Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

7th June 2013 London, UK

Digital Diplomacy Could be the Future for Governments | HootSuite

HootSuite discuss social media strategies in government on their blog, following the visit of Alistair Burt MP (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) in May: As members of the media are taking to social media channels to deliver important news in real time, a growing number of governments (from municipal to federal) […]

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6th June 2013

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by Sarah Dickson

Ambassador to Guatemala (June 2012 - June 2015)

El café es la droga de mi preferencia – parece que la OEA está de acuerdo

Recién he regresado del Reino Unido y he visto café por todos lados.  No estoy diciendo que los británicos han dejado de amar el té, pero las cafeterías están por doquier en el Reino Unido.  Una de ellas está promoviendo el café guatemalteco de la ciudad de Antigua Guatemala.  A mi regreso a Guatemala, es […]

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6th June 2013

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by Sarah Dickson

Ambassador to Guatemala (June 2012 - June 2015)

Coffee is my drug of choice – looks like the OAS agree

I have just got back from the UK and have seen coffee everywhere. I am not saying that the Brits have stopped loving tea, but coffee shops seem to be everywhere in the UK. One of them is promoting Guatemalan coffee from the town of Antigua. On my return to Guatemala, it is the town […]

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6th June 2013 Paris, France

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by Peter Ricketts

Ambassador to France from February 2012 to January 2016.

The 3 lines of our cooperation with France on Syria

Peter Ricketts

The subject we’ve been working very closing with the French on in the last few weeks has been Syria, which has of course been very prominent in the media. And it’s a terrible human disaster: apart from its dangerous regional implications, we believe that 80,000 people may have been killed over the last two years. […]

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6th June 2013 New Delhi, India

Together for health: UK and India pen MoU on health cooperation

Health and disease was one of the major areas identified for collaboration between the UK and India at the Indo-UK Science & Innovation Council last year, and it’s been a regular topic on this blog ever since. Here’s Himangi Bhardwaj, our Health Adviser in New Delhi, bringing the latest news on Indo-UK Health… 19th May […]

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5th June 2013 Kingston, Jamaica

by Samara South

Political and Press Support Officer

Is anyone listening?

Light into Europe helps sensory impaired children to have a brighter future

Listening is not one of the first things that comes to mind when we think of social media, most of us view it as a tool to connect with people we know, or to meet new people. The concept of listening via social media has evolved over time. When used correctly information can be garnered in […]

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5th June 2013

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by Paul Johnston

Ambassador to Ireland

The Golden Thread

You might assume from the title that this is going to be about mathematical theory or science fiction or indeed sewing. But the “golden thread” in question is our Prime Minister’s description of the link between peace, good governance and open societies and economies as part of new thinking on poverty reduction through wealth creation. […]

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4th June 2013

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by Bharat Joshi

British Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai

Post 2015 MDGs: Our Time Starts Now!

Last Friday 31 May was a momentous date. For on that date, in New York, the 27-strong High Level Panel appointed by the UN Secretary General – and co-chaired by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron; Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; and Indonesian President Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono presented its final report on the post-2015 […]

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