Matthew Johnson
Biography
Matthew Johnson has been Head of Mediterranean Migration Unit at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London since July 2018. He was also acting Migration Envoy from January until October 2019. From 2016 to 2018 Matthew was Director of Democratic Citizenship and Participation at the Council of Europe, during a period of unpaid leave from the FCO. This followed 4 years (2012 to 2016) as UK Permanent Representative (with the personal rank of Ambassador) to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Prior to this, Matthew was Deputy High Commissioner at the British High Commission in Accra, Ghana for 4 years. Matthew joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1988. He has served in Pretoria and Cape Town, Osaka, and at the UK mission to the UN in New York from 2000 to 2003 where he dealt with human rights and social policy issues in the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee. While in the UK he has worked in a variety of jobs in the FCO in London and on secondment to Number 10 Downing Street as Private Secretary to the Head of the Policy Unit.
He is married with 2 children. His interests outside of work include a wide range of music and sport.
Previous roles in government
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Migration Envoy
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UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe