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18th June 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Remembering Srebrenica
In the last few days, a lot of people have been expressing strong views about the planned UN resolution to mark the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica during the terrible war of the 1990s, where all sides suffered such terrible losses, military and civilian. When the UK accepted the responsibility of drafting this […]
18th June 2015 Beirut, Lebanon
Magna Carta and the ‘Mother of Laws’
This week is the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. This was celebrated in the UK as the moment when the barons imposed on the monarch an agreement for greater liberties and rights, a milestone on the way to many of the freedoms we enjoy today. That journey reached a high point with the Universal […]
18th June 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Farewell to Sudan
I leave Sudan soon, after nearly 3 years here. It has been a hugely engaging, demanding, frustrating and rewarding experience. I have learnt a great deal; about Sudan, about my profession of diplomacy, and about the range and challenges of circumstances in which people live out their lives. Sudan has changed me. I leave with […]
18th June 2015 Jerusalem, Israel
A Palestinian Magna Carta
What should be in a Palestinian Magna Carta or bill of rights? I asked this question earlier this week to twenty young Palestinians, during a discussion to mark the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta. Two things struck me about their answers. Firstly, most of the participants wanted one freedom above all others. […]
17th June 2015 Ottawa, Canada
#ClimateDiploDay: Working together to tackle climate change
Right across the globe, diplomats, citizens, scientists, artists and policy-makers are gathering and speaking with unanimity: climate change is a real challenge…
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16th June 2015 Havana, Cuba
What would Karl Marx have thought about the internet?
I’ve written before about how more internet access for more Cubans is likely to spur economic growth so the rollout of the internet to more parts of the country is welcome. New internet cafes have been opened – although they are still relatively expensive – and wifi is being provided in a few parks in Trinidad, […]
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16th June 2015 Oslo, Norway
Celebrating Historic Documents
By HM Ambassador Sarah Gillett I arrived in Norway last year a couple of months after the 200th anniversary of Norway’s 1814 constitution. But the significance of the occasion reverberated long after 17 May 2014. And last week it was wonderful to witness Eidsvoll, where the constitution was signed, receive one of the prestigious Europa […]
16th June 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Church and Magna Carta
On 15 June we celebrated the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. It is extraordinary how a document agreed in 1215 between a medieval English king and his leading subjects continues to resonate down the ages, wherever people believe in the rule of law. I recently wrote an article trying to set Magna Carta in its proper […]
16th June 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka
800 years of the Magna Carta and Human Rights today
For centuries, the Magna Carta, signed by King John at Runnymede in England in 1215, has been quoted to help promote human rights and alleviate suffering all around the world. This week, we are celebrating its 800th anniversary, and its continuing relevance today. To mark the anniversary, my colleagues at the UK Mission in Geneva hosted a […]
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15th June 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Celebrating Magna Carta
The Magna Carta is 800 years old on 15 June 2015. It is impressive that such an old document should continue to inspire individuals and societies around the world. The principles it enshrines – equality before the law, limits to the arbitrary exercise of power, due and fair process for citizens – are timeless and […]