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Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Part of UK in Holy See

2nd January 2015

World Day of Peace: Against Modern Slavery

With Pope Francis 2 December 2014
Pope Francis meets Sr. Eugenia Bonetti, Head of USMI Counter-Trafficking Unit, 2 December 2014

The following is a guest blog by Steve Townsend, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy to the Holy See

In his message for the World Day of Peace (1st  January), Pope Francis has returned to the struggle against modern slavery. His address, entitled “No longer Slaves, but Brothers” highlights the many different faces of slavery, not only those working in fields and factories or in the sex industry under intolerable conditions, but also child labour, those kidnapped to be enlisted in conflicts, enslaved or sold on to the highest bidder, those forced to emigrate, and those whose organs are harvested and trafficked. He identifies as root causes, not only the disappearance of fraternity between people leading to corruption, armed conflicts and organised crime, but also the lack of education, combined poverty and poor employment prospects which makes people more vulnerable to being forced or tricked into slavery.

It is a powerful message, and one to which much of the world is listening more intently.

In early December 2014 in a meeting organised by the Global Freedom Network, major religious leaders, including Pope Francis, gathered in the Vatican to sign a joint declaration against modern slavery. Speakers including the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, as well as representatives from the Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu faiths, underlined the importance of ridding the world of this scourge.

Eliminating modern slavery is a priority for the UK as well. On 5 December the Home Secretary, together with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and the Metropolitan Police, convened the second meeting of the Santa Marta Group of law enforcement authorities to discuss how to combat this crime at an international level.  The UK’s Modern Slavery Bill is currently being debated in Parliament, and on 29 November the Government launched its Modern Slavery Strategy, which sets out the work that we will undertake domestically and internationally to deal with human trafficking and modern slavery in all its forms.

In his message, Pope Francis asks that all people of good will should work together to eliminate slavery. He recognises that it is an immense task, but it is a worthy goal that we should all aspire to.

About Nigel Baker

Nigel was British Ambassador to the Holy See from 2011-2016. He presented his Credentials to Pope Benedict XVI on 9 September 2011, after serving 8 years in Latin America, as…

Nigel was British Ambassador to the Holy See from 2011-2016. He presented his Credentials to Pope Benedict XVI on 9 September 2011, after serving 8 years in Latin America, as Deputy Head of Mission in the British Embassy in Havana, Cuba (2003-6) and then as British Ambassador in La Paz, Bolivia (2007-11). In July 2016, Nigel finished his posting, and is currently back in London.

As the first British Ambassador to the Holy See ever to have a blog, Nigel provided a regular window on what the Embassy and the Ambassador does. The blogs covered a wide range of issues, from Royal and Ministerial visits to Diplomacy and Faith, freedom of religion, human trafficking and climate change.

More on Nigel’s career

Nigel was based in London between 1998 and 2003. He spent two years on European Union issues (for the UK 1998 EU Presidency and on European Security and Defence questions), before crossing St James’s Park to work for three years as The Assistant Private Secretary to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. At St James’s Palace, Nigel worked on international issues, including the management of The Prince of Wales’s overseas visits and tours, on the Commonwealth, interfaith issues, the arts and international development.

Nigel spent much of the early part of his FCO career in Central Europe, after an initial stint as Desk Officer for the Maghreb countries in the Near East and North Africa department (1990-91). Between 1992 and 1996, Nigel served in the British embassies in Prague and Bratislava, the latter being created in 1993 after the peaceful division of Czechoslovakia into the separate Czech and Slovak Republics.

Nigel joined the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) in September 1989. Between 1996 and 1998 he took a two year academic sabbatical to research and write about themes in 18th century European history, being based in Verona but also researching in Cambridge, Paris and Naples. The research followed from Nigel’s time as a student at Cambridge (1985-88) where he read history and was awarded a First Class Honours degree, followed by his MA in 1992.

Before joining the Foreign Office, Nigel worked briefly for the Conservative Research Department in London at the time of the 1989 European election campaign.

Nigel married Alexandra (Sasha) in 1997. They have one son, Benjamin, born in Bolivia in September 2008.

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#peace eugenia bonetti fco bloggers Modern Slavery pope francis trafficking world day peace

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