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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
26th June 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
UK Trade & Investment Conference in Sydney
Last week our Trade and Investment teams from across Australia and New Zealand gathered in Sydney for their annual conference. It’s a big part of what we do: they comprise around 1/3 of my Australia staff. All but three are locally hired. Last year the trade team assisted over 1200 companies, introduced 387 companies to […]
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26th June 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Twiplomacy
“Could you tweet my blog please?” Did I really say that to one of my staff? What on earth is this new language I’m using? No-one knew of “tweeting” and “blogging” 20 years ago. I’ve been using Twitter now for 2 years. It can become infectious, but is it useful? Should diplomats shed their quill […]
25th June 2013 Kingston, Jamaica
Renewable Energy in Jamaica – in the pipeline or pipe dream?
Living in a country with almost constant sunshine has a myriad of advantages. Having the opportunity to go to the beach all year round, with the temperature never dropping below 60 degrees, offers lots of positives. Another one that immediately jumps at me is the harnessing of the sun to produce energy. Jamaica is in […]
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25th June 2013 Budapest, Hungary
Mushrooms, wine, car parts and business opportunities
I try to travel outside Budapest for a couple of days at least once a quarter. Last week I visited Miskolc and Eger. It was an excellent trip. In Miskolc I was able to meet the mayor and chat with him about local developments and challenges, I gave a presentation to the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county Chamber of Commerce […]
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25th June 2013 Toronto, Canada
Setting the standard for cell therapy: Project update
UK-Canada cooperation in regenerative medicine and cell therapy continues to thrive, with the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) in Canada and Cell Therapy Catapult in the UK recently signing a collaborative agreement. Initial outputs from SIN Canada’s main project in this sector (Setting the standard for cell therapy) are expected towards the end […]
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25th June 2013 Warsaw, Poland
EcoParowki and top class cottage cheese on Big Oak Table? Only in Warmia Mazury!
I’ve just come back from Warmia Mazury and you know it was one of the best visits I have ever done to any region in Poland. It also happens to have broken a number of well institutionalised records – 30 visits across 3 days – a real powerhouse of opportunity. What was so striking about […]
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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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