7th March 2014 London, UK
Oonagh Lewis, Project Task Force In January, I visited Anthony Gell School in Derbyshire to give students from Years 9 to 13 a taste of what it is like to work for the FCO. My visit was an extension of the FCO’s outreach to schools programme, which follows hot on the heels of last year’s […]
Read more on Oonagh Lewis- Schools Outreach to Anthony Gell School | Reply
3rd March 2014
Late last year, the UN General Assembly decided to make March 3 World Wildlife Day. On this day in 1973, the UN adopted the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, affirming the intrinsic value of wildlife and its various contributions including ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational […]
25th February 2014 London, UK
The Prime Ministers of all seven Western Balkan nations were in London yesterday seeking closer economic ties with countries across the EU. Speaking at a forum at the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) for investment in the Western Balkans, Ken Clarke encouraged the PMs to put in place the necessary reforms to encourage […]
17th February 2014
On 13 February the UK hosted governments from across all five Continents to galvanise international action on the illegal wildlife trade – The London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade. Our focus was to improve law enforcement to catch and punish those responsible; support the development of sustainable livelihoods in areas affected by wildlife crime; and […]
Read more on Let’s End the Illegal Wildlife Trade | Reply (1)
6th February 2014 London, UK
Guest blog by Robin Barnett, Ambassador to Warsaw 31 January was an important day in relations between Britain and Poland, key partners in the EU and NATO. Prime Ministers Cameron and Tusk met at RAF Brize Norton to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. My journey back from Warsaw began badly, with weather at […]
Read more on Not Poles apart: Britain and Poland’s close relationship | Reply
5th February 2014
“If we don’t die from bombardment or snipers we will die of hunger or cold.” So said a young man in Homs to the BBC last week. Over 2,000 Syrians have been holed up in the centre of Homs for 600 days. Using “starve or surrender” tactics, the Syrian regime is preventing food, water and […]
17th January 2014
What has more importance: the power of circumstance or the fortitude of a person? Which is more important for national welfare and humanity in general? Svetlana via Budzma website. Dear Svetlana: Happy New Year to you and all other readers. Thank you for these challenging questions – I’ve have simplified them for readers. I’m not […]
Read more on Readers’ questions: fate or free will – and the welfare of nations | Reply
24th December 2013 London, UK
A little over a year ago, the Economist wrote a piece analysing Britain’s place in Europe. There wasn’t a lot of good news. Efforts to reform the way Brussels works were simply “making things worse” as “other countries are tiring of British demands”. The best we could hope for, it was argued, was to “rediscover […]
29th November 2013 London, UK
The EU’s eastern neighbours are an integral part of Europe. They share our European history and culture, and seek to build an independent and prosperous future as sovereign nations free from outside pressure and influence. Their importance to the EU is unmistakable. Eastern Europe has seen many fundamental shifts since 1991. The spread of democracy, […]
Read more on A prosperous and stable Eastern Partnership is in the interests of all | Reply
18th November 2013
Nancy Wake was one of the most famous SOE operatives of the Second World War. Working in Occupied France, she first helped rescue allied airmen, and then working with the French Resistance led a campaign of sabotage against the Nazis. The Gestapo called her the White Mouse and at one stage she topped their “most […]