3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
25th November 2015 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Don’t Leave Half of Yemen’s Population Behind
As a male ambassador, I am not an obvious candidate to promote women’s rights. But the subject is close to my heart. I have spent my whole life with brilliant, accomplished women. These include my mother and sister, my wife, daughter and my female friends, colleagues, and professional contacts which included the many Yemeni women […]
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25th November 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Hope and determination in eliminating violence against women
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Between now and 10 December, Human Rights Day, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office – led by the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Baroness Anelay – will be focusing on our work to prevent sexual violence against women. […]
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25th November 2015 London, UK
Stop violence against women!
We have to stop violence against women because for too long, too many women around the world have experienced terrible abuse. The UN estimates 35% of women globally have experienced some form of violence. This abuse can happen in ordinary homes, and in warzones where women are disproportionate victims of sexual violence. And these crimes […]
25th November 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Road to a New Global Climate Deal
The next round of UN climate negotiations kick off in Paris on 30th November. And while these rounds happen annually, this year is particularly significant because the prize is a new global, legally-binding treaty on climate change. Whether that can be achieved, and how ambitious it is, matters to us all. What is it? The […]
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24th November 2015 Havana, Cuba
Violence Against Women – It’s Your Responsibility
To all the men out there, this blog is for you. Please don’t close the window, tab or page. Don’t look away. Keep reading and click on the links. This isn’t a women’s issue, it’s a men’s issue. You need to understand it. And then do something about it. Violence against women is horrible, brutal, […]
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24th November 2015 Tripoli, Libya
Education: Turning Mirrors into Windows
“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” Is this quotation relevant to today’s Libya? Definitely. The Libyan economy is going down the drain. Oil production and prices are down; the country is spending more than it earns; the black market exchange rate is going up; the cost of living for ordinary […]
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24th November 2015 London, UK
Lessons from #UNGA: it’s all about content
Last month saw the opening of the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly. For the digital leaders out there, this phenomenon was known simply as “#UNGA.” But this year’s UNGA had a different feel from the previous 69 sessions. It was distinctly digital. Twitter hosted meetings with diplomats and ambassadors at their New […]
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23rd November 2015 Skopje, North Macedonia
Why Many Businesses Fail in the First Three Years
Establishment of business inclusion project in multi-ethnic communities is designed to help potential entrepreneurs start up their companies and helps them survive their critical period with a combination of suitable mentoring courses. The project is supported by the British Embassy and implemented by Strategic Development Consulting – Skopje. At the beginning of the project implementation, […]
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23rd November 2015 Vancouver, Canada
Climate 2050 – Why Paris is the Next Beginning
You may remember the 1970s and ‘80s like they were yesterday. Or perhaps they seem like ancient history, an era long before you were born. It was a time of Punk and New Romantics, the Marlboro man and heavy glass ash trays, big hair and bad cars (or bad hair and big cars). Vehicles drank […]
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23rd November 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Diplomatic Notes and Instruments: Blog for St Cecilia’s Day
A colleague in the Balkans recently said “tell me about music and diplomacy”. Sitting in Vienna on a cold, grey Sunday that is the day of St Cecilia patron saint of music, seems as good a time as any. A flurry of academic writing has yet to persuade me of music’s capacity ‘to model international […]
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