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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
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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
2nd November 2014 London, UK
What’s in a date?
For as long as they have recorded themselves, humans have divided time – by the cycles of the sun (or rather the earth) and the moon, by the visibility of the constellations, by the migration of prey and the growth of crops, and by the anniversaries of the events and heroes through whose prisms they […]
31st October 2014 Brasilia, Brazil
Recruitment – Guestpost by Adam Dady
Guestpost by Adam Dady We’re lucky that when positions arise in the Embassy, we get lots of applications from talented people (to join the many who already work here). Since I joined the Political Team two years ago, I’ve interviewed for jobs across the Embassy on average every two months. I thought I’d share some […]
31st October 2014 Kingston, Jamaica
Teamwork and friendship
This is my first blog as the new head of the Migration Team in Kingston Jamaica. As I reflect on my time here so far, teamwork and friendship are the two words that best describe to me how the British High Commission and our partners across the Government of Jamaica and the NGOs come together to make […]
31st October 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
A Way of Life That Is Sadly Going Away
by Prisca Middlemiss Prisca Middlemiss together with her husband Neil Middlemiss were English language teachers in Rousse in the early 1970s. Was it New Year 1974 or 1975? The date escapes me now, but what remains imprinted on my memory is the pig killing. It happened in Vodolei, a village north of Veliko Turnovo, in the middle […]
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31st October 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A reliable source
One of the biggest changes in my working life has been in communication. When I started working as a diplomat, we read newspapers, and had a “cuttings service” of news articles that were circulated on paper. I read it days after it was first distributed. Today, I get my “newspaper” cuttings electronically, and they’re waiting […]
29th October 2014 Toronto, Canada
DementiaHack: Dementia Hackathon 2014
Back in August, we wrote about an exciting upcoming event called DementiaHack. We hoped to bring together a bunch of researchers, clinicians, caregivers, people living with dementia and computer scientists to code some creative tech-based solutions to some of the challenges that people face with this issue. A little over a month after the event […]
29th October 2014 Budapest, Hungary
With love, Jane: a documentary about Jane Haining (Scottish Holocaust martyr)
Guest blog by Lídia Bánóczi, producer of IKON Stúdió Egyesület. The film, recently finished with the support of the British Embassy in Budapest, pays tribute to Jane Haining (1897 Dunscore, Scotland – 1944 Auschwitz), the martyr matron of the Girls’ Home of the Scottish Mission in Budapest. The documentary was filmed in Budapest and Scotland, […]
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29th October 2014 Toronto, Canada
Canadian science news: 20-26 October 2014
Trouble reading this story or moving through pages? Check it out on Storify here: https://storify.com/SINCanada/canadian-science-news-20-26-october-2014 [View the story “Canadian science news: 20-26 October 2014” on Storify]
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29th October 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Parliament comes to the Holy See
This week I shall be hosting the regular visit of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Holy See, representatives of a large group of British parliamentarians – from both Houses of Parliament – keen to help strengthen and develop the relationship between the UK and the Holy See. It is always a fascinating visit. […]
29th October 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Aramram: Challenge and Controversy
Life would be dull if we all agreed with each other. Fortunately, differences of opinion are inevitable. They are also healthy. Whether disagreement revolves around what to watch on TV or where to eat, an open discussion will often lead to a better choice being made. The same applies to policy issues. An exchange of […]