Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

28th November 2014

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by Martin Harris

British Ambassador to Ukraine

In St.Andrew’s footsteps

St Andrew may not be my name saint, but he is my adopted one. I’ve been following him around all my life, born in Scotland and serving in three of the other countries that have St Andrew as their patron saint – Ukraine, Romania and Russia. Indeed he was in the background before I was […]

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28th November 2014 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

ALEXANDER THE GREAT, SPEED DATING AND JAWBONE

I recently got a Jawbone ‘Up’, a device that monitors your daily activity, sleep patterns and exercise, and helps you better control your health. As a father of two boys, I don’t need anyone to tell me I don’t get enough sleep. But, like many, I’m outsourcing the collection of my data to a plastic […]

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28th November 2014 London, UK

Reviewing the digital work of our embassies – part 2

This blog post looks at what we learnt from our recent review of how our embassies around the world are using digital. In our 2014 digital review we asked posts (embassies, high commissions, consulates etc) to assess how they were using digital tools and techniques in four areas: communications; strategic planning and leadership; policy making; […]

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28th November 2014

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by Carolyn Browne

Former ambassador to Kazakhstan

St Andrew’s Day always has a special place in my heart.

Guest blog by Greg Quinn, Deputy Head of Mission St Andrew’s Day always has a special place in my heart. Not only do I have many friends from Scotland but there are various other connections. These include the fact that my mother is of Scottish ancestry (and I’m therefore the proud wearer of a kilt), […]

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28th November 2014

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia

Investing in the future: British Embassy Fellowship Programme

People in Bosnia and Herzegovina like to complain about politics. It’s almost a national sport, on a par with football, basketball or handball. Some of these criticisms are justified; some aren’t. But what is not always sufficiently recognised is that it’s not just up to the politicians to resolve the country’s problems. It’s the same […]

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28th November 2014 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Là Naomh Aindrea!

Guest blog by Douglas Arnott, Chairman of the Robert Burns International Foundation in Hungary.   Before you reach for a handy online dictionary, this is what Scots around the world celebrate each year on 30 November, St. Andrew’s Day! Named not surprisingly after the patron saint of Scotland, you may nevertheless be surprised to learn that […]

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28th November 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Saluting St Andrew’s Day in Australia

We’re flying the Scottish Saltire at the High Commission today for St Andrew’s Day, as we do with the flags of the other nations that comprise the rich tapestry of the United Kingdom on their national days. Around Australia my colleagues are attending various events hosted by local Scottish societies at this time. Last week […]

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27th November 2014 Calgary, Canada

UK & Canada Continue to Move Ahead Together on Carbon Capture & Storage

Canada shares the UK’s view on the importance of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in reducing GHG emissions, and has invested heavily. As coal and oil & gas continue to be strongly used here, as well as in much of the world, CCS is a key technology in the mix of approaches to mitigate global […]

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27th November 2014 Islamabad, Pakistan

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by Philip Barton

Permanent Under-Secretary of the FCDO. Philip was the British High Commissioner to Pakistan from 2014 to 2016

The shame of violence against women

The 16 Days of Activism to Stop Violence Against Women, began from 25 November. According to a 2011 poll of experts by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Pakistan is the third most dangerous country for women in the world. More than 1,000 women and girls are murdered in honour killings every year. 90 percent of Pakistani […]

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