17th July 2025
Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
15th July 2025
International Day of Women in Diplomacy: UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls visit to Geneva
1st May 2025
The UN Commission on the Status of Women: My first visit as UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls
25th November 2014 Colombo, Sri Lanka
What makes a man: why sexism is a men’s issue
I wanted to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women by partnering with others who feel as strongly. The reaction was so positive that I’ve ended up with two blogs and a campaign. Kofi Annnan described violence against women as a pandemic. Globally, one in three women will have experienced some […]
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25th November 2014 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Eliminating Violence Against Women: Two women take stock
Kofi Annnan described violence against women as a pandemic. Globally, one in three women will have experienced some form of violence. In some countries, that increases to 70%. Problems in both the UK and Sri Lanka are well documented – violence against women isn’t an issue of geography, culture or wealth. To mark the International […]
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24th November 2014 Toronto, Canada
Canadian science news: 10-16 November 2014
Trouble reading this story or moving through pages? Check it out on Storify here: https://storify.com/SINCanada/canadian-science-news-10-16-november-2014 [View the story “Canadian science news: 10-16 November 2014” on Storify]
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24th November 2014 Brasilia, Brazil
Life in a city with no corners
In May this year I touched down in Brasilia, Brazil’s purpose built capital comprised of multi-lane, winding road networks and curving, concrete building. Having spent 5 weeks doing Portuguese language training in Campinas, this marked the start of my first posting and also my first time in South America. 6 months in, and it feels […]
24th November 2014 Singapore
The Call for Bids is Now Open for 2015-2016
The Bidding round for the South East Asia Prosperity Fund is now open for projects bids for financial year 2015/2016. You have until the 9th January 2015 to submit your bid. Full details of the application process and detailed guidance on applying to the fund are provided on our website. Please read the information on the website […]
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24th November 2014 Geneva, Switzerland
Wearing Orange for Outrage
Tomorrow is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. As lead on women’s rights at the UK mission, my colleague Kate Kyriakides has kindly agreed to write a guest blog. Wearing Orange for Outrage Working on human rights at the UN in Geneva makes you realise how lucky you are. Our inboxes […]
23rd November 2014 Chennai, India
Why I’ll be wearing orange on 25 November
I’ve spent most of my career working on Africa and its issues. It’s a beautiful, resilient, inspiring continent. The people are simply extraordinary. But I’ve also seen first-hand the prevalence of violence against women there. That’s true in conflict – in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and most recently as Ambassador to the Central […]
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23rd November 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
The Bulgarians' Sense of Humour
by John Cloake John Cloake is a former British Ambassador to Bulgaria (1976-1980). When a few months ago we invited him to contribute to the 100 Years UK in BG blog, John came back to us saying that he holds “many good memories of Bulgaria” and that he has always thought that the British Ambassador’s Residence in Sofia was […]
21st November 2014 Madrid, Spain
My blog looking ahead to next week’s important conference on the #Holocaust
On Monday the Embassy will be taking part in an important international colloquium here in Madrid, organised by the Centro Sefarad-Israel. You can find more details here. We are participating on behalf of the British Government, and in the UK’s capacity as Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance this year. The IHRA is a […]
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21st November 2014 Mumbai, India
UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser Prof Robin Grimes visits India
Earlier this week, Prof. Robin Grimes, FCO’s Chief Scientific Adviser visited Mumbai. I accompanied him for meetings at the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), and finally, Larsen & Toubro (L&T). This is what he thought… My first meeting was with Dr. R K Sinha, […]
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