9th April 2026
The Gulf, Berlin and the Commission on the Status of Women: building global alliances to advance women’s progress
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
26th February 2026
Different Memories, Shared Futures: Why Inclusive Remembrance Matters for Serbia and the Region
22nd December 2025
Continuing to grow the global alliance for women and girls
28th September 2016 Mumbai, India
Potential UK-India collaborations on industrial biotechnology
Earlier this month, Dr Ian Stanton, Strategy and Policy Officer with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) participated in the UK-India workshops on industrial biotechnology in Mumbai and Chennai. In this blog, Ian outlines his thoughts on the future of UK-India collaborations on industrial biotechnology. September saw my first visit to India for […]
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27th September 2016 London, UK
Our house, in the middle of King Charles Street
Every year iconic buildings across the capital open their doors to the public as part of Open House London. When the organisation was founded in 1992, they wanted to open up coveted spaces to the public to enhance their appreciation and understanding of architecture and design. For 20 years the Foreign Office has been one […]
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26th September 2016 London, UK
Open Youth Academy Croatia 2016
Over the August Bank Holiday weekend we sent James Cattell to meet our colleagues in Croatia and participate as a judge at Open Youth Academy Croatia. This is his guest blog post. The open youth academy is an annual event in Croatia. It aims to foster greater understanding and use of open data. Its also […]
26th September 2016 Athens, Greece
A tyrant, a poet and three chamois
Early last week, I found myself standing next to the tomb of Ali Pasha, in the inner enclosure of the Ottoman fort at Ioannina. As I gazed on the iron feretory, I mused on how strange it was that Byron, who gave his life for the freedom of Greece, should have first sought out the […]
26th September 2016 London, UK
Counter Daesh Communications: 1 year on
This week marks 2 years since the UK made the decision to join the Global Coalition – a unified body of 67 international partners dedicated to degrading and defeating Daesh. Two years on and the Global Coalition’s work has seen results. Foreign fighters travelling to Iraq and Syria to join Daesh have decreased by up […]
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26th September 2016 Geneva, Switzerland
The Ghosts of Councils Past
I’ve been having a spooky session. For the past fortnight people who left the Council many moons ago have been popping up all over the place as though they never left. Former colleagues do of course come back from time to time but it’s been happening so much recently I’m starting to wonder if I’m […]
23rd September 2016 UK, London
Celebrating success with Aung San Suu Kyi, and looking to the future for Burma
This week in New York, Burma reached another significant milestone, in what has already been a momentous year for the country. Among the throngs of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held a meeting to celebrate the conclusion of his partnership group on Burma – their work is complete. […]
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22nd September 2016 Guatemala City
Travel through Guatemala
Guatemala is blessed with a huge diversity of tourist sites. Best known are the charming Spanish-colonial city of Antigua, the stunning Mayan ruins of Tikal, and the beautiful volcano-ringed lake of Atitlan. But it also boasts some other remarkable but less known sites, which draw significant number of discerning travellers – and especially young backpackers. […]
22nd September 2016 London, UK
UN Security Council Resolution 2309 : Aviation Security
Over the past year, we have seen a growing trend of terrorists targeting civil aviation. This has included attacks on airports in Brussels and Istanbul, the destruction of the Russian Metrojet aircraft over Sinai and the explosion on board a Daallo Airways flight from Mogadishu. These tragic attacks are a stark reminder of the urgent […]
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21st September 2016 London, UK
Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict: the importance of challenging stigma
In 2014, the UK hosted the Global Summit to end sexual violence in conflict, bringing together more than 120 countries, over 100 NGOs and international organisations and more than 900 experts and survivors. The Summit was a milestone in bringing the issue of sexual violence in conflict to international attention and encouraging governments around the […]
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