Diplomat
23rd March 2014
The Crimean referendum of 16 March falls far below recognised international standards. To begin with, it is unconstitutional. Ukraine’s constitution clearly states that the status of any part of the country’s territory can only be changed as the result of a nationwide referendum. No one objected to the idea of a referendum as such. And […]
8th March 2014
International Women’s Day has been observed in different forms since in the early 1900’s. But in recent years it has gone from strength to strength and become a much more genuinely global and shared event. With such a history, we should expect to see more progress on women’s issues. But women are still not paid […]
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 […]
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29th January 2014
This year agriculture is the main theme of the 22nd Assembly of Heads of State and Government at the African Union (AU) – the AU Summit, which is taking place this week. But African leaders are also deliberating on the peace and security of the continent. Country situations at the top of the agenda are […]
23rd January 2014
I spent last weekend in the Bale Mountains National Park, in a top quality lodge newly opened by a British entrepreneur (one of two such lodges in the country). The Park itself is stunningly beautiful and full of rare and endemic species of flora and fauna, including the endangered Ethiopian Wolf (of which we saw […]
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10th January 2014
The development of Ethiopia’s private sector is still at an early stage, following the ravages inflicted by the former communist regime. Gradually foreign direct investment (FDI) is helping to make up the gap which has been created in the economy, while the local private sector strengthens and matures over the age. The Government of Ethiopia […]
6th January 2014
Last Friday I was a guest speaker at an event to help UK company Diageo launch their “Shoom Shufair”/ Don’t Drink & Drive Campaign. This aims to encourage anyone planning to drink alcohol to appoint a designated driver (who abstains from alcohol) to take them home afterwards. Similar Diageo campaigns elsewhere in the world have been very […]
10th December 2013
It is 63 years today since the UN General Assembly established 10 December as Human Rights Day, to draw attention to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And 20 years since the United Nations Human Rights Office was established. This year Human Rights Day is marked by the theme of “20 YEARS: WORKING FOR YOUR […]
29th November 2013
The amazing 10 kilometre Great Ethiopian Run (GER) took place last Sunday. And despite a number staying away because of security concerns, some 37,000 participants competed. The sight of the flood of runners, most in matching yellow and green shirts, was quite something to behold. The change of course route this year presented a challenge […]
25th November 2013
One in every three women in the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime, according to the UN. Violence against women is a human rights violation and a crime. It is a result of discrimination against women and an effort to entrench persisting inequalities between men and women. It […]