Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

4th April 2015 Colombo, Sri Lanka

Laura Davies » Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives

by Laura Davies

Former Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives

Treading carefully

By September 2014 Clearance completed. 90 families have returned.

To mark Mine Awareness and Action Day, I asked our partners HALO Trust to write about their work in Sri Lanka. “The HALO Trust is the world’s largest and oldest humanitarian demining organisation, with staff in 17 counties and territories around the world. Our core activity is clearing mine-contaminated land needed for housing, agriculture and […]

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2nd April 2015

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Happy Easter

You won’t be surprised to hear that Easter is a busy time of year at the Holy See.  The Pope has a full schedule of engagements that take him through the solemnities of Holy Week to the great festivity of Easter Sunday and the Easter period beyond. Pope Francis will be applying his own particular […]

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31st March 2015 Asuncion, Paraguay

Jeremy Hobbs British Ambassador to Paraguay

by Jeremy Hobbs

Former British Ambassador to Paraguay

Grandes artistas británicos invaden Asunción

Durante las últimas semanas, Asunción ha visto “lo mejor de la música británica” como nunca antes. Cantantes de la talla del legendario Robert Plant, Joss Stone y James Blunt brindaron sus primeros conciertos en Paraguay, así como los grupos The Kooks, Kasabian, Alt-J y Bastille. El festival musical Asunciónico, un evento de extravagancia musical de […]

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31st March 2015 Asuncion, Paraguay

Jeremy Hobbs British Ambassador to Paraguay

by Jeremy Hobbs

Former British Ambassador to Paraguay

Great British Music hits Asunción

The last few weeks has seen the ‘Best of British’ music on display in Asunción as never before. Singers Joss Stone, James Blunt and the legendary Robert Plant performed for the first time in Paraguay; as did bands like The Kooks, Kasabian, Alt-J and Bastille. The Asunciónico music festival – a fantastic two-day extravaganza – […]

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30th March 2015 Skopje, North Macedonia

Celebrating three great English exports in 2015

As a Briton and the British Ambassador in Skopje, I take great pride in the culture and achievements of each of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom. I enjoy marking each of the national days. As a seven-eighths Englishman, however, England is closest to my heart. As we enter April, the month we […]

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30th March 2015 Geneva, Switzerland

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by Bob Last

Head, UK Mission Political and Human Rights Team

Sad Farewells

Council sessions take a heavy toll on all things that are close to us. Our partners, our children and our pets all suffer from weeks of neglect. So do our bags. Any object unfortunate enough to go into my rucksack during Council time will undergo a period of inanimate purgatory as draft resolutions, cereal bars, […]

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30th March 2015 Vientiane, Laos

Philip Malone

by Philip Malone

Ambassador to Lao PDR

Celebrating three great English exports in 2015

In 2015, England marks two major anniversaries. It will be 800 years since the Magna Carta was sealed and 750 years since the formation of the first English parliament. Anyone who is interested in seeing the document that has been described as England’s greatest export need only visit the British Library, where not one but […]

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30th March 2015 Pretoria, South Africa

by Judith Macgregor

British High Commissioner to South Africa

Celebrating three great English exports in 2015

In 2015, England marks two major anniversaries. It will be 800 years since the Magna Carta was sealed and 750 years since the formation of the first English parliament. Anyone who is interested in seeing the document that has been described as England’s greatest export need only visit the British Library, where not one but two […]

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29th March 2015

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia

Celebrating three great English exports in 2015

In 2015, England marks two major anniversaries. It will be 800 years since the Magna Carta was sealed and 750 years since the formation of the first English parliament. Anyone who is interested in seeing the document that has been described as England’s greatest export need only visit the British Library, where not one but […]

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29th March 2015 London, UK

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by Philip Parham

UK Commonwealth Envoy, former British Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates

Guest blog: Paul Fox Charge d’affaires – Celebrating three great English exports in 2015

In 2015, England marks two major anniversaries. It will be 800 years since the Magna Carta was sealed and 750 years since the formation of the first English parliament. Anyone who is interested in seeing the document that has been described as England’s greatest export need only visit the British Library, where not one but […]

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