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?
13th October 2015 Washington DC, USA
MH17 – the slow path towards truth and justice
There are moments, images in life that will stay with you forever. Some are good: for me, the obvious ones – the first glimpse of my children and my wedding day. Too often, though, those moments, those memories are painful and tragic: smoke billowing from the Twin Towers, set against the bluest of New York […]
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13th October 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Rainy Day Resilience: the OSCE and European Security
Some weeks ago, I retweeted a thoughtful, well-informed article that suggested that the OSCE might have greatest relevance providing ‘resilience for a rainy day’. Resilience has to be built up, just as the human body creates antibodies to ward off disease and infection. In healthcare, resilience does not just mean Accident and Emergency services; the […]
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13th October 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Women, Peace and Security
Fifteen years ago today, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 – an important recognition of the inordinate impact of war on women and girls, and of the pivotal role women should and do play in conflict management, conflict resolution and building sustainable peace. Ninety percent of civilian casualties in conflict are women and children. […]
12th October 2015 London, England
Talking digital diplomacy in Ukraine
The Digital Transformation Unit regularly gets asked about training and best practice on digital diplomacy and digital transformation by other foreign ministries, in the UK and overseas. These opportunities allow us to exchange ideas and innovations, share lessons learnt and reflect on the impact and effectiveness of our work to date. Our most recent training […]
12th October 2015 Skopje, North Macedonia
Migration and refugees: Collective efforts for joint regional response
Migration, Asylum and Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI) was established in 2004. It is a unique mechanism dealing with these three areas in the Region. Our motto is to act as advocate and be catalyst of the Western Balkans Six interests and responses to the challenges related to our field of competence. Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia and […]
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10th October 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
World Mental Health Day
This year, World Mental Health Day is focusing on dignity. We all have mental health. Treating people with mental health problems with dignity helps everyone take steps to safeguard their wellbeing. Failing to do so can lead to self-stigma, low confidence, low self-esteem, withdrawal and social isolation. Providing effective support to people experiencing mental health […]
9th October 2015 London, UK
The launch of The Torture Reporting Handbook
On 24 September, the FCO hosted an event to launch The Torture Reporting Handbook. This is a guide on how to document and respond to allegations within the international system. Anyone who has seen the horrifying words of a torture survivor written in a report by Freedom from Torture will be appalled at the inhumanity […]
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9th October 2015 Athens, Greece
Tea with the UK Crete Veterans and Friends Society
Greece is known for the warm welcome it offers its visitors, and its ancient tradition of hospitality or filoxenia. This is the spirit in which the veterans of the Battle of Crete and their families have always been received on Crete, and to the members of the Crete Veterans and Friends Society there is a corner […]
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9th October 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Women, peace and security: a high priority
On 13 October there will be a High Level Review at the United Nations to commemorate 15 years since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. This was a ground breaking resolution that recognised not only the inordinate impact of war on women and girls, but also the pivotal role women should and do […]
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9th October 2015 London, UK
Coming out for Coming Out Day
This week sees National Coming Out Day (11 Oct), a time all over the world to recognise the courage of LGBT people who come out, or still struggle to for one reason or another. The day also recognises straight allies for their support of LGBT friends/colleagues. We each have our own story… My name is […]