9th December 2025
Why We Need Data, Courage, and Community
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)
22nd April 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Farewell to Romania
Martin Harris has now finished his appointment in Romania. Please visit the blog of Raluca Bragarea, Head of Communications to follow the Embassy business and welcome the new ambassador Paul Brummell in August.
18th April 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Getting down to business in the Turks and Caicos Islands
I met earlier this month with the Business Advisory Group that I have invited to meet periodically. The Group represents a cross section of businesses including retail ( the Do It Store and IGA), construction (Coxco), tourism and new developments ( the Hotel and Tourism Association, Inter- Caribbean Airways, the Grand Turk Cruise Centre and […]
Read more on Getting down to business in the Turks and Caicos Islands | Reply (1)
18th April 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
My Parents Lived in Bulgaria in the 60s
by Denise Holt After David Holt’s story for #100UKBG from earlier this week, today – a few days before Easter – we look at his wife Denise’s most vivid memory of Bulgaria – an Easter service at Alexander Nevski Cathedral. Dame Denise Holt is a Non Executive Director on the boards of HSBC Bank. A former career diplomat, Denise was […]
Read more on My Parents Lived in Bulgaria in the 60s | Reply
17th April 2014 London, UK
Building an audience for a Pop-Up Consulate
Have you ever tried planning a party in a city where you don’t know anyone? Yes, it doesn’t sound easy. Last month we took on a comparable task when we decided to follow in the footsteps of our colleagues in Chicago and host a British Pop-up Consulate in Halifax. One of the main reasons for […]
Read more on Building an audience for a Pop-Up Consulate | Reply
17th April 2014 Washington DC, USA
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 […]
Read more on Incentivizing Innovation in #Development | Reply
17th April 2014 London, UK
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 […]
Read more on Visiting St Aloysius’ College, Glasgow by Nigel Baker, HM Ambassador to the Holy See | Reply
17th April 2014 London, UK
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 […]
Read more on More than 90 % of visa applications are are successful | Reply (3)
17th April 2014
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
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 […]
Read more on FCO outreach – Model UN Development Programme, Istanbul, Turkey by Nour Sidawi | Reply
17th April 2014
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 […]
Read more on Beautiful Britain: My Photos of Lundy Island | Reply