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
4th January 2014 Sana’a, Yemen
Yemen’s National Dialogue – the road to success
Over the past week or two I have observed that there seems a renewed determination to bring the National Dialogue Conference to an end, though there is still keen debate about what should be in the final outcomes: what needs to be agreed definitively now, and what might be worked out in detail later. While […]
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3rd January 2014 Havana, Cuba
More public opinon polls in Cuba? Yes, please!
I was delighted to discover last week that Granma, one of the two daily newspapers in Cuba, has come round to the idea that public opinion surveys are a good basis for a news story. They definitely are and they are also useful for public policy makers – we’ve been using them in the UK […]
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3rd January 2014 Brasilia, Brazil
The Relevance of Brazilian Cultural Diplomacy in the International Scenario
Cultural relations are actions inserted in the practical reality of every internationalist, diplomat or political scientist. These relations have expanded, and the specialist has the opportunity to contemplate an extensive range of themes that show the need for adjustment, organisation and interaction with the world, by means of a constant demand of economic and cultural exchange.
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3rd January 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Christmas and New Year at the Vatican
The following is a guest blog by Steve Townsend, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy to the Holy See. This has been my first Christmas and New Year at the Holy See. With services at St Peter’s Basilica on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, and the Urbi et Orbi message on […]
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31st December 2013 Athens, Greece
2014 – A year of opportunity?
On the banks of the magnificent Rhine, in my room on the sixth floor of the Hyatt Hotel, I’m watching the comings and goings of the container boats that ply their trade between the industrialised cities of the Rhineland. From above it’s as if they’re gliding effortlessly, bearing their cargo without sound, without propulsion. The […]
31st December 2013 New Delhi, India
Review of 2013
2013 has been quite a year for the UK Science and Innovation Network and our partners in India. In January, we took part in the visit of UK Health Minister, Anna Soubry. Health was a major theme of our work this year, which covered medical devices, regulations, an MoU signing, and preparations for workshops on […]
31st December 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
New Year Honour for Founder of Hospices of Hope, Romania
This New Year, HM The Queen has recognised the achievements of one of the most remarkable Great Britons in Romania. Graham Perolls is made a Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the New Year’s Honours List, an order of chivalry reserved for those who render extraordinary service in a foreign […]
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31st December 2013 New Delhi, India
Interview with Dr Venki Ramakrishnan
As Swati has mentioned, over the course of December and January, we’ve been lucky enough to have a number of UK Nobel Prize winners visit India to give lectures. We’re particularly grateful to Dr Venki Ramakrishnan, who will be spending over a month here and giving lectures in five cities. I caught up with Dr […]
30th December 2013 Havana, Cuba
Delivering on our commitments to human rights in 2014
In July 2011 in a ‘Declaration on Bilateral Co-operation’ the British and Cuban governments agreed that human rights are a ‘priority for co-operation’. Both countries have recently been elected by the UN General Assembly to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) for a three year term beginning on 1 January 2014. The HRC is the […]
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27th December 2013 Beirut, Lebanon
A Talisman for Tolerance – Lebanon loses Mohamad Chatah
Lebanon lost Mohamad Chatah and many others today. As at other such moments, the embassy went into a high gear – checking staff were safe, searching hospitals for Brits, updating travel advice, considering a public response, assessing the facts, analysing the implications. In between, like so many others here, we try to deal with the […]
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