3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
19th November 2013 Paris, France
G8: French school pupils tell David Cameron about their priorities
As part of Britain’s chairmanship of the G8 group of countries, we thought it would be interesting here in France to ask young, secondary school pupils what they thought were the really big issues facing our world.
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19th November 2013 Brasilia, Brazil
COP-19: Half-time, but not quite there yet
The nineteenth Conference of the Parties has just seen its first week in Warsaw, Poland. Since Monday (11), representatives from 195 member states, as well as civil society, business, academia, media, and the UN secretariat have been submerged in the complex web of the UN climate change negotiations. Warsaw is an important stepping stone on the road […]
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19th November 2013 Madrid, Spain
Rape as a weapon of war
Rape and other forms of sexual violence are used as weapons in conflicts the world over. The perpetrators of these appalling, life-shattering crimes still tend to go unpunished. Meanwhile hundreds of thousands of victims struggle to re-build their lives. The British Government is committed to tackling sexual violence in armed conflict. This is why British […]
18th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A jump forward
I’m often asked about co-operation between Britain and Belarus – what is happening, any good examples, and so on. Some of the best co-operation is in the voluntary sector. I recently opened a seminar on autism. The seminar was organised by a British charity, Voluntas, to pass to Belarusian medical experts and Belarusian parents of […]
18th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Why we need inter-religious dialogue
England and Wales celebrate Inter-Faith week this week (Scotland celebrates a week later to coincide with St Andrew’s Day). When it comes to the relations between the world’s great religions, we tend to hear more about the bad news than the good. This breeds mistrust and reinforces prejudice and ignorance. So a few reminders of […]
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18th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The White Mouse – Resistance hero
Nancy Wake was one of the most famous SOE operatives of the Second World War. Working in Occupied France, she first helped rescue allied airmen, and then working with the French Resistance led a campaign of sabotage against the Nazis. The Gestapo called her the White Mouse and at one stage she topped their “most […]
18th November 2013 Vientiane, Laos
Laos through my eyes – Denise Heywood
This article is part of a series of guest blogs contributed by Brits who have lived and worked in Laos, or who have other interesting links to Laos. Working in Cambodia as a freelance journalist and lecturer in the early 1990s, I heard about Laos, alluded to in whispers of admiration. Serene and unhurried, it was a […]
17th November 2013 Chennai, India
Royal Visit: Epilogue
The sudden absence of adrenaline, imminent deadlines, last-minute glitches and 10 things to do at once has actually brought a massive and slightly dreary sense of anti-climax. I probably shouldn’t be that surprised that several colleagues have fallen ill: like a car, human beings aren’t designed to go from fifth gear into first instantaneously. Even […]
16th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
First, you have to learn the language
“First, you have to learn the language. Language is the key to a people’s culture, and culture is a key to people’s hearts. If you force them to speak your language, you will never win their sympathy” UN diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello. It is fair to say that the British don’t have the best […]
15th November 2013 Chennai, India
Royal Visit: Wheels-Up
That’s it. It’s all over. Just under an hour ago, their Royal Highnesses flight took off for the short hop to Colombo and what could be a more difficult Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting than is usual. The day dawned beautifully for the Prince of Wales’ 65th birthday – divine intervention in God’s own country? […]