17th July 2025
Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
15th July 2025
International Day of Women in Diplomacy: UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls visit to Geneva
1st May 2025
The UN Commission on the Status of Women: My first visit as UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls
11th March 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Investing In Our Future
The so called ‘Higgs Boson,’ for which British Professor Peter Higgs won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics, was only proved in 2012 at the CERN laboratory in Switzerland. CERN is a fantastic example of what we can do when we come together in the spirit of scientific endeavour. As facilities and instruments become more […]
11th March 2014 Warsaw, Poland
Say Cheese – Say Wensleydale
Piesek P is on the lookout for GREAT British Cheese in Poland – as he finds it he’ll let you know – just smile, Say Cheese Say Wensleydale 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 […]
11th March 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
The Bulgarian Mountains
by Ian Stewart Ian Stewart was Director of British Council Bulgaria from 2002 to 2007. Before taking the position, together with his wife Ann they spent four intensive weeks in the heat of Varna learning Bulgarian, rocked to “sleep” by all-night wedding celebrations and Techno festivals. They left Bulgaria in one cold grey morning in December 2007 […]
10th March 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
From software to pork pies – the Australian market beckons
I have just spent a busy three days in the UK’s North West and East Midlands, meeting some 40 companies to promote the opportunities in the Australian market. I gave group presentations in Warrington and Leicester and made a number of visits to individual companies who are beginning to tackle the Australian market. The range […]
Read more on From software to pork pies – the Australian market beckons | Reply
10th March 2014 Paris, France
Bringing Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table
I’ve talked before about the events in Kiev, at a time when they reminded me of the fall of the Berlin wall, and the extraordinary surge of freedom and independence that happened after that in Eastern Europe. Since then, things have got more difficult, because we’ve had what is obviously an intervention of Russian armed […]
Read more on Bringing Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table | Reply
10th March 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Team Commonwealth, Team Turks and Caicos
Today we celebrate being a part of one of the world’s largest group of countries as we mark Commonwealth Day with a public holiday. From Canada to the Cook Islands, and from St Kitt’s to the world’s largest democracy, India, the Commonwealth embraces an extraordinary range of countries, including the Turks and Caicos, covering a third of the world’s […]
Read more on Team Commonwealth, Team Turks and Caicos | Reply (1)
10th March 2014 Geneva, Switzerland
The Game is Afoot
With all the talk these days of business and human rights it can only be a matter of time before Council sessions start getting corporate sponsors. When it happens I hope that manufacturers of beta blockers are first in line to put their name to the March session and that they have plenty of freebies for […]
10th March 2014 Warsaw, Poland
Say Cheese – Say Stilton
Piesek P is on the lookout for GREAT British Cheese in Poland – as he finds it he’ll let you know – just smile, Say Cheese at the Bell in famous Stilton Many people would say that Stilton is the King of British cheeses. It holds proud place at the Christmas lunch table or can […]
10th March 2014 New Delhi, India
Higher education on the move in Mysore
Last month, I spent a couple of days visiting research institutes in Mysore. I visited two organisations undergoing a process of great change, which is perhaps indicative of some of the trends in Indian Higher Education today. Universities in India are becoming much more significant players in research – contributing 39% of research publications (up […]
10th March 2014 Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
International Women’s Day 2014: Inspiring Change
This is a guest blog by Datin Paduka Hjh Adina Othman, Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, to commemorate International Women’s Day 2014. As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2014, I wish all women of the world a great year ahead of us. In the past decades, we have seen great advances in women’s […]
Read more on International Women’s Day 2014: Inspiring Change | Reply