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?
5th October 2016 Geneva, Switzerland
Climbing Up The Walls
The physical experience of going through a Council session feels rather like having your head banged against a wall. It’s nice when it stops, but otherwise not particularly enjoyable. So there was a sense of delirium in the air when we headed out of the doors at a reasonable time last Friday evening. Three weeks […]
5th October 2016 Mumbai, India
Personalised medicine and you!
What if you were prescribed treatment based on your genetic makeup, environment and lifestyle? This is already a reality and the practice is called precision medicine or personalised medicine. Essentially, this means your genes determine the treatment you receive. The treatment is, of course, based on the results of a slew of diagnostic tests which […]
5th October 2016 Bangalore, India
UK-India science and innovation is at the heart of ‘Unbeatable Combination’
UK and India’s research investments have grown enormously. In 2008, £1 million had been invested – today that figure stands at over £200 million. The continued excellence of the UK research base and innovation ecosystem makes us perfect partners. Our aim to build strong and systemic relationships is no better demonstrated by the Newton Fund. […]
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4th October 2016 London, UK
HMS Protector
“Just another day in the ice” is a phrase that cannot be used to describe life in HMS Protector. The ship’s company of the UK’s Ice Patrol Ship has the privilege and unique opportunity to work in one of the most stunning environments anywhere in the world. To wake up to see the ship surrounded […]
3rd October 2016 Geneva, Switzerland
The Difference The UN Makes On Human Rights
What will be different after this Human Rights Council? Does any of it matter? Isn’t it just diplomats fighting over words? These are questions I sometimes get asked. I can understand the despair at the sight of capable female Russian diplomats gutting a resolution upholding women’s reproductive rights, something we saw at this last session. […]
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3rd October 2016 London, UK
Unlocking why plants matter: How the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is leading the charge for a healthier planet
Take a deep breath in. And now blow it out, emptying your lungs. You have just extracted oxygen from the air, and replaced it with carbon dioxide. Now look around you for a plant perhaps there is a tree outside your window or a pot plant on your table. That plant is sucking in the […]
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30th September 2016 Chennai, India
Lord Clive would be spinning in his grave
A couple of weeks ago we hosted our first ever event at the Residence for the LGBTQ community in Chennai. It was a watershed event for us. It was – by diplomatic standards at least – daring, edgy and fun. It was the first time we’ve tried to engage with that community in a country […]
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30th September 2016 Kolkata, India
Learning Visit
I was sitting with a group of policemen and border officials in a police hut drinking sweet tea. The younger ones were looking at me anxiously as I started to ask them questions about their work and what they were doing. It was late morning and it was hot outside – around 35°C (or 95 […]
30th September 2016 Beijing, China
Innovation is GREAT: the UK makes an impression as Country of Honour at Pujiang Innovation Forum
If I had to sum up the work of SIN China over the past couple of weeks in one word, it would be ‘monumental’ – referring to both the scale of the programme we ran, and the scale of the opportunity it demonstrated for the UK to work with China on innovation. The UK was […]
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30th September 2016 Canberra, Australia
Modelling a global Britain
One of my favourite parts of being a diplomat is meeting people and hearing their stories and ideas. Today I had the privilege of meeting some bright, budding diplomats visiting the British High Commission as part of the National Capital Model United Nations Conference (NCMUN). They were here to gain insights into the UK – […]