Mr Stephen Charles Hitchen was appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq in July 2023. Prior to this appointment, Stephen performed a number of Director roles in London, with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa and counter terrorism.
From 2013 to 2016, he was the head of the Regional Affairs team in Amman, coordinating aspects of the UK’s counter-Da’esh campaign. In this role, he regularly visited Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories.
Stephen started his career with the Ministry of Defence in 1996 after completing a PhD at Leeds University about the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. He learned Arabic in Cairo from 2000 to 2001. After transfer to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (now Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office), he completed diplomatic service in Cairo, Kuwait and London.
The BKI’s mission is to increase public awareness of Kurdish issues, protect human, cultural, and political rights throughout Kurdistan, support and develop Kurdistan’s civil society, improve and increase access to Kurdish cultural and educational resources, and advocate for effective solutions to Kurd-related issues. The Saladin Institute works in a variety of ways to achieve its mission. It conducts research on Kurdish issues, publishes reports and articles, organizes conferences and events, and provides educational resources on Kurdish culture and history. The BKI also advocates for Kurdish rights at the UK. government and international levels.