Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

3rd May 2016

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

#Adiosistanbul 4: the Lycian Way

Ok. The Lycian Way is not in Istanbul. But having written a blog recently about longer walks outside Istanbul; and another about my favourite shorter walk, I thought I should record the fact that, amongst the many wonders of Turkey we should include the splendid Lycian Way. I walked the first 40 km of the Lycian Way in April.  […]

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3rd May 2016 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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by Edmund Fitton-Brown

British Ambassador to Yemen

World Press Freedom Day

Today is World Press Freedom Day. This is an opportunity for us all to reflect on the importance of freedom of information and to pay tribute to those journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Of course advancing freedom of the press is a global issue, yet I’m struck by how […]

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2nd May 2016 Delhi, India

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by Anshika Jha

UK Intellectual Property Office’s (UK IPO) Attaché

Free online course on copyright awareness launched on World IP Day

The UK Intellectual Property Office supported the Association of Publishers of India in the creation of an awareness booklet and free online course on copyright. The toolkit (booklet and 15-minute course) was launched at an event organised by FICCI on 25 April to celebrate World IP Day. The toolkit was conceived as a key step […]

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2nd May 2016 New Delhi, India

by Jagori Dhar

Head - Press and Communications, UK Trade, Investment & Prosperity

UK and India driving a success story

The Indian connection at the heart of the UK automotive boom, and the $4 billion opportunity for Indian companies. As I made my journey into what (on first impressions) appeared to be a rather nondescript northern English town, Crewe, I was surprised to see the number of Indians getting off the train, at the bus station and surprisingly […]

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2nd May 2016 Delhi, India

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by Anshika Jha

UK Intellectual Property Office’s (UK IPO) Attaché

Roundtable on feasibility of establishing a national IP court in India

Earlier this month, IIT Kharagpur’s IPR cell organised a roundtable to discuss the feasibility of establishing a National IP Court in India, under a project being funded by the UK Intellectual Property Office.  The roundtable was chaired by Hon’ble Justice Prabha Sridevan (former Judge Madras High Court and Chairman Intellectual Property Appellate Board).  Several senior […]

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29th April 2016

Stephen Townsend

Stephen Townsend

Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy to the Holy See

Britain and Human Rights

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report was published on 21 April.  This report is aimed at increasing awareness of the UK’s role in promoting human rights work overseas, and to encourage countries to uphold and maintain their international human rights record. The Report lists 30 human rights priority countries: these […]

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28th April 2016 Addis Ababa

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by Susanna Moorehead

Former British Ambassador to Ethiopia

HM Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th Birthday and Commemorating Shakespeare

I was pleased to welcome a large number of guests to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday,  at the British Ambassador’s Residence. The Queen’s Birthday party or QBP, as we call it in the Embassy, is an event hosted by all posts across the world to celebrate and cement relations between the UK and the corresponding country. This year we […]

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28th April 2016 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Did you know? UK-Ethiopia Profile of the Month

Major- General Orde Charles Wingate The Second World War hero and a British army officer, Major- General Orde Charles Wingate, was born on 26 February 1903, in Naini Tal, near Almora, in Kumaon, India. Most of Wingate’s childhood was spent in England. For the first 12 years of his life, he socialized primarily with his siblings. […]

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27th April 2016 London, UK

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by Lorey Campese

Head of Digital, UK Mission to the United Nations in New York

Opening a window in the smoke-filled room: Twitter and the #nextSG

Six years ago to the day, I signed into Twitter for the first time. At the time I was studying for exams and though I had a budding interest in the United Nations (UN), the concept of diplomacy was frankly pretty alien. Little did I know, about a half decade later, I would sit at […]

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27th April 2016 London, UK

Alex Ellis

Alex Ellis

Ambassador to Brazil

Ready, set, Rio! The race is on!

Today we mark 100 days to the start of the 2016 Olympics games in Rio. It’s also the first of a series of blogs which I and colleagues will write as we prepare for the Games. To celebrate the milestone, we have created a video with some Olympic and Paralympic stars, providing British nationals travelling […]

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