Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

6th March 2015 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Making it happen for International Women’s Day in Namibia

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is “Make It Happen”. Yesterday, I had the privilege to celebrate it in the presence of a group of impressive Namibian women who have all made it happen in their respective fields of diplomacy, financial services, media, human rights advocacy and government. Joining me for a special […]

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6th March 2015

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

James Bond, conspiracy theories and the Welsh Secret Service

Amongst the snippets of “what will happen in 2015?” news earlier this year I saw one piece of news sure to please many people. A new James Bond 007 Film, “Spectre”, will launch in November. People are fascinated by secret services.  Some are more secret than others.  My blog of December 2010, “I can burn […]

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5th March 2015 Skopje, North Macedonia

Celebrate International Women’s Day with Women’s Rights Nights!

Emerging from the movement for equal rights, shorter working hours, better pay and voting rights for women, International Women’s Day (IWD) has been observed since the early 1900s. On 8th of March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to empower women, celebrate the progress and remind of the remaining gender inequalities. In Skopje, […]

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5th March 2015 Paris, France

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by Peter Ricketts

Ambassador to France from February 2012 to January 2016.

Climate: Franco-British collaboration for a low carbon future

Hinkley Point C

I had the opportunity to open a conference of the nuclear energy industry between Britain and France, looking at a low carbon future. It made me think about the way these two hugely important issues come together. How do we ensure a low carbon future for the planet and keep global warming under control and […]

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5th March 2015

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by Martin Harris

British Ambassador to Ukraine

International Women, acting together against domestic violence

International Women’s Day is a huge festival in Russia, and the biggest sales day of the year for florists across the country. But yesterday in Ekaterinburg we marked the occasion with a more practical demonstration of what International Women’s Day means. With support from our Consulate in Ekaterinburg, the directors of womens’ crisis centres and […]

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5th March 2015 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Climate Driving Economic Growth? – The New Climate Economy Conference in Budapest

Guest blog by Kriszti Kocsis, Senior Policy Officer (Energy, Climate and Environment) at the British Embassy in Budapest, organiser of the New Climate Economy Conference in Budapest. The New Climate Economy Conference in Budapest on 25 February was a joint project of the Association of Hungarian Economists and the British, German and French Embassies.  The event was unique […]

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5th March 2015 Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Guest blog: British and Uzbek women – representatives of diverse cultures with common aspirations

On the eve of International Women’s Day the Deputy Head of Mission Fiona Maxton highlights the role women play in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and UK efforts in preventing violence against women and promoting their rights globally. She also illustrates the British Embassy’s work that makes our small contribution to improving the status of […]

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5th March 2015

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

The Challenge of Pope Francis

Pope Francis has caught the global imagination. That is one of the reasons for his global impact. There are few world leaders who speak to humanity, across territorial and cultural boundaries, in the same way. It provides the Pope with a global pulpit that enables him to reach out to people of all faiths, creeds […]

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4th March 2015 Montreal, Canada

Young Leaders meet in London to tackle dementia

On February 27, the UK Science and Innovation Network organised the last of a series of four Young Leaders events on Dementia. Following similar events in Ottawa, Tokyo and Washington DC, the event in London brought together 45 young delegates from 18 countries in the Locarno suite of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. This event […]

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