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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
12th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Somalia: a way forward
Last year was a hugely significant year for Somalia. After two decades of civil war, the country took its first steps towards a new beginning. A new and more legitimate government is in place, and many Somalis are starting to think of a better future. The UK’s Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds (MP) visited Ethiopia […]
11th April 2013 Paris, France
The death of an important British political figure
Earlier this week, we were waiting for the arrival of David Cameron here in Paris, on what was going to be his first visit to President Hollande in the Elysée, when we had the sad news of Baroness Thatcher’s death. And David Cameron decided he had to go home straight away from Madrid, to get […]
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11th April 2013 Bangalore, India
Understanding Indo-UK health regulations
Research between India and the UK is growing and joint research funding between both countries now exceeds £100 million. An important strand in this research co-operation is health and biopharma. But if this research is to become real-world treatments and medical products, regulations in both countries will come into play. Therefore, regulations which support collaboration, […]
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11th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Four more indigenous scholars head to Cambridge and Oxford
There are few things more important than education. Our Chevening scholarships benefit the individuals who come to the UK to study, the communities from which they come, and the societies to which they return, often to play future leadership roles. So it was a great pleasure to be sending four more young indigenous Australians off […]
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11th April 2013 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Lady Thatcher and Tun Mahathir: Era-defining Leaders
This Blog is also available in Bahasa Malaysia. Yesterday morning, I had the pleasure of meeting Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir when he came to the High Commissioner’s residence to write a message in a condolence book to mark the sad passing of Lady Thatcher. Tun Mahathir’s message and some of the comments on […]
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10th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Down a coal mine
By a strange coincidence, I found myself down a coal mine on the day Margaret Thatcher died. The 1984-5 miners’ strike had been one of the many significant events of her premiership. There has been massive coverage of her death in the Australian media and comments from across the political spectrum paying tribute to Lady […]
10th April 2013 Nairobi, Kenya
Somalia and the G8: Push to start
This week, as part the UK’s Presidency of the G8, Foreign Ministers will meet to discuss the need to encourage the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to re-engage in Somalia. The G8 countries are some of the largest shareholders in both the World Bank and the IMF. As a result, the UK is using its Presidency […]
9th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Global impact of the Arms Trade Treaty
I doubt very much that I am the only British Ambassador writing, talking and promoting the Arms Trade Treaty this week. All over the world British Embassies had been working with treaty supporters and to change the minds of sceptics for the past 7 years. So when it was agreed in the United Nations the […]
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9th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
High fashion in Istanbul
What do Nicole Scherzinger, Arzu Kaprol, Keira Knightley, Harvey Nichols, Katy Perry and Deniz Berdan have in common? They’re all involved in Turkish fashion. Nicole Scherzinger wears Cengiz Abazoğlu. Arzu Kaprol is an award-winning designer with a corner at Harrods. Keira Knightley wears Bora Aksu. Harvey Nichols has two stores in Turkey packed with British […]
8th April 2013 Ottawa, Canada
The G8 – the role it can play in preventing conflict
If you watch the news later this week you’ll see that G8 Foreign Ministers will be meeting in London on 10-11 April to discuss global conflict: how to prevent it, how to end it and how to deal with its consequences …
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