1st October 2026
A Year Too Big for Two Suitcases: Notes From a Chevening Scholar
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
11th May 2026
The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill: turning a global ocean agreement into UK law
9th April 2026
The Gulf, Berlin and the Commission on the Status of Women: building global alliances to advance women’s progress
12th September 2016 Bangalore, India
Bengaluru Space Expo 2016: Indian space sector is opening up
I had the opportunity to attend the 5th Bengaluru Space Expo 2016, a biennial event organised by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) commercial arm ANTRIX and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The expo brings together space companies to exploit new technology and act as a potential gateway into the global space technology market. The […]
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9th September 2016 Vilnius, Lithuania
Why I am – celebrating the 25th anniversary of our Embassy
In 1991 the UK and Lithuania restored diplomatic relations. The UK recognised the re-establishment of the Independent State of Lithuania de jure on 27 August 1991, although we had never formally recognised the Soviet occupation. Things then moved quickly. Michael Peart, who was the UK’s first Ambassador to Lithuania after the re-establishment of diplomatic relations, […]
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9th September 2016 Kolkata, India
From Belarus to … Bengal!
Last December, I flew in for the last time to Minsk, the city of my previous posting. As the aeroplane descended through the clouds, a pale whitish landscape emerged – there had been a light snow fall. Like many Britons, the sight of snow cheers me – I think it’s because we see it only […]
8th September 2016 Beirut, Lebanon
Presidency: Time for #IndependenceDay2
It is now a year since I took up my appointment as UK Ambassador (designate) to Lebanon. It’s time to admit that, for all the wonderful experiences of my first year in this beautiful and welcoming country, there has been one big disappointment: Lebanon’s failure to elect a new President. And this is fundamental, because […]
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7th September 2016 London, UK
How Syria can escape Asad’s reign of terror
For anyone who has visited Aleppo in peacetime, the news from the city today is enough to make you weep. We are seeing indiscriminate attacks on civilians; the bombing of medical facilities; children pulled bloodied from the rubble. We are forced to watch one of the most ancient homes of civilisation being literally pulverised, the […]
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6th September 2016 Boston, USA
Spotlighting Robotics Innovation in ‘Olde’ and ‘New’ England
The UK robotics cluster is fueled by more than a dozen academic research & development centres, long-term UK government funding support of £150 million, and companies that span sectors from medicine and healthcare, autonomous cars, defence technology and drones, manufacturing, agriculture, transport, and others. Most recently, a £5 million challenge was launched to focus collaboration […]
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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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