17th May 2024
Reflections on IDAHOBIT: International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
13th May 2024
Value with Values: UK Commitment to Climate Partnership
25th April 2024
Reflect & Remember: Anzac Day 2024
11th March 2021 Ukraine
Now is the time to speed up the move away from coal
Unabated coal burning does serious damage. As the dirtiest, most polluting way of producing energy, it’s cheap and plentiful, but it comes at a different sort of cost. Coalmines and coal-processing plants have caused heavy environmental damage: surface mining destroys natural habitats; burning coal releases large quantities of toxins into the air, increasing air pollution […]
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10th March 2021 Skopje, North Macedonia
Sustainability Sells
Almost everyone is aware that we need to live as much as we can sustainably. Fashion choices are a big part of it. Maybe you have decided to buy more second-hand clothes or tried to go one month without buying anything new. Or you have decided that from now on, you will only buy clothes […]
9th March 2021 Skopje, North Macedonia
The COVID-19 labour crisis and its impact on women workers
Results of the ‘Improved productivity through better labour legislation in North Macedonia’ Project “Globally, women will likely experience a significant burden on their time given their multiple care responsibilities as school closures and confinement measures are adopted, possibly leading to reductions in working time and permanent exit from the labour market. In some contexts, and […]
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8th March 2021 Skopje, North Macedonia
International Women’s Day- Will women’s safety ever be a priority and a human right?
The global campaign theme this year was announced as “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.” The successful managing of the pandemic by women leaders has highlighted the need for more women in decision-making positions globally, not excluding the Republic of North Macedonia. A recovery process will follow and without assessing […]
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8th March 2021 Colombo, Sri Lanka
UK In Sri Lanka: #ChooseToChallenge for Gender Equality
The UK Chooses To Challenge: How The British High Commission and British Council are championing gender quality in Sri Lanka? Each year, on 8 March, the world comes together to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD). We advocate for women’s equality, honour the achievements of women and support female-focused organisations. This is all aimed at striving […]
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4th March 2021 Canberra
UK in Australia: #ChooseToChallenge
International Women’s Day is 8 March and this year the theme is #ChooseToChallenge. This theme really resonates with me, as a mixed race woman who was born in Malaysia –without any British ancestry – I think my presence alone can challenge some people’s expectations as to what a British High Commissioner should or could be. […]
4th March 2021 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Prosperity: it’s back and here to stay!
Just over a year ago now I relocated to the beautiful Island nation of Sri Lanka from my previous position at the British Consulate in Istanbul. Naturally I was excited by the prospect of relocating to a new country with my family, another adventure for us all. I was equally excited to start my new […]
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2nd March 2021 London, UK
Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev: a view from the Foreign Office archives
Marking the 90th birthday of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Gill Bennett recalls how the late Tony Bishop, FCO Russian specialist, recorded Gorbachev’s first talks with Margaret Thatcher, when he acted as interpreter. ‘For heaven’s sake, try and find me a young Russian!’ This, according to Tony Bishop, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) principal […]
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26th February 2021 Geneva, Switzerland
Next Steps on Responsible Behaviours in Outer Space
As I’ve mentioned a couple of times in my blog now, a big focus for us in the first part of 2021 is following up the UK-sponsored UN General Assembly resolution on reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours. I thought I’d use this post to give a flavour of what […]
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23rd February 2021 Vienna, Austria
Diplomatic lessons 5, 1995-98: make a difference
“September 1996, Beijing: second of three formal sessions of the Joint Liaison Group. There are 15 on each side of the long tables, with consecutive interpretation and note-takers on further tables behind us. We go through the agenda, rehearsing positions on each side, notching up here and there agreements that will be the evidence in […]
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