Daniel Pruce
British Ambassador to the Philippines and to Palau
Part of
UK in Philippines
17th April 2018
Modern chemical weapons were first deployed in the First World War. It took the international community 80 years to agree international rules for restraining their use. Within 21 years, 95% of chemical weapons stockpiles had been destroyed. This was an astonishing, global achievement and the OPCW was rightly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013. […]
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1st June 2017
Manila, Philippines
For me, one of the joys of diplomacy is the opportunity to really get to know other countries and cultures. Understanding the local language helps me do that. It also helps others get to know and understand me, and the UK. It allows a personal connection. As Nelson Mandela said: “If you talk to a […]
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21st January 2016
Madrid, Spain
I was very pleased to be able to welcome a group of over 20 smaller British companies to the Embassy this week. They were each highly successful in the UK in their particular sectors and were each looking to broaden their horizons and develop their business in Spain. Here in the Embassy we have an […]
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22nd December 2015
Madrid, Spain
During the Kosovo crisis in 1999 I saw at first hand the tens of thousands of Kosovar Albanian refugees seeking shelter in neighbouring countries. It showed me the utter misery of being a refugee, fleeing for your life, with your barest possessions, struggling to look after your loved ones, facing uncertainty and vulnerability. Those memories […]
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10th December 2015
London, UK
I gave a radio interview yesterday. Unexpectedly I was asked why I had joined the British Diplomatic Service 25 years ago. In the midst of my off-the-cuff answer I found myself talking about the opportunity to serve, the opportunity to make a positive difference to people’s lives and the chance to make a small contribution […]
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6th November 2015
Madrid, Spain
On 4 November I had the pleasure of speaking in Bilbao about the importance of Business and Human Rights at the III Conference on “Gestión responsable en Derechos Humanos por parte de las empresas” which was organised by Sonrisas de Bombay, Business and Human Rights, The Rights Factory and Deusto Business School. The UK Government’s […]
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19th August 2015
Madrid, Spain
Spain receives the largest number of UK visitors anywhere in the world, by a long shot: around 15m last year. We have around 300,000 British nationals registered as living here permanently. And we work closely with Spain on a whole host of important bilateral and global issues. We are a great example of dynamic diplomacy […]
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24th July 2015
Madrid, Spain
On 6 July, I had the pleasure to introduce a concert by the King Solomon Academy Orchestra at La Paz Hospital in Madrid. The British Embassy has a long and happy relationship with La Paz Hospital, including hosting an annual Christmas party for the children who are patients there. They have also designed the official […]
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6th July 2015
Madrid, Spain
I spent a lot of March, April, May and June preparing, discussing, drafting, revising, finalising, submitting, quality controlling and validating staff performance appraisals. I reckon I was involved in well over 100. I know many of my colleagues will have worked on many, many more. It’s important work so it has to be rigorous, transparent […]
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19th June 2015
London, UK
Florence Ayot was kidnapped by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda when she was nine years old. “I was given to a Major and forced to be his slave. If I didn’t do what they ordered, they beat me,” says Florence in the documentary The War Against Women. “The most painful thing was that the girls […]
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