6th February 2013
I had an interesting day last week. It began and ended with me handing out certificates to participants on courses the British Embassy had funded. The courses were for two very different Sudanese institutions. But they covered some common ground. The day began at the Higher Military Academy at the closing ceremony of a course […]
6th February 2013
Today we mark International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Cutting/Mutilation (FGM). FGM has existed in the culture and tradition of many societies for many years, causing untold psychological and physical damage to young girls. On this day it is important that we shine a light on an issue which affects so many, and […]
19th December 2012
A guest blog by Peter Spoor, Head Press and Projects Team at the British Embassy in Ankara, Turkey KAOS GL is a small but perfectly formed Turkish organisation which is seeking to overturn prejudice in Turkey on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBGT) issues. KAOS’ aim is to ensure that the country’s LGBT citizens can […]
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12th December 2012
I spent the evening marking International Human Rights Day 2012 at an event at Afhad University for Women organised by SEEMA (a Sudanese women’s rights organisation) and supported by the British embassy. International Human Rights Day provides the opportunity for people to celebrate human rights and to advocate for the full enjoyment of those rights […]
11th December 2012
The British Foreign Office and the Canadian High Commission in London collaborated last week in a conference in London, under the aegis of Wilton Park, on the question of promoting freedom of religion or belief. Participants came together from across the world, and from a range of institutions – different faiths, different governments, and different […]
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10th December 2012
Through the UK’s Presidency of the G8 in 2013, we’ll be launching a sustained campaign to build a global partnership to prevent sexual violence in conflict. Read more about our global campaign to highlight issues around sexual violence in conflict
10th December 2012
When Guatemala announced it was having a UN Security Council debate on women, peace and security around the same time the Foreign Secretary announced his initiative on preventing sexual violence it became clear that the UK and Guatemala would have a productive working relationship to advance the international community’s response to these issues. I welcome […]
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10th December 2012 Budapest, Hungary
Guest blog by Foreign Policy, Justice and Home Affairs and Human Rights Attaché Levente Nyitrai As a young kid I used to not understand that saying. Every Christmas I was eagerly waiting for the chance to attack the nicely wrapped presents under the tree. The moments on Christmas Eve when we entered the until then […]
29th November 2012
The following is a guest blog by Sr. Eugenia Bonetti. Human trafficking is one of the greatest affronts to human dignity of our time. It claims an estimated 27 million victims globally, primarily women and children, many forced into prostitution. And it is a lucrative trade, generating roughly $32 billion annually for well organized crime […]
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27th November 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
Earlier this year, the British Foreign Secretary William Hague MP, announced a new initiative to prevent sexual violence against women. It aims to strengthen international efforts and coordination to prevent and respond to sexual violence, to erode the existing culture of impunity, to increase the number of perpetrators brought to justice and to support states […]
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