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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
2nd December 2025
In cybersecurity, there are no limits – only new voices ready to lead
14th October 2025
Lost and Found (but mostly lost)
23rd July 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Girls: Reaching their Full Potential
by Peter Millett and Robert Jenkins As parents we all want the best for our children. To reach full potential, girls need a loving and secure home environment, a good education and support that encourages their talents so that they can enjoy happy, satisfying and fulfilling lives. Early marriage prevents that from happening. Girls who […]
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22nd July 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
La Cumbre de la Niña
Cuando Hugo Swire, el Ministro de Estado para América Latina, estuvo aquí recientemente habló con muchas personas sobre derechos de niños (lea más de esto aquí). Esto es un tema tan global que todos podemos compartir nuestras experiencias y conocimientos para hacer mejoras a las maneras en que apoyamos a los niños. Es por eso […]
22nd July 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Girl Summit
When Hugo Swire, the Minister for Latin America, was here recently he talked with a lot of people about children’s rights (read more about this here). It is such a global issue we can all share our experiences and expertise in order to make improvements to the ways we support children. That is why the […]
22nd July 2014 Brasilia, Brazil
BRICS Week Part 02- Guest blog by Chevening China network
After our first guest post by Floriano Filho (2001, MA Communications, Westminster), I am pleased to share comments from our Chevening China network. Mr Wang Xin studied Business at Edinburgh University in 1997/98, Mr Peng Xiang was at Westminster in 2006/7 where he did Law, Mr Chen Hanlin is a 1999-00 Cambridge alumni in Education. […]
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22nd July 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
PROTECTING GIRLS FROM ABUSE OF THEIR RIGHTS
Today (22 July) my Prime Minister, David Cameron, and UNICEF, are hosting the world’s first #GirlSummit in London. The Summit’s aim is to mobilise domestic and international efforts to end the appalling practices of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child Early Forced Marriage (CEFM). This is a high priority for the UK government and the […]
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22nd July 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
Our Bulgaria in the 1960s
by Margaret Heath, Clare Staughton and Nick Heath Lady Heath lived in Sofia in the early 1960s while her husband – Sir Mark Heath – was British Consul and Deputy British Ambassador to Bulgaria. They stayed in Sofia with their three young children. Two of them – Clare and Nick – also share childhood memories of Bulgaria in […]
21st July 2014 Colombo, Sri Lanka
The Times They Are A-Changin’
I am delighted to be taking over Robbie’s mantle as Deputy High Commissioner and British High Commission blogger-in-chief! Like him, I’ll aim to offer personal reflections from my ringside seat on the rich and varied UK/Sri Lankan relationship. Please do comment, whether it’s to agree with me or not. My first week here was dominated […]
21st July 2014 Brasilia, Brazil
One girl, all girls
For those of us who are involved with Human Rights – whether it is our job, or just a cause we support – there is always a tricky question to answer: how far should we go to defend these principles without imposing our values into different cultures and traditions? How much should we respect these […]
18th July 2014 Melbourne, Australia
Working with young people who are working for others – Scouting in Estonia
Estonia is the country in Europe with the most business start-ups per head. It has a lot of bright young people, as its top rankings in the PISA tests affirm (top results in the world outside East Asia). The Estonian education system is strong throughout, but excels in particular in maths, science, engineering and computing/ICT. […]
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18th July 2014 Brasilia, Brazil
Keep walking: the World Cup, politics and women
The World Cup is over for almost a week now. People are now dealing with “game abstinence”. Or the five stages of grief, depending on how much involved with it you were. I’m not really a football person (my go-to sport being volleyball), but it was impossible to not be involved in the World Cup […]
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