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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
15th July 2025
International Day of Women in Diplomacy: UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls visit to Geneva
1st May 2025
The UN Commission on the Status of Women: My first visit as UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls
12th June 2015 Dublin, Ireland
Russia and Ukraine: stay the course
In recent months, Ukraine has receded from the news headlines in Poland. This is understandable, as other concerns such as the Eurozone crisis and presidential election have been dominating headlines. But we must not forget Ukraine. The situation there remains fragile and worrying. Fighting continues, albeit at a lower level than in the past. Separatist […]
12th June 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Diplomacy and business
Can others learn from diplomacy? I think they can, but so can diplomats learn from others. I gave a presentation to a business group in Minsk, on “10 lessons of diplomacy” that might be useful for business. I picked on 10 as it seemed a good number. My brief was to entertain and provide some […]
12th June 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Expo 2015: UK and Holy See make a buzz
It was Holy See day this week at Expo 2015 in Milan. Expo is like a world fair, with this year 145 countries represented including 53 national pavilions (the Holy See has one) based around the theme “Feeding the Planet: Energy for Life”. Reminding us that “man does not live by bread alone”, the Holy […]
12th June 2015 Canberra, Australia
“So… what do you do?”
Very often when I tell people about my job, their reaction is puzzlement. ‘So you work on climate change stuff in Australia?’ ‘Yep.’ (and energy policy, and a few other things) ‘But you work for the UK government?’ ‘Yep.’ ‘So… why does the UK employ someone in Australia to work on climate change?’ When I […]
11th June 2015 Windhoek, Namibia
Celebrating the Queen’s Birthday in Namibia
Thank you to all of you who joined us for our fantastic Queen’s Birthday Party in Windhoek yesterday. We were delighted to welcome to our traditional British garden party Namibian Speaker Professor Peter Katjavivi and eight government ministers (ranging from Environment & Tourism, to Mines & Energy, Defence, Higher Education, Sport and Poverty Eradication), in […]
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11th June 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Romanian stories in Britain (IV) Emi Gal: ‘Never give up’
It was a summer day in August and I was having burgers and fries at the only McDonald’s in Berceni, a peripheral neighborhood in Bucharest. Misha, who was sipping out of a Coke plastic cup, was soon to be the first employee of my budding new venture that had no clients, no money and no […]
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10th June 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A rare visit to one of the Caribbean’s last uninhabited paradises
There can be few more idyllic and peaceful settings for breakfast than Daniel’s cafe in Middle Caicos. Fuelled with the owner’s delicious conch grits, and his warm welcome, our small expedition set off with another local, boatman Dolphus Arthur, to our destination – the Caribbean’s largest uninhabited island, East Caicos. The sheer remoteness of East […]
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10th June 2015 Oslo, Norway
Never Forgetting the Second World War
Blog post by Ambassador Sarah Gillett Recent weeks have been filled with events marking the Second World War, especially notable this year given the historical milestones of 75 years since it began, and 70 years since it concluded. Last Sunday was a particularly significant date for Norway. On 7 June 1940 King Haakon left Tromsø […]
10th June 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Romanian stories in Britain (III) Sergiu Tuhutiu: ‘Professionals are real ambassadors for Romania’
My adventure in United Kingdom started with a summer piano masterclass. I initially came to London for two weeks and it was enough for me to know that it’s truly the place to be. I was stolen by the cultural diversity and by the variety of professional opportunities. At that time, being more connected with […]
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10th June 2015 Canberra, Australia
Reflections on remembrance
Before I came to Australia, someone said to me: “You’ll lay a lot of wreaths”. The comment recognised, I think, an Australian paradox that I’ve also noticed now I’m here: how a nation which is so informal and at ease with itself can also be attached to the art of the ceremony and the more […]