Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

5th June 2014 Havana, Cuba

Avatar photo

by Tim Cole

Former British Ambassador to Cuba

An Embassy for all of Cuba

Next week the British Embassy is moving. We’re off to Eastern Cuba for a full week of activities and meetings, events and project visits. Thirteen of us will travel, including staff from the Embassy’s consular, commercial and political sections and the Director of the British Council, Julian Baker. We’ll be visiting Holguin, Santiago and Guantanamo and […]

Read more on An Embassy for all of Cuba | Reply (1)

5th June 2014 Bucharest, Romania

Avatar photo

by Raluca Bragarea

Head of Communications, Bucharest

Great Britons in Romania: Victor Watkins, Wildlife Advisor, World Society for the Prevention of Animals

Our new post in the ‘Great Britons in Romania’ is authored by Peter Thomas,  the head of the political section in the embassy. The post is dedicated to a Briton who has made an important contribution to conserving Romania’s wildlife heritage. In May,  I had the pleasure of representing the British Embassy at the official […]

Read more on Great Britons in Romania: Victor Watkins, Wildlife Advisor, World Society for the Prevention of Animals | Reply

5th June 2014

by Peter Tibber

Ambassador to Colombia

Human Rights in Peace and Conflict

It’s not been a good couple of weeks for Sudan. The conviction of Meriam Ibrahim on charges of apostasy and adultery has caused outrage internationally. In Sudan everybody I’ve spoken to is thoroughly embarrassed by the case, expects it to be overturned on appeal and fervently hopes that happens sooner rather than later. They may […]

Read more on Human Rights in Peace and Conflict | Reply

5th June 2014

Avatar photo

by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Helping your business grow internationally

“The astonishing thing is that UKTI offers such a fantastic set of resources to help companies.” I’m at an export promotion event in the North of England.  The speaker is a British exporter who has been working with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) for years.  He is keen to persuade other British businesses to do […]

Read more on Helping your business grow internationally | Reply

5th June 2014 Mumbai

Avatar photo

by Vishakha Chandhere

Senior Adviser, UK Science & Innovation Network India

Sugar technology research at Vasantdada Sugar Institute

I often remember those days when I accompanied my grandparents to our sugarcane farm and wondered how do these tall sticks of cane become those lovely sugar crystals? Who does this magic? Well, my questions were answered recently when I visited the Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI) in Pune. I met the Director General, Shivajirao C. […]

Read more on Sugar technology research at Vasantdada Sugar Institute | Reply (2)

4th June 2014 Warsaw, Poland

Martin Oxley, Head, UKTI Poland

by Martin Oxley

Director of UKTI Warsaw

The Wensleydale Afternoon Tea at Warsaw’s Famous Bristol Hotel with His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex

Wensleydale cheese has a heritage that spans centuries, with its roots firmly set in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. First crafted in the 12th Century by a group of Cistercian monk settlers in Wensleydale, the art of Wensleydale cheese-making was perfected over time, and eventually found itself in the hands of local farmers’ wives. […]

Read more on The Wensleydale Afternoon Tea at Warsaw’s Famous Bristol Hotel with His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex | Reply

4th June 2014 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

How ‘smart’ do you think the UK is?

Guest blog by Kriszti Kocsis, Senior Policy Officer (Energy, Climate and Environment) at the British Embassy.    Much more than most know. So I was glad to be able to publicise the UK’s smart credentials recently. But what are the smart grid and smart cities?   Smart grids are the electricity transmission network enabled by digital technology for […]

Read more on How ‘smart’ do you think the UK is? | Reply

4th June 2014

Avatar photo

by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Time to Act: mobilising Catholic networks against sexual violence in conflict

I often have to remind people that I am accredited not to the Vatican City State, but to the Holy See, the governance of the global Catholic Church. As such, this embassy has reach into an extraordinary worldwide network of civil society organisations, religious congregations, diplomats, universities and other components that make up the Catholic […]

Read more on Time to Act: mobilising Catholic networks against sexual violence in conflict | Reply (1)

4th June 2014

Avatar photo

by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

British MPs in Canberra discuss Malaria and Foreign Policy

A busy week in Canberra with two separate visits by Members of the House of Commons. The Rt Hon Stephen O’Brien MP, the PM’s Special Representative for the Sahel, was in Australia in his capacity as envoy for the Roll Back Malaria campaign. He is a passionate advocate for the cause and believes there is […]

Read more on British MPs in Canberra discuss Malaria and Foreign Policy | Reply