Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

26th June 2014 Geneva, Switzerland

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by Bob Last

Head, UK Mission Political and Human Rights Team

Uniting Against Torture

Guest blog by Bob Last, Senior Human Rights Adviser, UK Mission to the UN, Geneva There have been lots of admiring words spoken about Costa Rica of late, and their World Cup performances have left me and many of my compatriots more than a little envious. When I arrived in Geneva in spring 2002, Costa […]

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26th June 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Australian Parliament celebrates Scotland, as part of the UK

With names like Scott, Cameron, Macdonald, Ferguson and McKenzie, the MPs and Senators who organised last night’s Scottish Dinner in Australia’s Parliament House had a gleam in their eyes at the swirl of the bagpipes and the clink of the whisky glass. Some of them have more distant ancestral links to Scotland, like my own. […]

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25th June 2014 Toronto, Canada

The most interesting article on digital diplomacy you’ll read all day

This article originally appeared in the Whitsun 2014 (Vol 71 No 2) edition of Science in Parliament, the journal of the UK’s Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. You’re browsing a news site, and see the following link: 12 risky British discoveries that changed our world. Do you click it? Even though it’s recognisably link bait, carefully […]

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25th June 2014 Washington DC, USA

by Alex Brooks

Secretary for Asia-Pacific, Foreign & Security Policy Group

Impressions from Pyongyang

“What do British people hate?” A straightforward question – but context is everything. When posed by an earnest thirteen-year-old North Korean schoolboy, in a Q&A discussion with British diplomatic visitors, it took me by surprise. But then much of what my colleagues and I experienced during a week-long familiarisation visit to the Democratic People’s Republic […]

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25th June 2014

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by Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

Boosting schools’ IT and literacy skills through fishing and beaches.

I had heard that the Grand Turk Fishing Tournament was a big event for the island, but I hadn’t expected the crowds it drew to Governor’s Beach this June. They far outnumbered the visitors from the cruise ships who regularly stroll along the beach. The Tournament was arranged by a group of volunteers who in […]

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25th June 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria

What Time Is It?

by Keneward Hill Keneward Hill has been living in Bulgaria for more than 20 years now. Linguist himself, he is also a husband of Mariana Hill, the famous interpreter from English and German to Bulgarian language. For the 100 Years UK in BG blog, Ken shared a memory of an unforgettable train ride from Bourgas […]

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25th June 2014

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by Peter Millett

Ambassador to Libya, Tripoli

Creativity is GREAT

Is creativity something you are born with or something you can learn? It is probably a bit of both nature and nurture:  natural talent and inspirational education.  For example, a musician can’t improvise until he or she has learnt to master an instrument. The theme of creativity was prominent in a party we held last […]

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25th June 2014 Ottawa, Canada

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by Howard Drake

British High Commissioner to Canada

Fighting a ‘quiet crisis’

Dementia is a top priority for the UK and Canada. Today, more than 40 million people worldwide are living with dementia and, with ageing populations this number is set to double every 20 years. The economic costs of this are astonishing, with US$604 B spent in 2010 alone (of which  approximately 70 per cent was […]

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24th June 2014 Ottawa, Canada

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by Corin Robertson

Deputy High Commissioner to Canada

Escaping the Ottawa Bubble

When I arrived in Canada nearly 3 years ago, one of the best pieces of advice I had was to get out of Ottawa to experience the diversity of culture, politics and geography of this incredible country. This was great advice, and I’ve tried to follow it, travelling as much as my budget (and family commitments!) allow…

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