we collect personal information about you
• who we share your information with and why
• our lawful basis for processing
• how long we keep your personal information for
• your rights
• how to contact us
• how to make a complaint

2. Who we are

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) pursue our national interests and projects the UK as a force for good in the world. We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UK’s security, defend our values, reduce poverty and tackle global challenges with our international partners. To do this effectively we must collect, store, share and use personal information.

 The FCDO Diplomatic College is the UK government’s L&D centre of excellence for diplomacy, international development, and global leadership. It equips staff from the FCDO, and partners across government with the knowledge, skills and networks needed to address complex challenges and deliver effective diplomatic and development outcomes worldwide.  

The Global Network Programme is an executive-level programme delivered by the FCDO Diplomatic College’s External Programmes Team, in partnership with the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford and Wilton Park.

Email: GlobalNetworkProgramme@fcdo.gov.uk

3. What information we collect about you and how

We may collect personal information from you. This personal data may include your:

• Name
• Address
• Location
• Contact details
• Job title
• Employer name
• Country of work
• Sector
• Length of employment

We may collect this information from you in a number of ways which may include:

• information you provide to us in order to register your interest and confirm your participation in the Global Network Programme
• information provided to us by partner organisations in order to register your interest in the Global Network Programme and confirm your attendance

4. How we use your information

We use the personal information listed above to manage expressions of interest, confirm eligibility and participation, communicate with applicants and participants about the Global Network Programme, support programme planning and delivery, and tailor engagement based on professional background, location, sector and role.

5. Why we collect personal information about you

We collect personal data for the purposes of the management and delivery of the Global Network Programme (GNP). This includes understanding who is interested in registering for the GNP, assessing eligibility where relevant, and tailoring communications to interested participants’ needs.

We also use this information to contact individuals about their application status, and to understand their professional background, including where they work, to support networking, collaboration, and the overall aims of the programme.

6. Who we share your information with and why

We will usually only share your personal data within the FCDO where it is necessary for the administration and delivery of the Global Network Programme (GNP).

In some cases, we may share your information with trusted third-party organisations that provide services on our behalf, such as event delivery partners or training providers. These organisations are only given access to the information required to perform their functions and will be limited to what is necessary and will be carried out in line with applicable data protection laws and safeguards.

We will not share your personal data with other organisations for marketing purposes.

There may be other circumstances in which we may lawfully share your data with third parties. For example, we may be required to do so by law, by court order, or to prevent fraud or other crimes. Where we share data, however, we shall do so in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

7. Our lawful basis for processing

We will process your personal data under the following lawful bases: 

• Legitimate Interests: We process your data where it is necessary for the effective administration and delivery of the Global Network Programme (GNP), in ways you would reasonably expect and which have minimal impact on your privacy. This includes understanding who is interested in the programme and communicating relevant information. In some cases, we rely on your consent to process your personal data for specific purposes, you can opt-out at any time by contacting us using the contact details provided here. 

• Contract: Where you have applied to participate in the GNP or asked us to take steps prior to entering into a formal arrangement, we process your data as necessary to manage your application and participation in the programme. 

Legitimate interests is an appropriate lawful basis for this processing as it supports the FCDO’s legitimate interest in understanding demand for GNP courses, tailoring course content, and facilitating ongoing professional networking.  

The processing is necessary to achieve these purposes and is limited to basic professional contact information (name, job title and organisation). No special category or sensitive personal data is collected, and individuals would reasonably expect their data to be used in this way when expressing interest in GNP activities. The processing is proportionate, transparent and has minimal impact on individuals’ rights and freedoms. 

We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your personal information for an unrelated or new purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so. 

8. How long we keep your personal information for

We will retain your personal data for as long as you remain part of the Global Network Programme’s post-course alumni network, to support ongoing engagement and communications. We will securely delete your data when it is no longer needed, including if you leave the alumni network or request its removal, unless we are required to retain it for legal reasons.

Your personal data will be destroyed securely in line with FCDO retention and disposal policy.

9. Your rights

There are 8 rights that you have when the FCDO is using your personal information. If you have any questions about these rights, you can contact the Data Protection Officer for more information.

• right to be informed – You have the right to be informed about what we do with your personal data, which is the purpose of this Privacy Notice 

• right of access – You have the right to request a copy of any personal information we hold about you and what we do with it. This is known as a Subject Access Request. You can make a request by emailing information.rights@fcdo.gov.uk 

• right to rectification – You have the right to request that any inaccurate personal data we hold is corrected or have incomplete personal information completed 

• right to erasure – You have the right to request that your personal data is erased. This only applies in certain circumstances 

• right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that we limit the use of your personal data. This only applies in certain circumstances 

• right to data portability – You have the right to move, copy or transfer personal information from one IT system to another in a safe and secure way This right only applies to certain information in certain circumstances 

• right to object – You have the right to object to the use of your information, which means that we would have to stop using your personal information. This right only applies to certain information in certain circumstances 

• rights related to automated decision making including profiling – If a decision is being made without human involvement in the decision making, you have the right to challenge and request a review of any decisions made 

If your personal data is processed on the basis of consent, you have the right to withdraw consent to the use of your personal data at any time. 

When making a request to exercise any of these rights, please include your full name, up-to-date contact details and the date of your request. If you are making a Subject Access Request, please include a comprehensive list of what personal data you want to access, including any relevant dates or search criteria to help us identify what you want. 

10. How to contact us

If you have any questions about this notice, you can contact us at the following email address:

GlobalNetworkProgramme@fcdo.gov.uk

If you consider that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, or would like to exercise any of your rights, you can contact the Data Protection Officer at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office:

Data Protection Officer

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

King Charles Street

London

SW1A 2AH

Email: Data.Protection@fcdo.gov.uk

Tel: 020 7008 5000

11. How to make a complaint

You may also make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

ICO website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

12. Changes to this notice

We encourage you to reread this Privacy Notice occasionally as we aim to update it regularly, to keep you fully informed about how we use your personal information.

This Privacy Notice was last updated on 08 July 2026