3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
3rd November 2016 Skopje, North Macedonia
Why we wear poppies
On 11 November we will mark the ninety-eighth anniversary of the Armistice which ended the First World War. The guns on the Western Front finally fell silent at eleven o’clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918 after four years of war which left millions of victims and devastated countries. Each year […]
3rd November 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Arctic Convoys: 75th anniversary commemorations in Liverpool
I was in Liverpool on 31 October to attend an event in honour of the 75th anniversary of the Arctic Convoys. It was two months to the day since we commemorated the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the first of the Arctic Convoys in Arkhangelsk, Russia, in the presence of HRH The Princess Royal […]
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3rd November 2016 Khartoum
Doing business in Sudan: thoughts from the Sudanese state minister of investment
Last month, we received an invitation at the Sudanese Ministry of Investment from the UK Department for Business Innovation and Skills to attend a business conference at Lancaster House, London, which was commissioned in 1825. The conference was about ‘Shaping Business Environments for Global Growth and Prosperity’. I attended this conference and I am delighted for this […]
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31st October 2016 Vientiane, Laos
Laos: Pacifying the “Wild East” for wildlife trafficking
As the Chinese government in recent years clamped down on illicit wildlife trade (IWT), smugglers and buyers have shifted much of their business to China’s small southern neighbour – Lao PDR. The Lao government is struggling to develop effective measures against the growing trade and the involved international syndicates. The United Kingdom together with other […]
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28th October 2016 Holy See
Modern Slavery: A priority for the UK and Pope Francis
On 27 October the Embassy hosted a visit by the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, who was at the Vatican to attend a meeting of the Santa Marta Group, a gathering of police chiefs and bishops on preventing human trafficking and modern slavery. This issue is a top priority for the UK, and for Pope Francis. […]
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28th October 2016 Tripoli, Libya
The Power of English
English is the most widely spoken language in the world. Chinese is number one for the number of native speakers, but with 400 million mother-tongue speakers and at least as many using it as a second language, English has become the world’s main communication tool. How did a language brought to Britain by settlers from […]
28th October 2016 Kolkata, India
Innovating with technology
I hope it won’t have escaped readers’ attention that Britain will be this year’s partner nation for India’s annual TECH Summit on 7-9 November in Delhi. People like me have been talking, tweeting and explaining about TECH Summit – #TECHSmt if you are on Twitter – for some weeks now. Our efforts to disseminate the […]
27th October 2016 Istanbul, Turkey
To the children inside Syria
In August, the former British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher wrote an open letter to the children of Syria apologising for the international community’s failure to fully fund education for Syrian refugees. The letter was also a call to action to ensure donors who made pledges at the Syria London Conference in February honoured their […]
27th October 2016 Istanbul, Turkey
To the children inside Syria
In August, the former British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher wrote an open letter to the children of Syria apologising for the international community’s failure to fully fund education for Syrian refugees. The letter was also a call to action to ensure donors who made pledges at the Syria London Conference in February honoured their […]
27th October 2016 Auckland, New Zealand
Teaching Space Science in the Classroom: An Innovative Education Programme from the UK National Space Academy
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a cosmonaut and an astronaut? Or why most rocket launch sites are near the equator? Or actually how far above your head is Space? Well I’ve got answers to those at the foot of this blog. But another thing you might want to ask yourself (particularly […]
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