Colin Roberts (born 31 July 1959) is a British diplomat and the former Governor of the Falkland Islands and former

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

of the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. He was educated at Winchester College, The Courtauld Institute of Art and King's College, Cambridge. He previously served as

British Ambassador to Lithuania The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Lithuania is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in the Republic of Lithuania, and in charge of the UK's diplomatic mission in Vilnius. Heads of Mission Envoys Extraordinary and Min ...

, from 2004 to 2008,

of the

British Indian Ocean Territory The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia. The territory comprises the seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago with over 1,000 ...

and the British Antarctic Territory from 2008 to 2012 and Director of the FCO Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate from 2012 to 2014. Roberts also held diplomatic service posts in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and France. In April 2010, Roberts, acting on the instructions of David Miliband—established a marine nature reserve around the Chagos Islands known as the Chagos Marine Protected Area. The designation proved controversial as the decision was announced during a period when the UK Parliament was in recess. On 1 December 2010 a leaked

US Embassy London The Embassy of the United States of America in London is the diplomatic mission of the United States in the United Kingdom. It is located in Nine Elms and is the largest American embassy in Western Europe and the focal point for events relatin ...

diplomatic cable dating back to 2009 exposed British and US calculations in creating the marine nature reserve. The cable relays exchanges between US Political Counselor Richard Mills and British Director of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Colin Roberts, in which Roberts "asserted that establishing a marine park would, in effect, put paid to resettlement claims of the archipelago's former residents." Richard Mills concludes: In 2013 it was announced that Roberts had been appointed Governor of the Falkland Islands and Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, to take up office in April 2014.

Alicia Castro Alicia Amalia Castro (born 27 July 1949) is an Argentine diplomat who served as Argentina's ambassador to the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2016. Career Castro entered politics through the trade union movement, having previously worked as a ...

, Argentina's ambassador to the United Kingdom, criticised Roberts's appointment as a "provocation" and said he was "not the person to encourage dialogue between nations". In June 2017 the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries of fore ...

announced that Roberts would be leaving the Falklands, to be replaced as Governor and Commissioner by

Nigel Phillips Air Commodore Nigel James Phillips, (born 10 May 1963) is a British diplomat, former Royal Air Force officer and former Governor of the Falkland Islands and Commissioner of the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. He has served as Gov ...

in September 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Colin 1959 births Living people People educated at Winchester College Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Lithuania Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Commissioners for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Commissioners of the British Antarctic Territory Commissioners of the British Indian Ocean Territory Governors of the Falkland Islands