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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
18th June 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
EU – US TTIP – The Big Deal
At the G8 meeting in Northern Ireland yesterday, the EU and US embarked on the biggest trade deal ever negotiated. Despite the rise of the economies of Asia, the EU and the US remain the two giants of the world economy, accounting for half the world’s GDP between them. The US invests three times more […]
18th June 2013 Toronto, Canada
Transparency and open data at the G8
The Group of Eight (almost universally abbreviated to G8) is an unofficial forum for the leaders of the world’s eight wealthiest countries – at the time of writing, these were Canada, France, Germany Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The Presidency of the G8 rotates every year, and 2013 […]
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18th June 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
What is civil society
I spend some of my time considering the state of civil society in Belarus, as a measure of the political and social health of the country. Is it flourishing? Does it have “space” to grow? Is the government responding to the concerns raised by civil society? I’m struck by how elusive it is to define […]
17th June 2013 Geneva, Switzerland
Going the distance
As the three-week session came to a close on Friday evening, delegates looked each other in the eye with weary emotion and asked how was it for you? The general mood seemed to be that it had been a good session but that the earth didn’t move. Getting through Council sessions is as much a […]
17th June 2013 San Francisco, USA
Genome Mapping: A Life-Saving Reality
In my mind, when the names Watson and Crick come up in casual conversation (as they do for so many of us), an image of a three-dimensional double helix rotating slowly in front of my eyes immediately comes to mind. Regardless of your own reaction to the mentioning of these famous Cambridge scientists, their discovery […]
17th June 2013 San Francisco, USA
Rain, Neuroscience, and Sustainability: Two Days in Portland
Arriving in Portland, Oregon recently on the 6am flight from San Francisco, I immediately felt at home – as much as I love the California sunshine, like many Brits I secretly miss the grey skies and drizzle of the UK, and I was delighted to see that the Oregonian weather was very similar. With the […]
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17th June 2013 Budapest, Hungary
Britain has indeed got talent
I really enjoy celebrating the Queen’s Birthday. It’s our national day and we get to invite all our best contacts and friends to come to the residence to celebrate the day with us. This year was the first time I’ve been able to decide how we can best celebrate the day. And so we decided […]
17th June 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Universal and Individual: Pope and PM address “the golden thread of development” before the G8 Summit
In an exchange of letters on the eve of the Lough Erne G8 Summit, Pope Francis and Prime Minister David Cameron have shared detailed analysis of what needs to be done to tackle the economic and political challenges faced by the world today. The Prime Minister took the initiative to inform the Pope on 5 […]
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17th June 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Celebrations
On the 12 of June we celebrated the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen with a big party. As is customary on these occasions, I made a speech which concentrated on the UK’s relationship with Sudan and our role here. Here are some of things I said: “The historical ties between the UK and Sudan […]
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17th June 2013 Beirut, Lebanon
Briefs, Blackberries and Brush bys: What Can the G8 Do For Lebanon?
G8 leaders meet today and tomorrow in Northern Ireland, under the UK’s chairmanship. I’ve been lucky enough to be at five G8 Summits. For foreign policy junkies like me, they are an antidote to usual international conferences. The number at the table is small enough for a crunchy discussion. There is greater proximity to leaders. […]
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