17th December 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Last week, I marched from Vihara Maha Devi Park to Independence Square behind a 0% Tolerance for Corruption banner. The march was organised by the Sri Lankan Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption, enlivened by military marching bands and hairy black corruption devils, and sponsored by a range of local and international organisations, […]
13th November 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
On 8 November, we gathered at the Liveramentu War Graves in the Torrington Road cemetery for the annual reflection on sacrifice and the horrors of war that is Remembrance Sunday. The Act of Remembrance was as moving as ever. Bright Sri Lankan sunshine reflected off the rows of white headstones. Veterans, children, diplomats and serving […]
10th November 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
James Bond’s latest adventure, SPECTRE, launched in Sri Lanka last week. To celebrate, we held a glittering party at the High Commissioner’s residence, in Colombo 007. Guests came from Sri Lanka’s creative arts scene, business and Government to admire the best of British talent. Beautiful cars driven at high speed around extraordinary locations are an […]
13th October 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Fifteen years ago today, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 – an important recognition of the inordinate impact of war on women and girls, and of the pivotal role women should and do play in conflict management, conflict resolution and building sustainable peace. Ninety percent of civilian casualties in conflict are women and children. […]
10th October 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
This year, World Mental Health Day is focusing on dignity. We all have mental health. Treating people with mental health problems with dignity helps everyone take steps to safeguard their wellbeing. Failing to do so can lead to self-stigma, low confidence, low self-esteem, withdrawal and social isolation. Providing effective support to people experiencing mental health […]
1st October 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
In the latest in our series of guest blogs to promote the UK’s Chevening Scholarship programme, Alieen Niyaz recounts her experience of studying in the UK as a Maldivian Chevening Scholar. On the very week I arrived in London as a Chevening Scholar, I received an invitation on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen and […]
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22nd September 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
The application window opens this week for the Chevening Rolls-Royce Science and Innovation Leadership Fellowship Program (CRISP). The programme aims to build collaborations between the UK and Sri Lanka in business, science and innovation. It connects leading Sri Lankans with the best British academicians and practitioners. The 11 week programme at the University of Oxford’s […]
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12th September 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
On Wednesday 9 September, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second became the longest reigning monarch in more than a thousand years of British history. She has been on the throne for 63 years and seven months. Although we think of British democracy as old, we have only had universal franchise since 1928, just three years […]
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1st September 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
This blog celebrates the fact that today, on Tuesday 1 September, Sri Lanka became a fully fledged member of the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. Sri Lanka is the first country in South Asia, and only the second in Asia after Japan, to join this Convention. Cybercrime is any kind of crime committed with a computer […]
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21st August 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Monday’s general election was very tight. It was also remarkably peaceful. From the President and Elections Commissioner down, all involved have commented positively on the conduct of the election, many describing it as Sri Lanka’s best in decades. It’s not for the UK to support one party over another. Our interest is for Sri Lanka […]