Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

23rd October 2014

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by Sarah Dickson

Ambassador to Guatemala (June 2012 - June 2015)

Kicking violence into touch

Anyone who saw the Honduran U23 national team playing in the London Olympics in 2012 will know how passionate Hondurans are about football. Especially if you were at St James Park to see the victory against Spain and heard the cheering this provoked. Well, last week we weren’t in one of the glorious stadiums of […]

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23rd October 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria

Memories from Sofia

by Prof. Richard Crampton In his story for the #100UKBG series, the renowned British historian Professor Richard Crampton, author of the book “A Concise History of Bulgaria”, shares memories of his frequent visits to Sofia over the years. Complement with a video of the lecture “British Perceptions of Bulgaria – Some Personal and Professional Reflections”, […]

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22nd October 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Geopolitics and investment… and graduations

There seems to be an unusually large number of challenging geopolitical issues all surfacing at the same time at the moment. This was the conclusion of a panel I spoke on at the annual conference of the International Investment Funds Association (IIFA) in Canberra this week. The panel was chaired by DFAT Parliamentary Secretary Senator […]

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22nd October 2014 Brasilia, Brazil

Science and Development – Newton Fund brings a new agenda of cooperation between the UK and Brazil

Guestpost by Rui Lopes The anxious wait for the rain that now permeates the mind of people in São Paulo and Rio brings back memories of my childhood in the arid north-eastern Brazil, where the rain is a sign of continuity of life and prosperity. The current drought experienced in the Brazilian Southeast region is unfortunately […]

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22nd October 2014 Mumbai, India

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by Sheryl Anchan

Science and Innovation Adviser

Visit to TIFR

Last week I had a fantastic opportunity to visit one of India’s most renowned centres of excellence – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) Mumbai , along with my colleagues Tom Wells and Vijay Iyer. The TIFR is funded by the Government of India’s Department of Atomic Energy. Its main campus is located in Mumbai […]

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22nd October 2014

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Synod and University: a global network in action

I often tell people that I consider myself accredited, first and foremost, to a global network, the most extensive on the planet. In a world that operates no longer through blocs but networks, that of the Holy See reaches parts that political, diplomatic or ordinary civil society networks simply cannot reach. For a diplomat based […]

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21st October 2014

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia

Young people: The future of Bosnia and Herzegovina

One of the advantages of being a relatively youthful Ambassador is that, during the three months I have been here, I have met a lot of young people. Many have been well-educated, articulate and talented young men and women with a huge amount to offer to the future of this country. But when I ask […]

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21st October 2014 Athens, Greece

British Ambassador to Greece, John Kittmer

by John Kittmer

Former UK ambassador to the Hellenic Republic

“We are all citizens” – Promoting civil society in Greece

I found myself on Crete two weeks ago. It’s always a pleasure to be on the Great Island. Cretan hospitality, the landscape, the beaches, the cuisine, the archaeology, the local grappa, the great cities…what’s not to like? I had spent an unforgettable week there on leave in July – not far from Kissamos, in the […]

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