11th October 2018 Geneva, Switzerland
I arrived at the UK Mission in Geneva at the end of July to take up my new post as Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament (CD). With my first session of the CD behind me, and before heading to New York for the UN General Assembly First Committee, I’ve been reflecting on my […]
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5th October 2018 London,UK
Now on its 27th edition, the Open House London weekend is a celebration of this great city, and above all of its bricks and mortar. The focus is both on the new arrivals on the London skyline and on understanding and appreciating the histories of the older buildings which make up its complex urban fabric. […]
21st September 2018 London, UK
The South African duo who risked EVERYTHING to film the illegal trade in rhino horn in Africa and Asia South African filmmakers Susan Scott and Bonne de Bod sold their homes and moved back in with their parents to undertake a dangerous three-year-long investigation into the murky underground world of the illegal trade in rhino […]
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7th August 2018 London, UK
As a blog title this is shamefully attention grabbing. But you are now reading. Actually this is my last blog as Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) and I want to briefly review my five and a half years with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. But honestly, the title is relevant as you will see if you […]
10th May 2018 Abuja, Nigeria
Moving from Kigali to Lagos last year, I expected a pretty jarring experience. I was going from a country of 12 million to a city of 22 million, from one of the world’s most pristine, orderly, safe places to what I expected to be, well, pretty loud and chaotic. And in many ways, Lagos did […]
10th April 2018 London, UK
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will soon be upon us. A major gathering of representatives from 53 governments who look after 2.4 billion people – a third of the world’s population – over 60% of whom are 29 or under. It’s also an opportunity for the UK to demonstrate its commitment to this multilateral […]
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22nd February 2018 Abuja, Nigeria
I recently organised a targeted Chevening Scholarship application workshop for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). Chevening is a holistic UK government funded scheme that prepares talented individuals for the future leadership of Nigeria, through a cultural exchange and master’s degree programme in the UK. The workshop was hosted in collaboration with the Christian Blind Mission (CBM) […]
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12th December 2017 London, UK
Today the Prime Minister joined President Macron and other world leaders at One Planet Summit in Paris. The summit arose from recognition that we are way off-track in tackling climate change. But it also came from a more positive sense that the economics have shifted decisively in favour of a global low carbon transition in recent months. […]
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8th December 2017 London, UKLondon, UK
The right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is often misunderstood and dismissed as special pleading by the religious, when in reality, in its fullest form, it protects the right of all people to live their lives according to their deepest convictions, whether or not they have a religion or belief. It must be […]
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6th October 2017 UK, London
Today marks a month since Hurricane Irma struck, bringing devastation to our Overseas Territories of Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. On my visit to the Turks and Caicos Islands, I saw first-hand the destruction Hurricane Irma caused, particularly to the capital, Grand Turk; houses reduced to rubble, livelihoods destroyed. The […]