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?
4th January 2021 Vienna, Austria
2021: a turning point for climate ambition
We are at a turning point for our planet. As the world comes back from COVID-19, it is vital that we build back greener and more resilient. This year, the UK will host the 26th UN climate change conference COP26, in Glasgow with our partners, Italy. The pandemic has not stopped the climate crisis. On […]
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21st December 2020 Belgrade, Serbia
Tidings of Comfort and Joy
My mother was one of four sisters. Her favourite book was also a tale about four sisters, Louisa Alcott’s ‘Little Women’. Right up until the end of her long life, though almost blind, my mother could still read and recognise its famous first line: ‘Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents’. For many, many […]
21st December 2020 Juba, South Sudan
Farewell to South Sudan
At the start of the year, I wrote a piece on my twenty wishes for 2020. Now that both 2020 and my time in South Sudan are coming to an end, I wanted to reflect on those wishes and, more broadly, my four and a half years working on South Sudan. So much has changed […]
16th December 2020 Skopje, North Macedonia
20 GREAT years working for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Two decades! I cannot believe it, but the photos I am looking at now prove that I ran a marathon at the British Embassy and I am celebrating with a cup of English tea my 20th anniversary. I opened my box of memories and I found so many things that brought me back into the […]
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15th December 2020 Vienna, Austria
Diplomatic lessons 3, 1987-91: go for the hard jobs
The day I started my job as Desk Officer for Budget and Finance in the European Community Department (Internal) of the Foreign Office on 2 November 1987 turned out to be a long one. In the evening, I sat with my colleague Ralph Publicover[1], Desk Officer for the Common Agricultural Policy (including stabilisers and Monetary […]
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10th December 2020 Geneva, Switzerland
Disarmament blog: space resolution adopted
Back in August, I posted a blog about the launch of our new initiative on outer space security at the UN General Assembly. Throughout September and into October we were busy consulting UN member states on the text – bilaterally, in small groups, and in consultations open to the whole membership – and making adjustments […]
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10th December 2020 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Orange the World: The UK’s Response to Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls in Sri Lanka
Since 1991, a global campaign has run from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, until 10 December, Human Rights Day. The 16 days of Activism sees individuals and organisations from across the world, unite against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Together, we demonstrate solidarity with survivors, raise awareness, and […]
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9th December 2020 Skopje, North Macedonia
Единствената попреченост е лошиот став, но попреченоста е во општеството, а не во личноста
Попреченоста започнува тогаш кога лицето со сензорна,физичка или интелектуална попреченост ќе се соочи со предизвиците во социјалната/општествената заедница. Образованието е првата социјална средина за секое дете вклучително и за децата со попреченост и тие за прв пат излегуваат од својата семејна безбедна и сигурна околина. Пристапот до образование е неопходен за градење на општество на […]
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9th December 2020
The frontline of defending media freedom
Around the world, media freedom is under attack. In the last decade, over 1000 journalists and media workers have been killed. They face a multitude of challenges, from violence to repressive laws. Yet, their role in our societies could never be more vital. In the battle between facts and falsehoods, journalists play a key role […]
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9th December 2020 Holy See
Sisters defending human rights: fighting forced marriage in Benin
As British Ambassador to the Holy See I have been privileged to work with some of the 650,000 Catholic women religious who are combating the global issues affecting the world today: from the response to the Covid-19 pandemic to modern slavery, from helping victims of sexual violence in conflict to protecting the planet, women religious […]
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