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?
6th September 2016 Skopje, North Macedonia
Improving quality of justice in Macedonia
I spent this morning in conversation with Macedonia’s Justice Minister Valdet Xhaferi and the Centre for Legal Research and Analysis (CLRA), a Skopje-based civil society organisation. The topic was how we can strengthen the judicial system in Macedonia. And our conversation formed part of the launch of a programme of activities led by the CLRA […]
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6th September 2016 Los Angeles, USA
FUNDING: NIH opportunities
Attention researchers! We’d like to highlight the following NIH opportunities that are currently open and soliciting proposals in which non-U.S. organizations, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations and/or other non-U.S. components may apply. If you are a researcher in the UK looking to partner with a colleague in the U.S (or vice versa)., there may be an […]
6th September 2016 Geneva, Switzerland
We Need More Naming And Praising In The Human Rights Council
Every year the Human Rights Council organises a retreat. Making the Council more effective is a favourite topic, and was so again last week in Evian. Many argue that the Human Rights Council is a victim of its own success. Never have its sessions had more resolutions, panels and side events. The Director General of […]
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6th September 2016 Vienna, Austria
Salzburg, Vienna, Austria: language, migration and nuclear testing
What does a diplomat do? On Monday 29 August I started work in Vienna as “Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the UN and other International Organisations in Vienna”. Recent weeks offer some pointers as to how I’ve prepared for the job, and, now, started. For example, I arrived in Austria on 1 August […]
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5th September 2016 London, UK
Making peacekeeping work
This week, London will host a day of talks dedicated to United Nations Peacekeeping and how to make it work better. The UK has invited Ministers and representatives from over 70 countries and international organisations to participate in these discussions. UN Peacekeeping is facing new and previously unimaginable challenges. The last five years have seen […]
2nd September 2016 Science and Innovation Network
Research by British Universities can help to change lives
We are a world leading nation of innovators; winning 13 science Nobel Prizes since 2000 and with more Nobel Prizes per capita than US, France, Germany, Russia or Japan. The research conducted in UK universities tackles the biggest problems facing humankind today. I’ve seen firsthand how research by British Universities can help to change lives. […]
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2nd September 2016 Science and Innovation Network
How tech diplomacy drives the UK’s driverless industry
In 2011, the UK Government chose Israel as the first country where it launched a new model of commercial diplomacy focused on tech partnerships. Five years on, the UK Israel Tech Hub has made tremendous advances in promoting Britain’s role as a leading destination for innovation. We have enabled over 80 commercial partnerships between the […]
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1st September 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
PRESERVING OUR TREASURE ISLAND – BBC SERIES HIGHLIGHTS TCI’S PRECIOUS ENVIRONMENT
There are many reasons why our Turks and Caicos Islands attract so many visitors each year, but one must be at the top of everyone’s list: the magic of an environment surrounded by crystal clear turquoise seas. The colour is so distinctive, even from the height of a jet crossing from Miami to South America, […]
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1st September 2016 Khartoum
Darfur: A green and pleasant land
Darfur: A green and pleasant land Last month I visited Darfur for the first time. My first impression was how green and beautiful Darfur is. We flew to Nyala via El Geneina in West Darfur and flying over Darfur I was amazed how green the countryside is at this time of year. Driving along the […]
1st September 2016 Mogadishu, Somalia
Somalia: Home away from home
Lots of people I meet are curious about life in the Embassy. It’s a bit of a mystery to those who haven’t experienced it. We are a couple of dozen people ‘packed’ into a rectangle the size of a football field where we work, eat, exercise and sleep. There isn’t a lot of room, and […]