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?
25th June 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Transparency
When I took on this job, I didn’t expect to be writing about G8* summits. But I was asked to speak to an audience by the Institute of Certified Financial Managers, and I was wondering what to say. Like many of my fellow bloggers, I turned to the G8 Summit which we were about to […]
25th June 2013 Vientiane, Laos
Laos through my eyes – Charles Hay
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. In 1972 my father was posted to Laos as 1st Secretary (Aid), his first posting (he had joined the Foreign Office relatively late from academia: one of a number […]
24th June 2013 Lima, Peru
“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster, and treat those two imposters just the same…”
The following is a guest post by Ben Rawlings, Prosperity Officer at the British Embassy in Lima. That is the inspirational quote from Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If…” inscribed above the entrance to Wimbledon’s Centre Court, waiting to greet those who today will begin the battle for one of tennis’s most treasured trophies. Wimbledon is one of […]
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24th June 2013 New York, USA
Creating dementia friendly communities through art engagement
I was at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, better known as MoMA, immersed in a discussion with a dozen others about what the Ghanaian artist’s piece titled “Bleeding Takari II” was made from and what it was meant to represent. I felt like I had an upper hand on the rest of the group […]
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24th June 2013 Budapest, Hungary
Swimming for the life savers
I’ve long been a supporter of British lifesavers. Ever since I briefly was a lifesaver myself as a student holiday job. And recently I’ve become a trustee of the Lifeboat Fund in the UK. So I’ve been looking for a chance to pick up that cause now that I’m here in Hungary. I’m very pleased to say […]
24th June 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The UK in Sudan
Last week I had the honour of being invited to speak to a distinguished group of Sudanese ambassadors, academics, journalists and members of civil society at the Future Studies Centre. I spoke about what I always speak about: The UK-Sudan relationship, what the British embassy does here, and what we try to achieve. It’s often […]
24th June 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Lions roar
“Li-ons, Li-ons!” The chant reverberated around the cauldron of Brisbane’s Suncorp stadium, drowning out the PA system playing Men At Work’s “Down Under”. After three weeks of touring, the first test finally arrived last Saturday. The nice thing about the camaraderie of rugby is that the reds and golds were scattered evenly through the 52,000 […]
23rd June 2013 Harare, Zimbabwe
FCO Human Resources Director visits Helmand PRT
I recently visited the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Lashkar Gah. As the Foreign Office HR Director, I often feel that I need to get out more. It’s easy to get stuck behind my desk in London, thinking about our global workforce (over 14,000 staff in 270 posts around the world). But I get a fresh perspective by getting out and talking to our staff about what’s on their minds.
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22nd June 2013 Harare, Zimbabwe
Update: Women Register to Vote in Municipal Advisory Board Elections
Following on from my previous blog “A Generational Change Plays Out as Women in Helmand Register to Vote in Local Elections” I am delighted to report the success of the 15 June Municipal Advisory Board (MAB) election. 525 women voted representing the largest turn out of female voters in a local election in Helmand. 4 […]
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21st June 2013 Houston, USA
UK-US connections brewed in Texas
Texas, an exceptional state within an exceptional nation. Big cars, huge helpings and a pile ‘em high consumer mentality fits a stereotype. But it is changing; there is a fast-growing foodie movement challenging the norm and showing that Texans are increasingly choosy about what they consume. Beer, as a metaphor for societal change, may seem […]