17th December 2025
MAKING LIFE SAFER, FOR EVERYONE
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
9th December 2025
Why We Need Data, Courage, and Community
2nd December 2025
In cybersecurity, there are no limits – only new voices ready to lead
16th October 2013 Athens, Greece
Two sea-faring nations
When they appointed me ambassador, I knew almost nothing about the maritime world – whether naval or mercantile. Sure, I had grown up near one of the most important ports in England and had gone to school there. In the 19th century, the fleet of Hull was principally occupied with whaling. In the 20th century, […]
15th October 2013 Toronto, Canada
Canadian science news: 7-13 October 2013
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15th October 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Human Capital 1.0
We are hearing more and more about ‘human capital’ at the OECD. This is good news. It may sound counter-intuitive. Human and Capital. Man and Machine. Opposites surely, or at least complements, unless you’re in some sort of modernist fantasy? But the phrase, while not the most literary, does make sense. In the same way […]
15th October 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Open House at the Residence
We opened up our Residence to the public this weekend as part of the “Windows on the World” contribution by the Diplomatic community to Canberra’s 100th anniversary celebrations this year. Westminster House has been the residence of British High Commissioners to Australia since 1953. The fifties wasn’t generally acknowledged as one of the great periods […]
14th October 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Yegna: The Sound of Girls
On International Day of the Girl Child, I was able to meet five young girls who are changing how young women are perceived in society here. These five, vibrant girls make up Ethiopia’s first girl band ‘YEGNA’, which means ‘ours’. I met them backstage as they were preparing for their debut live concert. Yegna is […]
11th October 2013 San Francisco, USA
New UK research gives hope for Alzheimer’s treatments
Scientific research may sometimes be portrayed as a series of breakthroughs, but in fact it is a gradual and labour-intensive process, especially when it comes to developing new drugs. However, this week’s announcement of an exciting result from Leicester University in the UK may well represent a turning point in the fight against degenerative brain […]
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11th October 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
600 million opportunities
We are aware of the particular and important role that girls play in economic and social growth, and so to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child we have a guest blog from Sara Del Cid, our Security and Justice Officer. Over to you Sara… The Global Gender Gap Report 2012 indicates that women […]
11th October 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Keep calm, and apply for a Chevening Scholarship
Recently we said farewell to one of our Chevening Scholars, Javier Brolo, who has now left Guatemala and arrived safely in the UK. Here’s guest blog from him with some first impressions. Over to you Javier… This is my first week of classes as a Chevening scholar at the University of Essex, and I wanted […]
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11th October 2013 Boston, USA
Why I think Synthetic Biology is GREAT!
The US Science and Innovation Network kicked off a year-long campaign focused on synthetic biology last month in Boston. The goal of this campaign is to promote the fantastic synthetic biology research ongoing in the UK, boost current collaborations and inspire some new ideas for ways the two countries can work together. I am really […]
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11th October 2013 Vientiane, Laos
Laos through my eyes – Andy Rutherford
Laos was at the centre of unprecedented international attention for much of 2012 culminating with hosting the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) in November 2012, gathering the Heads of State and Government of ASEM’s 49 member countries in Vientiane.