Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

18th May 2021 UK, London

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by Lord Ahmad

Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN

25 years of the Arctic Council: our strong and enduring connection

As the UK Minister responsible for the Polar Regions, I am deeply interested in the Arctic, one of the most dynamic regions of the world. We know that changes in the Arctic environment affect the UK through global sea-level rise, changes to our climate and weather patterns, and threats to our shared biodiversity. While we […]

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17th May 2021 Skopje, North Macedonia

Кочо Андоновски

Кочо Андоновски

Програмски директор,ЛГБТИ Центар за поддршка

ВРЕДИ ДА СЕ БОРИШ!

Одбележувајќи го Меѓународниот ден против хомофобија и трансфобија ИЛГА Европа ја објави новата мапа за напредокот кон еднаквоста за ЛГБТИ луѓето на европскиот континент, каде после долг период се нотира напредок во нашата држава. Многумина ме контактираа затоа што мислат дека нема никаков напредок, зошто ова го нотира ИЛГА Европа? Мојот одговор е дека да, […]

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12th May 2021

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by Neil Bush

Head of the UK Delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

The Vital Role of the OSCE in Elections

Elections are a critical part of our democracy. They enable individual voters to hold those in public office to account and to determine who occupies leadership positions: whether as Presidents, as representatives in parliament or at a local level. There are a range of international commitments and internationally-agreed standards on how countries should run their […]

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10th May 2021 Skopje, North Macedonia

Rachel Galloway

Rachel Galloway

Her Majesty's Ambassador to North Macedonia

Media Freedom

We have all faced challenges during the pandemic that have impacted on our way of living.  Media workers found themselves on the frontlines from the very start. Journalists, photographers, camerapersons while doing their jobs put their lives at risk, reporting on daily events to inform and protect the public’s interest. Last week we marked World […]

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4th May 2021 Vienna, Austria

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by Leigh Turner

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

Diplomatic lessons 7, Berlin 2002-2006: work isn’t everything

One of the first mornings of my career break, as I dropped the kids off at school, I ran into an Embassy colleague. “How the mighty have fallen,” he said. I couldn’t think of a witty response. In 2002, after working full-time for 23 years, I took four years of what the Foreign Office called […]

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3rd May 2021

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by Matt Field

British Diplomat

A price for freedom

Of the many freedoms that make up a democratic and fair society, the importance of freedom of media is one of the most often overlooked. World Press Freedom Day is a chance to remind ourselves of the crucial work being done by independent journalists, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and all over the world, and to […]

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19th April 2021 Vienna, Austria

Alex Hammond

Alex Hammond

Consular Policy Officer, British Embassy Vienna

Update for UK nationals in Austria and a new Q&A session

EDIT: Thanks for all your questions. We will start publishing answers shortly. If you are a UK national who was living legally in Austria before 1 January 2021, you need to apply for a new residency card before the end of 2021. Although you have until 31st December to do so, you should consider applying […]

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18th April 2021 London, UK

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by Dr Richard Smith

FCDO Principal Historian

FCDO Historians explain the Duke of Edinburgh’s unique contribution to international affairs

Photo of Her Majesty the Queen and HRH Prince Philip on her Silver Jubilee tour in New Zealand in 1977.

His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh was one of the world’s most travelled men. As well as accompanying Her Majesty The Queen on all of her official overseas visits, he made over 620 solo visits to 143 countries on behalf of Britain, the Commonwealth and the many causes he supported. Prince Philip travelled to […]

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16th April 2021

Tom Cargill

Tom Cargill

Chief Executive of Wilton Park

Wilton Park reflects on the death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

Photo of HRH Prince Philip with the founder of Wilton Park Heinz Koeppler in 1968.

In March 1968 His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visited Wiston House to open the 100th conference of Wilton Park since its founding in 1946. Originally hosted at a Prisoner of War camp of the same name in Buckinghamshire, Wilton Park emerged from a growing recognition of the responsibility the UK had […]

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