Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

23rd June 2016 Bangalore, India

Dr Richard Allan

MDT Research Fellow, Sustainable Water Management, James Hutton Institute

Protecting water source

Dr. Richard Allan is the MDT Research Fellow: Sustainable Water Management, James Hutton Institute (JHI), UK. He has worked in industry for over 23 years and has held a number of senior management positions before becoming Chief Scientist at Scottish Water and then Managing Director at Scottish Water Horizons. Richard was in Bangalore co-ordinating a […]

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21st June 2016

Paul Brummell, British Ambassador to Romania

by Paul Brummell

Head of Soft Power and External Affairs Department, Communication Directorate

Celebrating the Queen’s Birthday and UK/Romania Relations in Bucharest

Actors on stage

The British Embassy in Bucharest hosted last week a reception for our partners and contacts across the worlds of government, business, diplomacy, culture, civil society, defence and law enforcement cooperation. The reception marked the official birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, which falls on the 2nd Saturday in June. Her Majesty’s actual birthday is 21 April, […]

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21st June 2016 Islamabad, Pakistan

M Asif Iqbal

Chevening Officer

How to survive Ramazan

If you are living in the Northern hemisphere, and observing traditional fasting, then this year’s Ramazan is particularly difficult. The difference between the Islamic calendar and the Gregorian calendar means that every year it shifts nine or ten days, and for those fasting, this year it falls slap bang in the middle of the longest […]

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20th June 2016 London, UK

Tara Finn

First World War Centenary Commemorations Team

Launching the digital archive

We have launched a remarkable collection of stories from the First World War. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is remembering the stories of 175 men from 11 countries who were awarded Britain’s highest award for bravery, the Victoria Cross. They represent a significant number of the 600 Victoria Crosses awarded during the First World War […]

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20th June 2016 Geneva, Switzerland

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by Bob Last

Head, UK Mission Political and Human Rights Team

Behind every successful woman…

In the months since the last Council session, Star Wars has come to dominate my home life. My son asks endless questions about the characters, while the rest of the family begrudgingly take turns to act them out. I’m most often cast as Jabba the Hutt while my Jedi son brandishes his light sabre and […]

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17th June 2016 Vilnius, Lithuania

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by Claire Lawrence

Former British Ambassador to Lithuania

Why I am – marching with Baltic Pride

This year Baltic Pride takes place in Vilnius. I am joining the Pride march to show my support and commitment to promoting and protecting rights for all. The UK champions the rights of LGBT people. British Embassies and High Commissions around the world support LGBT rights in their respective countries in a number of ways. […]

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17th June 2016 Canberra, Australia

Menna Rawlings CMG

by Menna Rawlings

British High Commissioner to Australia

Jo Cox

It is 26 years since a British MP was murdered. Back in 1990, the victim was Ian Gow, a Conservative politician, murdered by the IRA. In those days, we had come to half-expect such terrible events to punctuate the rhythm of life in the UK. But it was from an enemy we knew and recognised […]

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17th June 2016

Nicolas Le Moignan

Nicolas Le Moignan

Director, Bespoke Training and Consultancy, GovRisk

Anti-money laundering in Burma

I am delighted to contribute a post and provide an insight into how a project of ours is addressing an important issue in Burma, where GovRisk has managed Prosperity-funded Anti-Money Laundering projects for the last three years. At first glance, it might not be clear what preventing money laundering has to do with opening markets […]

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17th June 2016 Colombo, Sri Lanka

Laura Davies » Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives

by Laura Davies

Former Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives

Happy Birthday, Ma’am

Last night, we hosted a very special event at the High Commissioner’s residence: a party to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday.  Over 400 friends of the High Commission, from Sri Lanka, the Maldives and the UK, from Government to civil society to the private sector, gathered to toast the longest reigning monarch in […]

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