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
30th September 2013 Lima, Peru
Creating memories in the oblivion
By Francesca Uccelli. Lead investigator for the Institute of Peruvian Studies. “What position were we in as teachers? Going back to school was a scary experience. Two or three teachers would give class whilst another kept watch so that we could substitute one another if the military or shining path came. It was a big […]
30th September 2013 Brasilia, Brazil
Welcome!
Welcome to the British Embassy’s new Foreign Policy Blog – Speaker’s Corner! I am delighted to be the first of many to contribute to this new initiative.
30th September 2013 Paris, France
UNGA 68: an intense week of diplomatic activity
We’ve just finished one of the most important meetings of Foreign ministers in New York that I can remember in a long time. So many different subjects in one week of intense diplomatic activity.
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30th September 2013 Geneva, Switzerland
Sleepwalking, Stress and Civil Society
Council sessions are bad for your health. So bad, in fact, that I’m thinking of inviting colleagues from the World Health Organisation along to the next session to see if they agree with me that all delegates should be issued with a health warning so that they can take suitable precautions at the outset. The […]
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30th September 2013 New Delhi, India
International Climate Science
Today the IPCC published its 5th Assessment Report on the science of climate change. I’m no climate science expert so, if you’re interested in the report’s findings, there will be much better informed articles on this I’m sure. You could start with this video summary of why it matters, the UK response or this digested […]
30th September 2013 Vientiane, Laos
Laos through my eyes – Tessa Bunney
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. As a photographer, I have a particular interest in different landscapes and the way they are shaped by human activity. Working closely with communities and individuals, my work explores […]
29th September 2013 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Climate again
On Friday the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (the IPCC) published the first part of their fifth Assessment Report on climate change. The Assessment Reports are a summary of the best available scientific knowledge, and are each divided into three parts: on the physical science basis; on impacts of climate change, vulnerabilities, and means of […]
28th September 2013 Ottawa, Canada
Dementia: A Global Challenge
September 2013 marks the second World Alzheimer’s Month, reflecting the growing urgency and concern over the health, social and economic burden of the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a common form of dementia. Today, it is estimated that over 35 million people worldwide currently live with the condition, and this number is expected to double by […]
27th September 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Being Connected: The Holy See and Communications
I suspect that until quite recently, not many people would have mentioned the Vatican in the same breath as the giants of global communications. Innovators like the BBC, global news operations like CNN, or social media like Facebook or Twitter. The Holy See speaks to us about tradition, the faith, the power of the pulpit. […]
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27th September 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Aiming for longer term growth: the UK’s Industrial Strategy
When our Business Minister, Vince Cable, was here this week, he talked a lot about the UK’s Industrial Strategy. As he noted, to some ears this sounds rather old-fashioned. In fact it’s the opposite, it’s an attempt to create long term plans to tackle some of the sources of recent economic weakness and instability in […]
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