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International Day of Women in Diplomacy: UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls visit to Geneva
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26th September 2014 London, UK
Promoting LGBT rights in China
It’s not always easy to promote human rights in China. But people do care. In particular, our statements supporting LGBT rights always achieve a great deal of attention, most of which is very positive. This is despite China refusing to legally recognise same-sex couples and homosexuals face widespread stigma. On 6 September, Brian Davidson, our […]
26th September 2014 Mumbai, India
IIT Bombay
Last month, Tom and I visited the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. First, we met with Prof. B. Ravi in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Prof. Ravi was part of the Indian delegation I led to the UK in June this year to participate in a 4-day programme on distributed manufacturing, which was jointly […]
26th September 2014 Mumbai, India
UK-India workshop on wave and tidal energy
Next month, a 7-member delegation of UK experts in wave and tidal energy will be touring India from October 28-31 to explore potential research partnerships. The delegation, representing universities of the UK Centre for Marine Energy Research (UKCMER) consortium and the Scottish Association for Marine Science, will be visiting Chennai, and other cities for meetings […]
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26th September 2014 Mumbai, India
Let’s talk hybrid and electric vehicles
Turbocharging, sustainable range extenders, energy recovery – do these terms interest you? Then, please make sure you attend the UK-India workshop on hybrid and electric vehicles in Pune next month on October 14th. We’re bringing a UK delegation of automotive experts to Pune to discuss potential research partnerships with India in building hybrid and electric […]
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25th September 2014 Beirut, Lebanon
A United Nation at the UN
For a week every year, the world’s foreign policy elites relocate to New York for the annual jamboree of statecraft, the UN General Assembly. The pace is frantic – diplomatic speed-dating. But it matters. The UN may not be perfect, but no-one has yet come up with a better idea for global coexistence. It matters […]
25th September 2014 Skopje, North Macedonia
Working with the community matters!
Last week with the colleagues from the Embassy we spent our day with the children from the day care centre for children with special needs “Dzunica” in Prilep. What a fulfilling and wonderful day! Why – you may ask? We all have our professional, personal and societal goals we want to achieve, and we all […]
24th September 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
What’s next at the OECD? Exploring New Horizons
It’s the seventeenth anniversary of my first visit to the OECD. Back in September 1997 I accompanied my Treasury colleague Tom Scholar (now our Prime Minister’s G8 and G20 Sherpa) to Japan’s Economic Survey meeting, as I was about to take up my first diplomatic posting in Tokyo. It was one of the best days […]
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24th September 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
Living in the West Wing of the Residence
by Hilary Arthur Hilary Arthur lived in Bulgaria from 2001 to 2005 and worked at the British Embassy Sofia. She was the first custodian of the West Wing of the British Ambassador’s Residence in Sofia. The story she sent us for the #100UKBG series is about her happy time in the house. The announcement of the events to […]
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24th September 2014 Budapest, Hungary
GB United – Ferencváros Back Office Team Friendly Football Match
Guest blog by Gábor Imeli, Trade Adviser UK Trade & Investment at the British Embassy in Budapest. The signs were not good. On a dark and rainy Saturday the players of the Embassy’s amateur football team, GB United, were about to face the toughest opponents they’ve met so far, the back office team of […]
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24th September 2014 Dublin, Ireland
To Innovate or not to Innovate
It has been a hectic couple of weeks. Since returning from leave, I have already visited Wroclaw, Krakow and Gdansk. There have been two common themes: Innovation is GREAT and Culture is GREAT. In both Wroclaw and Gdansk, I visited impressive technology parks that are creating the right environment to stimulate the development of both […]