17th December 2025
MAKING LIFE SAFER, FOR EVERYONE
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
9th December 2025
Why We Need Data, Courage, and Community
2nd December 2025
In cybersecurity, there are no limits – only new voices ready to lead
27th November 2014 Islamabad, Pakistan
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 […]
27th November 2014 Jerusalem, Israel
There is a Future, in Jerusalem, for Palestinians
Last month one of my friends took me on a tour of the Old City with my son. We jostled with the crowds shopping at Damascus Gate. We ate kaek. We smelt the pungent spices and coffee. We felt humbled by the sight of Christian, Muslim and Jewish worshippers heading towards their holy sites. Jerusalem […]
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27th November 2014 New Delhi, India
Giving wings to talent: Opportunities for doctoral students in the UK to visit India
Historically, India has always been a major exporter of international students, but these days the country is also becoming an attractive destination for overseas study. As one of the five swiftly developing BRICS countries (along with Brazil, Russia and China) India has begun to emerge as an advanced centre for modern commerce, research and innovation. […]
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27th November 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
British Literary Societies in Sydney
British literature is alive and flourishing in New South Wales. I hosted the annual reception for the Dylan Thomas Society at the Consul General’s Residence in Sydney on Friday. It is a special year for them as it is the Centenary of the Welsh poet’s birth. There are many events taking place in Wales and […]
26th November 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Tunisia: Top of the Class?
Last week I visited Tunisia for a conference. The preparations for last weekend’s Presidential elections were in full swing. As the taxi driver who drove me from the airport said: “We are proud to be Tunisians: top of the Arab Spring Class of 2011.” Sunday’s vote was indeed the first freely contested Presidential election in […]
26th November 2014 London, UK
Piloting new digital training
The FCO has an ambitious change agenda to bring the organisation fully into the digital age. Our Digital Transformation Unit was set up in February 2014, bringing in the specialist digital skills and expertise that we need in our core digital team, but we also need to ensure the FCO’s diverse network of staff increase […]
26th November 2014 New Delhi, India
New collaboration in affordable healthcare supported by SIN
We’re always delighted to hear when researchers we’ve worked with have been able to get a new collaboration going. Recently, researchers at the Indian Institute for Science and the University of Oxford inaugurated an exciting new project together on affordable prosthetics. This project was particularly close to our hearts as it had been initiated by […]
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25th November 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Speaking can break silence, but actions can transform reality
To commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women I would like to share some information about the project ‘Never Again’. We are developing this project together with the National Union of Guatemalan Women (UNAMG) and Artistas Trabajando with the aim of preventing sexual violence in conflict. Today, we have a guest […]
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25th November 2014 Tunis, Tunisia
Tunisia: protect survivors of sexual violence – by Naomi McAuliffe, Campaign Manager for Amnesty UK
To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women we asked Naomi McAuliffe from Amnesty International UK to write a guest blog for us. We are delighted that she has agreed to do so. Today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and comes at a crucial time […]
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25th November 2014 Skopje, North Macedonia
#orangeourworld: Changing attitudes to change the statistics!
Hopefully you will see a lot of orange today as the United Nations has chosen the colour to symbolize a brighter future without violence against women. 25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence start today to raise awareness about the fight to […]
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