Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

5th January 2015 Athens, Greece

British Ambassador to Greece, John Kittmer

by John Kittmer

Former UK ambassador to the Hellenic Republic

Looking back at 2014

Here, the year ended with high drama. In the last few days of December, the car ferry Norman Atlantic blazed on the Adriatic, with tragic loss of life, and the attempt to elect a new President of the Republic failed. If nothing else, 2014 will be remembered because, at its fag end, the country was […]

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2nd January 2015 London, UK

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by David Lidington

Minister for Europe, London

2014 – year in review

Quick EU pop quiz. Which European leader said in December: “As the European elections showed, the people do not think that Europe must do everything. Europe must do the things that can be done better than we do them in the nation states.” You might imagine it would be someone from the Netherlands – we […]

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2nd January 2015

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

World Day of Peace: Against Modern Slavery

The following is a guest blog by Steve Townsend, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy to the Holy See In his message for the World Day of Peace (1st  January), Pope Francis has returned to the struggle against modern slavery. His address, entitled “No longer Slaves, but Brothers” highlights the many different faces of […]

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1st January 2015

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by Greg Dorey

Diplomat

Further British aid for Ethiopian response to refugees fleeing South Sudan

Half a million South Sudanese refugees who have fled the continuing fighting in #SouthSudan have settled in #Ethiopia, #Kenya and #Uganda. Among them, more than 190,000 refugees have arrived in Ethiopia alone, almost all of them in #Gambella region, since conflict broke out in December 2013. Continuing insecurity and logistical constraints due to heavy rains […]

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31st December 2014 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

by Nikesh Mehta

Counsellor for Foreign Policy and Security

A Year of Tragedies, Triumphs and Togetherness

I wanted to write a blog looking back on 2014 from the High Commission’s perspective but I have to admit that it’s been difficult to get the words right. 2014 was by any measure a challenging year for Malaysia and the High Commission. The nation has had to deal with an unprecedented number of large-scale […]

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30th December 2014 Kingston, Jamaica

by Samara South

Political and Press Support Officer

First Impressions

Below is a guest blog from our Desk Officer in London , Andy Holbrook. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to learn more about the UK’s relationship with Jamaica when I was invited to stay as a guest at the High Commissioner’s Residence in Kingston. I was recently appointed as Deputy Head of the […]

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30th December 2014

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by Matt Field

British Diplomat

Back to 2015

It’s that time of year when many of us look ahead at the coming year, and wonder what lies in wait. Fortunately, 2015 has already been predicted and captured on film, 25 years ago, in Back to the Future II. OK, so we’re still waiting on hover-boards, but the film did seem to hit the […]

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29th December 2014

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by Greg Dorey

Diplomat

Unsung Heroine

A few weeks ago, I was asked to try to locate the grave of Eileen Harewood. She was Matron at the Princess Tsahai Hospital in #Addis and had been in Ethiopia for 14 years when she was found murdered in her quarters on 12 September 1961, aged 51. According to the #Glasgow Herald of 17 […]

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