26th February 2026
Different Memories, Shared Futures: Why Inclusive Remembrance Matters for Serbia and the Region
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
22nd December 2025
Continuing to grow the global alliance for women and girls
17th December 2025
MAKING LIFE SAFER, FOR EVERYONE
13th October 2021 Stockholm, Sweden
Towards action-oriented climate adaptation research
This article is co-authored by Dr Jonathan Hassall, Environment Research Lead of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; and Dr Mikael Allan Mikaelsson, Europe Lead on Net-Zero Innovation & Climate Change of the UK Science & Innovation Network The 6th Assessment Report from the IPCC‘s Working Group I published in August 2021 painted a […]
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11th October 2021
Using the G7 to work alongside civil society to tackle corruption
This year I’ve had the privilege of heading the UK’s G7 anti-corruption efforts, negotiating the commitments which Interior and Security Ministers announced in September. I’ve worked on anti-corruption policy for more than five years and in that time have experienced the buzz of the 2016 London Anti-corruption Summit and the satisfaction of shepherding knotty issues […]
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22nd September 2021 Geneva, Switzerland
Disarmament blog: the UK Presidency of the Convention on Cluster Munitions
Yesterday we wrapped up the Second Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM). It’s been an unusual meeting, to say the least. We were supposed to gather in Lausanne in November last year. Of course, the pandemic put paid to that; so instead we held ‘part one’ online in November, and postponed the […]
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19th September 2021
Polar Diplomacy
The year 2021 marks several anniversaries for diplomacy in the Polar Regions. Whilst the Arctic and Antarctic are truly ‘Poles apart’, diplomacy for these icy regions shares common objectives of peace, security, sustainability and protection. Antarctica The Antarctic Treaty marked 60 years since its entry into force on 23 June 2021. The Treaty Parties marked […]
15th September 2021 Skopje, North Macedonia
What does democracy mean to you?
The year 2020 will be remembered by the world pandemic and the imposed restrictions on the daily lives of people worldwide. In the duration of the global pandemic, many countries imposed quarantines, police curfews, closed non-essential places, and completely changed the lives of millions of people. For many of us, it was the first time […]
10th September 2021
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
What I learned from my Youth Advisers
Not all of my ideas work out (ask my Embassy colleagues), but like many of the better ones the Youth Advisers group started with a nagging question that had been bothering me for a while. I often talked about the need to put young people here at the centre of my thinking, but how often […]
7th September 2021 Skopje, North Macedonia
Celebrating 30 years of Independence! Friendship, partnership and cooperation – our UK and North Macedonia story
Working and living in North Macedonia is a real privilege. I am struck regularly by the warmth of the people, the taste of the food and the wine and the beauty of the landscapes. I have had the privilege to meet people across the country. To see the heritage of the country from Bigorski monastery […]
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2nd September 2021 Vienna, Austria
Diplomatic Lessons 12: Tips for Diplomats and Ambassadors
These, however, are parsimonious days… The telegraph has made a difference in the position of Ambassadors. When men can and do receive instructions hourly about the smallest details, and, indeed, ask for them as if anxious to escape responsibility, it is easy to conceive that the Foreign Office will not again insist on the Treasury behaving […]
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31st August 2021 Vienna, Austria
An immense cultural gift
When I first decided to apply for the job of ambassador in Vienna in March 2015, I visited the city. A wise friend gave me a book: The Hare with Amber Eyes, by British ceramicist and writer Edmund de Waal. I found it one of the most striking accounts of the Holocaust, and its impact […]
30th August 2021 Tripoli, Libya
Farewell Libya
I finish my mission as UK Ambassador to Libya at the end of this month. So, this is my last blog in the role. My excellent successor, Caroline Hurndall, will take up post in September, leading our talented teams in Tripoli, Benghazi and Tunis. The Embassy will continue to represent the UK and promote its […]