Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

17th July 2025

Geneva, Switzerland

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

by Bob Last

Head, UK Mission Political and Human Rights Team

15th July 2025

Meeting women in diplomacy at a reception for UK re-election to the Human Rights Council.

London

International Day of Women in Diplomacy: UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls visit to Geneva

by Baroness Harman KC

UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls

1st May 2025

London

The UN Commission on the Status of Women: My first visit as UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls

by Baroness Harman KC

UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls

17th April 2014 Washington DC, USA

by Andrew Preston

Development Counsellor

Incentivizing Innovation in #Development

I’ve been getting into Twitter in the last couple of weeks. I know I’m only five years later than everyone else, but I’m loving the new insights and the quirkiness of it all. Two things were “trending” on my Twitter timeline recently that, seemingly unrelated, made me reflect on the incentives shaping donor effectiveness. The […]

17th April 2014 London, UK

by FCDO Outreach

Visiting St Aloysius’ College, Glasgow by Nigel Baker, HM Ambassador to the Holy See

As Ambassador to the Holy See, I am often asked to speak about my work. The requests have tripled, though, since Pope Francis was elected in March 2013, such is the global interest in his Pontificate. I was delighted to receive a request to give one of the traditional evening Lent 2014 Gonzaga lectures at […]

17th April 2014 London, UK

by Richard Moore

FCO Political Director

More than 90 % of visa applications are are successful

It’s the time of year when many Turkish travelers are planning their summer holiday. You won’t be surprised to hear that I hope many of you will choose the UK. Whether it’s for the buzz of one of the world’s great capital cities, the rich and varied history, the tolerance and diversity of its people […]

17th April 2014

by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

This post was published when the author was in a previous role

Dedicated to the needs of others

At his General Audience on 16 April, Pope Francis urged the large crowd of pilgrims present to dedicate Holy Week to learning about the needs of others, especially those out of sight, “whom we often forget, who need our comprehension, consolation and help.” This is a message that applies as much to governments as individuals, […]

17th April 2014 London, UK

by FCDO Outreach

FCO outreach – Model UN Development Programme, Istanbul, Turkey by Nour Sidawi

We are all inhabitants of this planet. No matter what language we speak, colour we are, or background we are from, we all have a duty, for the sake of mankind, to lend a hand to make a change for the better. The power to make a change lies within each and every one of […]

17th April 2014

by Leigh Turner

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

This post was published when the author was in a previous role

Beautiful Britain: My Photos of Lundy Island

I don’t usually write about my holidays in this blog, and I won’t now. But I’ve written recently about how beautiful Britain is and about the English paradise which is Lundy Island (my video on YouTube, which is unfortunately banned in Turkey at present). Since I have just visited Lundy Island again on holiday, it’s a good excuse to […]

17th April 2014

by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

This post was published when the author was in a previous role

New Visa Applications Centre in Sydney opens

I formally opened the new Visa Applications Centre (VAC) in Sydney today. It’s actually been operating since 17 March 2014, along with new VACs in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra. The change is part of a global project by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to outsource these arrangements. A million Australians visit the UK each […]

17th April 2014 Bangalore, India

by Sunil Kumar

Senior Science & Innovation Adviser

On a space journey in the UK – 1

Last month I travelled to the UK visiting several institutes and meeting stakeholders. I was keen to explore developments in space science and technology in the UK for possible collaborations with India and this brought me to the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Space (RAL Space) in Harwell. The RAL Space is co-located with the other large […]

16th April 2014 Sana’a, Yemen

by Jane Marriott

British Ambassador to Yemen

Friends of Yemen: Demonstrating Continued Support for Yemen and its People

The next Friends of Yemen meeting will take place on 29 April in London. The meeting will be opened by the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, and will be co-chaired by the Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr al Qirbi, the British Minister for the Middle East, Hugh Robertson and the International Development Minister, Alan Duncan, and […]