9th December 2025
Why We Need Data, Courage, and Community
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
2nd December 2025
In cybersecurity, there are no limits – only new voices ready to lead
14th October 2025
Lost and Found (but mostly lost)
21st May 2013 Washington DC, USA
On yer left!
What took place on Friday 17th May, had over 12,000 participants, seventy pit stops, offered free t-shirts and goody bags along the way as well as ‘commuter convoys”, yet was totally free? Answer: ‘Bike-to-Work Day’, Washington DC style. Embracing the life style on offer on the east coast of the USA, many staff from the […]
21st May 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Astonishing Turkey: business, tourist opportunities and Anatolian tigers
The eyes follow you wherever you look. The gaze is bold, beautiful and serene. But the image is 1,500 years older than the Mona Lisa. Gaziantep, a city of 1.3 million people close to the Turkish border with Syria, is often called an “Anatolian Tiger” because of its rapid growth over the past few years. […]
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21st May 2013 Vientiane, Laos
Laos through my eyes – Lord Wilson
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. I was posted to the British Embassy in Vientiane in 1959, only four years after the Embassy had first been set up. It was a very small mission. Only an […]
20th May 2013 Beirut, Lebanon
The Brits are coming… but please stay in touch
It is good to see the waves of British visitors in Lebanon this Summer. British Airways are laying on extra flights, the Hay Festival has just been, and we have several brands – Jack Jones, Marks and Spencer, Virgin Radio, Ted Baker – opening in the coming weeks. This is exactly the relationship we want […]
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17th May 2013 Dushanbe, Tajikistan
An Unforgettable Central Asian Experience
The following is a post by Alice Harrison, who recently visited Tajikistan with regional Defence Attaché David Harrison May appeared to be a wonderful month to visit the Pamirs for those interested in flowers. Every village passed had banks of shaggy, bearded irises planted in its gardens and along the road. The first of the eremus were […]
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17th May 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Africa in London
This has been a fortnight of focus on Africa in London. It started with the Somalia Conference on 7 May in Lancaster House, following up the Somalia Conference of a year ago. The difference was that this time the Government of Somalia co-chaired the event and the agenda concentrated on its priorities. Feedback from those […]
17th May 2013 Bangalore, India
Sky’s the limit in Indo-UK aerospace technology
A couple of weeks ago I was involved in an event bringing together aerospace researchers and companies from the UK and India together for three days to discuss opportunities for working together. We asked Venkatesh Janakiram, Senior Trade & Investment Adviser in Aerospace at the British Deputy High Commission, to write about the event… One hundred […]
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15th May 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Together against Religious Persecution
What is it that leading British Sikhs, Jews, Hindus, Roman Catholics, Copts, Buddhists, Presbyterians and Muslims have in common? Too often, we hear about the differences between faiths. But this week we saw an extraordinary coming together for a great cause. On 14 May, Foreign Office Minister Alastair Burt received in person an open letter […]
14th May 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Promoting London’s Olympic legacy in Guatemala’s second city, Xela
With the Ambassador in London at the FCO’s Leadership Conference, this is a guest blog from Hector Marroquin, our Prosperity Officer. Last weekend we went to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second city, also known as Xela, to take part in their Cultural and Business Festival, “XelajuEs… Diferente!” This was the second year the Municipality of Xela had […]
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14th May 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Listening: The Secret of Leadership
Much has been written about what makes a good leader. Books have analysed the nature of leadership. Business schools charge high fees to teach leadership skills to up-and-coming middle managers. And leadership gurus have made fortunes using clever sounding buzz-words such as “demonstrate integrity”, “build trust” and “inspire innovation”. This week I will be at […]
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