9th December 2025
Why We Need Data, Courage, and Community
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
2nd December 2025
In cybersecurity, there are no limits – only new voices ready to lead
14th October 2025
Lost and Found (but mostly lost)
24th September 2013 Toronto, Canada
Canadian science news: 16-22 September 2013
[View the story “Canadian science news: 16-22 September 2013” on Storify]
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24th September 2013 Sana’a, Yemen
Yemen’s International Friends
There are two significant events for Yemen this week outside the borders of this country. Both take place in New York. The first is the Friends of Yemen conference on Wednesday 25 September; the second a discussion on Yemen in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday 27September. Both are excellent opportunities for Yemen […]
23rd September 2013 Beirut, Lebanon
Why this UNGA matters for Lebanon (and all of us)
Every year, New York hosts the diplomatic equivalent of the World Cup. As with the football, there is usually some unruly behaviour, although with Messrs Chavez, Gadhafi and Ahmadinejad no longer on the pitch, this now looks less likely. Some showboating is guaranteed, as global leaders compete for attention – we once arranged a timely […]
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23rd September 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Growth and trade on the agenda
Vince Cable, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, arrives today for a 2-day programme. How to secure growth, trade and reform in Europe is on his agenda. The UK and Sweden are close European partners: like-minded on many issues, including a shared ambition to deepen and strengthen the Single Market and extend […]
23rd September 2013 Geneva, Switzerland
Potty Theory
I’ve often thought that subscribers to chaos theory would do well to spend a week or two watching meetings at the Human Rights Council. The principal idea is that a small random change at one point can result in major unexpected consequences later on. It would be fascinating to try to catalogue the seemingly minor […]
23rd September 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Deputy National Security Adviser visits Canberra as new government settle in
It was a great week to take the pulse of Canberra, as Tony Abbot’s new Administration moved into office. Britain’s Deputy National Security Adviser, Hugh Powell, called on members of the PM’s staff and met senior officials across the spectrum of foreign and security policy last week. They told him they looked forward to working […]
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23rd September 2013 Vientiane, Laos
Laos through my eyes – Mark Jerome
I am a chartered accountant who has been working in South East Asia for 16 years. Currently, I am partner in-charge of KPMG in Laos, as well as being the Asia region representative on KPMG’s International Development Assistance Services Working Group.
20th September 2013 Washington DC, USA
The Battle of Britain and a Foundation of Trust
This week marked a significant historical moment for my nation—the 73rd anniversary of the Battle of Britain. A brief description of this titanic struggle: by the 18 of June 1940, following the chaotic evacuation of 330,000 men from Dunkirk, all of Britain’s forces had been driven out of France. Recognising the very great danger that now loomed, Winston Churchill—who had been Prime […]
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20th September 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
En finir de la peine de mort
Like every good organisation, we (the Foreign and Commonwealth Office) constantly seek to improve. As part of that effort, we continually compare ourselves to the foreign ministries of other countries. We tend to focus on the Ministère des Affaires étrangères of France, or the “Quai d’Orsay”, after the street where the ministry is based. As […]
20th September 2013 Paris, France
Join the UK campaign against sexual violence in conflict. It’s #timetoact!
Everyone is working incredibly hard at the moment to deal with the conflict in Syria. This conflict reminds us all again that all too often we find that rape and sexual violence is used as an instrument of war, particularly against women.
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