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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
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International Day of Women in Diplomacy: UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls visit to Geneva
1st May 2025
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3rd May 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Where Europe ends
One of the major attractions of becoming a diplomat is travel to different places. Of course, most diplomatic business is done in meetings inside offices, conference halls and other buildings. But diplomats need to get out and travel round the countries in which they work. Recently, I visited the town of Loyew (Ло́еў in Belarusian […]
3rd May 2013 Vancouver, Canada
Running Commentary
“Why am I doing this?” I ask. There’s no-one listening of course – it’s a private conversation with myself, the sort that people running on their own often have I suppose. My legs have turned to warm lumps of tissue paper, my lungs heave and burn like bellows cast into a fire, and I’m sure […]
3rd May 2013 Toronto, Canada
3 May: World Press Freedom Day
World Press Freedom Day is a UN Observance which “celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.” While science journalism is rarely dangerous, […]
3rd May 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Safe to Speak
Today we mark World Press Freedom Day. Twenty years ago, 3 May was declared a day to celebrate Press Freedom. Since then, the day has done much to raise awareness about the value of press freedom and freedom of speech. The theme this year is ‘Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in all Media.’ […]
3rd May 2013 London, UK
A Surreal Commonwealth Journey: From Brunei to New Delhi to London
On Commonwealth Day (11 March), as High Commissioners in Bandar were gathering inside the Legislative Council building for our celebration with Pehin Speaker, one Bruneian was flying the flag for the Sultanate inside Marlborough House, at the celebration graced by Her Majesty The Queen. By publishing Fatin’s guest blog here, I have a strong sense […]
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2nd May 2013 Kingston, Jamaica
PRISONS WITHOUT WALLS
In 2009, under the Rehabilitation and Reintegration Fund (RRF), the Migration team at the High Commission in Kingston, embarked on a plethora of initiatives, which were conceptualised with the purpose of improving the rehabilitation and reintegration of deportees and local offenders in Jamaica. Through the RRF, we have invested heavily in helping the Jamaican government improve conditions in lower risk […]
2nd May 2013 London, UK
Foreign Secretary marks 20th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day
The Foreign Secretary William Hague recognises the bravery of journalists around the globe on World Press Freedom Day. Speaking today, he said: We all owe a debt of gratitude to the courageous journalists who risk imprisonment, injury and death to report from repressive countries or conflict zones around the world. It is easy to take […]
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2nd May 2013 Harare, Zimbabwe
Case study: Zimbabwe
On April 1, 2007, I was captured by the police and dragged to the Harare Central Police Station’s notorious Law and Order section. I was pushed into a stuffy room and ordered to sit on a dirty, green carpet. Behind the desk was a lick-spittle man – tall, dark, thin and stern-faced. On the neat Mahogany desk […]
2nd May 2013 London, UK
Video message to mark World Press Freedom Day
Ambassador Tom Fletcher and visiting Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt delivered a video message from Beirut marking World Press Freedom Day.
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2nd May 2013 Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Case study: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
My team of prosecutors in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will meet in Kingstown later today to announce new guidelines to ensure transparency and equal access to information for the media about criminal procedures. Prosecutors and journalists will launch the new ‘Prosecution Media Protocol’, a first for the Caribbean, which sets the ground rules for […]
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