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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
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27th January 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Never Again
International #HolocaustRemembranceDay (#HRD) is observed on 27 January to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. On this day we remember the genocide that resulted in the death of an estimated six million Jews; one million Roma; 250,000 mentally and physically disabled people; and 9000 homosexual men by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. When the […]
27th January 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Remembering the Holocaust
In November 2005, the United Nations General Assembly declared 27 January as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The date recognises the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau slave labour and extermination camps in 1945. As well as being an occasion to remember the millions who suffered and died under Nazi policies, Holocaust Memorial Day gives us a chance […]
27th January 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Birds Don’t Sing
Guest blog by Sara Pickering, Deputy Head of Mission I read this sentence in my guidebook before visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1992 and found it hard to believe. But once there, you can almost touch the memories and echoes of the evil that happened. It was, indeed, silent. I have been reading recently about two British heroes […]
27th January 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Farewell to Adelaide
Adelaide is the largest city in Australia that we don’t have a British Consulate in. It’s a significant population centre and an important economic hub, with some prominent national politicians. It has also produced my last two opposite numbers as Australian High Commissioner in London – former Premier Mike Rann, and former Foreign Minister Alexander […]
26th January 2015 Washington DC, USA
Falklands Symposium: Q&A with Dr Kate Sherren (Canada)
Following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin, the first ever Pan–American Science Delegation to the Falkland Islands is participating in a week-long mission to showcase the beauty of the UK South Atlantic Overseas Territories and immense opportunities for scientific research and collaboration in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Scientists from the US, Canada, Chile, […]
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26th January 2015 Washington DC, USA
Falklands Symposium: Q&A with Dr Virginia Edgcomb (USA)
Following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin, the first ever Pan–American Science Delegation to the Falkland Islands is participating in a week-long mission to showcase the beauty of the UK South Atlantic Overseas Territories and immense opportunities for scientific research and collaboration in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Scientists from the US, Canada, Chile, […]
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26th January 2015 Toronto, Canada
Meet our Bloggers: John Preece
Every week one of our bloggers will introduce themselves to the world and talk about how much fun it is working in Science Policy. We start with John Preece in Toronto and next week the team’s only non-scientist, Ashley Tomlins in Vancouver, will introduce himself. John Preece – Toronto I’m a chemist by training, completing […]
26th January 2015 London, UK
A Day in the Forced Marriage Unit
Written by Marie Jenkinson – a caseworker in the Forced Marriage Unit of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Forced Marriage Unit Helpline: 0207 008 0151 Forced marriage is an appalling and indefensible practice and is recognised in the UK as a form of violence against women and men, domestic and child abuse, and a serious […]
26th January 2015 London, UK
Consular appointments – from alpha to beta
The pilot programme for our consular appointments booking service has been running as a public beta for a few weeks now, so it’s time to take stock of progress. Since my last post on the discovery phase for consular appointments, we have focused on building and iterating the product, training staff on how to manage […]
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25th January 2015 Skopje, North Macedonia
Burns’ night through my eyes
Burns’ night is a big deal in Scotland. I come from the west of Scotland, just up the coast from where Robert Burns lived and worked in Ayrshire. As a child, I remember in the middle of every dreich (cold, rainy and grey) month of January, my parents, aunts & uncles etc, would get dressed up to […]