3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
11th November 2014 Colombo, Sri Lanka
A Time To Heal
Over the course of this summer, 888,246 ceramic poppies have progressively filled the Tower of London’s moat. Each poppy represents a British military fatality during the Great War of 1914-1918. In total, over nine million died, over 20 million were wounded and over seven million were reported mission in action during those four years – […]
10th November 2014 Havana, Cuba
What next for Cuba’s media?
What do you want from your daily paper? That’s what readers of Granma, Cuba’s biggest daily, were asked on Friday last week. In countries where the press is independent and free, trying to find out what readers, viewers or listeners think is something all media outlets do all the time to try and improve their […]
10th November 2014 Yerevan, Armenia
A week for extraordinary anniversaries
What a week for extraordinary anniversaries. On November 11, in the UK and the Commonwealth we commemorate Remembrance Day (in the US, Veterans Day) – re membering the 100 years which have passed since the start of World War 1, and the many lives lost and lives changed forever in the devastating wars of this […]
10th November 2014 Bucharest, Romania
Bridging the Gap: how to bring NGOs closer
The work of British NGOs operating in Romania is always a source of inspiration. John McKellar, today’s guest blogger, shares with us the ins & outs of supporting smaller NGOs to become more visible and reach out to volunteers and local donors. If nothing else, being back in Romania 12 years after I last lived […]
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8th November 2014 Athens, Greece
In Memoriam
I attend a lot of commemorative events. Greeks and Britons share much history, and we value its importance, feeling its presence at least dimly in our lives. We commemorate key moments of our history, because we are aware that the freedoms we enjoy were built on the endeavours of those who were here before us. […]
7th November 2014 Budapest, Hungary
"BUREUCRATIA" in Budapest – the Labyrinth of EU Regulation
Guest Blog by Katalin Szilágyi, Senior Economic Policy Officer at the British Embassy. Budapest, 10 November 2014 One year has passed since the Prime Minister’s Business Taskforce presented its findings on Cutting EU Red Tape. Since then, the UK Government has been working hard, with partners in European capitals and in Brussels, to […]
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7th November 2014 Beirut, Lebanon
Is The Pen Mightier Than The Sword?
The Lebanese spend more on education than anything but food, more per capita than any other country. It’s a downpayment of hope in Lebanon’s future. In schools as on the borders and checkpoints, the UK stands beside Lebanon with actions not words. The UK is now Lebanon’s main education partner, through four gamechanging programmes. For […]
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7th November 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Voice and choice
I come from a politically engaged family. My parents were active in local politics and spent quite a lot of their spare time attending meetings or public events in support of their party. I don’t think I ever really discussed with them why they were so interested in politics. We talked more about what needed […]
7th November 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
My Most Vivid Memory from Sofia
by Mike Johnson Mike Johnson was Administration Officer at British Embassy Sofia in the late 1970s. It was at 9.20pm on 4 March 1977 that the Bucharest earthquake was felt in Sofia. At the time I was the Administration Officer at the British Embassy in Sofia accompanied by my wife, Anne, and five year old son, […]
6th November 2014 Brasilia, Brazil
From soft power to hard action – the Chevening network
As this year’s application window for Chevening scholarships moves into its final stretch (applications close on 15th November) it seems an appropriate moment to bring Chevening back into Speaker’s Corner and focus on what makes this scholarship programme such a unique tool for the work we are trying to accomplish here in Brazil. Chevening is […]
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