5th November 2026
United Nations General Assembly: championing women and girls’ rights
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
1st October 2026
A Year Too Big for Two Suitcases: Notes From a Chevening Scholar
11th May 2026
The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill: turning a global ocean agreement into UK law
16th March 2016 Beirut, Lebanon
Five years of War in Syria: how international support for Lebanon is changing
It has been five years since the Syria conflict began. Five years of barrel bombs, mass executions and disappearances. Five years of people being forced from their homes because they fear for their lives. And for many of those who fled to Lebanon, what they expected to be a temporary move has become a painful […]
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16th March 2016 Asuncion, Paraguay
Paraguay Hackathon discovers young talent
I recently attended my first Hakathon in Asuncion. It was an enjoyable and fascinating experience. The event was organised by the Embassy in association with a local NGO, the Centro de Estudios Ambientales y Sociales (CEAMSO). The competition brought together some 40 young people divided into 14 teams. They were tasked with finding innovative solutions […]
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15th March 2016 London, UK
Lights, Video, Action: engaging audiences with visual content
Use of video is increasing across the network of British Embassies and High Commissions around the world – and with good reason. Video can be an effective way of communicating difficult, technical messages. It is more engaging than just publishing a text update. It gives you the chance to use more than 140 characters in […]
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15th March 2016
The Screwtape Letters
On 14-16 March we are celebrating Northern Ireland. One of Northern Ireland’s best-known, and best-loved writers is Clive Staples Lewis, who was born in Belfast in 1898. His most famous works are the Narnia series, following the adventures of the Pevensie children (based on a group of children who were evacuated to stay with him […]
15th March 2016 Athens, Greece
400 years since the death of Shakespeare
It was one of those arguments you get yourself into as an undergraduate. “Imagine you wake up one morning and almost all literary culture has been destroyed; if one play alone remained, what would you want it to be?” Although I was studying classics, my answer was clear: “I would be praying for the survival […]
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15th March 2016 Istanbul, Turkey
ليتحقق السلام في سورية، لا بد من إنهاء الاعتقالات التعسفية
في سورية، يستمر طغيان العنف المستشري والممنهج بعيدا عن الأنظار، في مراكز اعتقال بعيدة عن الخطوط الأمامية للحرب. وفي وقت سابق هذا الشهر، أصدرت لجنة التحقيق الدولية بشأن سورية تقريرا حول الموت أثناء الاعتقال. وجاء ذلك بعد تقارير مروعة بنفس القدر صادرة عن منظمة العفو الدولية ومنظمة هيومان رايتس ووتش حول الاختفاءات القسرية والموت في […]
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15th March 2016 Canberra, Australia
A long weekend with family
Last weekend was an unusual one for me, as I went to church twice. The events I attended were different, but equally uplifting. On Saturday I went to the Chapel of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture here in Canberra, to take part in an ecumenical service for the feast of St Patrick. This […]
14th March 2016 Paris, France
Euro 2016: Brush up on your tactics
There are less than 100-days to go until UEFA Euro 2016 and excitement is building across Europe as we head towards 10 June and the start of the tournament. With a record three home nations qualifying for this year’s competition, we’re expecting an unprecedented number of fans to make the short trip to France to […]
11th March 2016 London, England
Trading up – doing business in Africa
The newly appointed Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys for Africa show how the UK’s relationship with Africa is changing and developing. When I was appointed Minister for Africa I had clear instruction from the Prime Minister on what my focus should be – prosperity, prosperity, prosperity. Not just the UK’s prosperity, although that is of course […]
10th March 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Archbishop Gallagher in the UK
Last week I accompanied the Holy See Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, on a visit to the United Kingdom. He came at the invitation of the British government, so inevitably much of his time was taken up in official meetings with a wide range of government ministers. He visited five different Departments […]