Human rights work at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
16th June 2014 Geneva, Switzerland
The Human Rights Council is getting too big for its trousers. I know how this feels as I have had to buy a new more spacious suit recently. June sessions used to start slowly, simmer in the second week and come nicely to the boil in week three. But this year week one has begun […]
12th June 2014
Sexual violence committed in war zones has been not only an abomination against humanity but a growing problem. Long seen as an inevitable consequence of a breakdown of law and order and often regarded as a ‘lesser crime’, it is increasingly being used as a means of war to humiliate and devastate communities belonging to the […]
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12th June 2014 London, UK
The use of sexual violence in war is one of the great injustices of our lifetime. It is hard to document, let alone investigate. Perpetrators do not discriminate, because it’s not about sex, but violence, terror, power and control. When rape is committed during conflict, it has often been seen as an inevitable part of […]
11th June 2014 Paris, France
We’ve just had an extraordinary few days here with the State Visit of Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh – but of course there’s a lot else happening in the world as well. I talked before about my foreign minister William Hague’s initiative on preventing sexual violence in conflict. Well, the big […]
10th June 2014 Sana’a, Yemen
Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict The use of sexual violence in war is one of the great injustices of our lifetime. It is hard to document, let alone investigate. Perpetrators do not discriminate, because it’s not about sex, but violence, terror, power and control. When rape is committed during conflict, it has […]
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10th June 2014 Windhoek, Namibia
Today sees the start of a ground-breaking summit in London to address the continuing scourge of sexual violence in conflict. More than 1,200 delegates, including government officials, international organisations, civil society and international experts are expected to attend the event to help spearhead growing international momentum to halt the use of rape and sexual violence […]
10th June 2014 Dublin, Ireland
In May 2012, British Foreign Secretary William Hague launched the “Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative” or “PSVI” In short, PSVI is about preventing the use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon in conflict. In so many conflict situations, it affects not only large numbers of women, but also men and children. However, the perpetrators of […]
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6th June 2014 Havana, Cuba
Before I joined the Foreign Office I spent many years working for humanitarian NGOs in central Africa – Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo – where I experienced first-hand the horrors of war and the devastation it can bring to communities, families and individuals. In those conflicts and others, one of the most […]
4th June 2014
I often have to remind people that I am accredited not to the Vatican City State, but to the Holy See, the governance of the global Catholic Church. As such, this embassy has reach into an extraordinary worldwide network of civil society organisations, religious congregations, diplomats, universities and other components that make up the Catholic […]
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23rd May 2014 Madrid, Spain
We will be screening the documentary, “War on Women” at the Caixa Forum in Madrid on 27 May. Entrance is free but you have to register with us. This link gives you all the details. “War on Women” is a powerful film by Argentinian director Hernan Zin. It tells the personal stories of several women, […]
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