8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
17th October 2024
OSLOBOĐENJE BEOGRADA
11th October 2024
Busting the gender myths – women and organised crime
12th May 2016 Washington DC, USA
London summit brings together public and private sectors to fight corruption
Corruption is the cancer at the heart of so many of the world’s problems. It erodes trust, undermines stability, and breeds injustice. It’s costly in so many ways — estimates by the World Economic Forum show that corruption sets the global economy back by $2.6 trillion. And the World Bank has estimated that corruption adds to global […]
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11th May 2016 Vancouver, Canada
New Planes and New Opportunities
It defies logic. Every sensible instinct tells me it should be impossible. At almost 73 metres it’s longer than an ice hockey rink, it’s four times the height of my house (and I don’t live in a bungalow) and it carries over 500 passengers (plus luggage). Staring at it through the window of Vancouver International […]
11th May 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Honouring Msgr O’Flaherty: a man who saved lives
In November 2014, I posted a blog about Msgr Hugh O’Flaherty, an extraordinary man who, during WWII, took risks for the Church, and saved lives. The next chapter in his story was written earlier this week, when family members, relatives of those he had saved and those who had worked with him, and others keen to […]
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11th May 2016 Delhi, India
IP smart toolkit for doing business in India launched
British Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, Bharat Joshi, launched a toolkit to guide foreign companies through an “IP smart” approach to doing business in India on 20 April 2016 in Chennai. The launch has been reported widely by local press. The toolkit is the result of a research project undertaken by IP Dome Strategy Advisors, […]
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10th May 2016 Guatemala City
Queen’s Birthday Celebration
This year Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her ninetieth birthday. Born in 1926, she became Queen in 1952 on the death of her father, King George V, and has been Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the last 64 years. Events to mark The Queen’s 90th birthday are being held […]
10th May 2016 London, UK
Email Triage: helping customers find what they need on GOV.UK
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s consular service supports British people around the world when they are most in need of our help. Consulates, embassies and high commissions publish their contact email addresses in the contact section of their pages. I hear that sharp intake of breath. How generous of them when most others hide behind […]
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10th May 2016 Geneva, Switzerland
Who Will Lobby For The Future?
One of the thorniest controversies in the WHO right now goes by the catchy acronym, FENSA. This stands for Framework on Engagement with Non State Actors. Beneath this bland surface lies one of the great dilemmas facing all international agencies. What is the appropriate role of business in policy making? Just to be clear, in […]
7th May 2016 Beirut, Lebanon
Local Elections of National Importance
Winston Churchill famously declared in 1947 that “democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” He was speaking from the floor of the House of Commons, the parliamentary chamber reserved for any “common” man or woman elected to represent the people of Britain. […]
6th May 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Pope Francis wins UK Green Ribbon award
The Green Ribbon awards are amongst Britain’s most prestigious environmental awards. They are awarded by The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), the leading independent Chartered professional body for water and environment professionals, which promotes excellence within the sector. They have been presented since 1993, and aim to celebrate the greatest environmental achievements […]
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6th May 2016 Tripoli, Libya
The Beautiful Game
Leicester. Where’s that? And how do you pronounce it? Is it “Lye-Chest-er” or “Lester”. This Midlands town is now well-known all round the world after their team, Leicester City became the English football champions. It is a remarkable story of a team that was fighting for survival last year. The team – known locally as […]