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 July 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Greening Ethiopia – the road from London to Rio
This morning it was pouring with rain when I first looked out of the window. So I was pleased that it had cleared a couple of hours later when my Brazilian colleague Isabel and I stood on a hillside overlooking Addis Ababa in our wellington boots. Actually, it was perfect conditions for tree-planting, and we […]
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30th July 2013 Budapest, Hungary
Innovation was GREAT at the Hungarian Grand Prix!
Formula One is the most internationally watched sport. But it is a peculiarly British sport. Though it may not seem like it, 8 of the 12 F1 teams are based within 100 miles of each other in England. Britain has produced more champions than any other country and UK-based teams have won well over half the […]
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30th July 2013 Cape Town, South Africa
Food is GREAT Britain in South Africa
David Edmondson works at the British Consulate General Cape Town building commercial relationships in The Cape and supporting UK companies across South Africa in the Food and Drink, Agribusiness, Tourism and Leisure and Marine sectors. His colleagues in Cape Town focus on the Design and Creative sectors and they are part of a large UK […]
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30th July 2013 Chevening, UK
Saying Farewell to our Chevening Class of 2012/13
On 23 July 2013 we bade a sad farewell to our Chevening class of 2012/13. FCO Minister Hugo Swire hosted and Malaysian scholar Ruth Garnet Maran, representing the class, gave the valedictory address. There are several defining moments, both positive and negative in life that define and redefine who you are. These events shake the consciousness with […]
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30th July 2013 New Delhi, India
Innovation is GREAT round up
At the UK-India Summit in February this year our Prime Ministers issued a declaration in which they “welcomed the rapid expansion of India-UK research and development cooperation, which is helping to generate and develop high quality, high impact research partnerships leading to new knowledge creation”. But they also stated there was “considerable potential for expanding […]
30th July 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Should’ve gone to Specsavers
“Should’ve gone to Specsavers”. Millions of Australians have. Last week they were voted Australian Retailer of the Year and Retail Employer of the Year. A remarkable success story for a company which has grown to nearly 300 stores in just five years since coming to Australia. I visited their Asia Pacific HQ in Melbourne to […]
29th July 2013 Los Angeles, USA
Crowdsourcing Science: Becoming Citizen Scientists
While studying international affairs in graduate school at Penn State, I found others like me who wanted to “save the world.” I’m not talking about becoming a super hero in the hottest comic book flying off the shelves, but we were in school to develop skills that would help put us in a position to […]
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29th July 2013 Toronto, Canada
Canadian science news: 22-28 July 2013
[View the story “Canadian science news: 22-28 July 2013” on Storify]
29th July 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Ramadan
Traditionally the embassy hosts a large Iftar for our Sudanese friends and partners. This year we are doing things a little differently. I am hosting half a dozen smaller Iftars to which we have invited 20 or 30 guests only. I am enjoying these Iftars greatly. They are special events. It is clear that for […]
28th July 2013 Sana’a, Yemen
Yemen – First Impressions
Some initial impressions from my first week and a half in Sanaa: 1. Yemen is a great country with huge potential to take control of the future of over 24 million people. The challenges, though, are immense. 2. The National Dialogue and transition process are progressing: the major questions, around the future structure of Yemen, […]