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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
13th March 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Falkland Islands: Having Their Say
Swedish Foreign Minister, Carl Bildt tweeted on 11 March: “Today people on Falkland Islands will express their view on whether they want the islands to remain part of the UK or not. We will listen.” The answer was clear. On a 92% turnout, 99.8% voted to stay a British Overseas Territory. This was not some […]
13th March 2013 Dushanbe, Tajikistan
My Visit to Tajikistan by Baroness Vivien Stern
I have just returned to the UK from a three-day visit to Dushanbe. I first visited Tajikistan In 2010 and I visited again in 2011. So this was my third opportunity to spend some time in this beautiful country. All my visits were organised by the British Embassy. As I am a member of the […]
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12th March 2013 Washington DC, USA
Big Battlefield Bike Ride 2013: Training Commences
The following is a guest blog by Col Fred Hargreaves from the British Embassy. Col Hargreaves, in his first blog, talks about the UK/US Service Personnel, Veterans and Families Taskforce and the latest venture organised by the Embassy of sending a joint UK/US team to cycle from Paris to London in the late Spring. When […]
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12th March 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Turkmenistan – business opportunities
With which overseas market did UK bilateral trade in goods increase by 200% in 2012? The answer is Turkmenistan, whose International Investment Forum I and colleagues including Ron Nash, UK co-Chair of the Turkmenistan UK Trade and Industry Council, attended in Istanbul on 5-6 March. There is huge interest in Turkmenistan’s massive natural gas reserves […]
11th March 2013 Harare, Zimbabwe
Mucking in at the Lashkar Gah cookhouse: helping the army to march on its stomach
A guest blog by Belinda Lewis, Director Rule of Law and Operations at the PRT, about her day spent helping out in the Lashkar Gah cookhouse. The other week I spent my day off wielding knives and piping icing sugar roses in the Lashkar Gah cookhouse. I love cooking so it was a real treat […]
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11th March 2013 Geneva, Switzerland
Metaphysics, Mathematics and Mayhem
Strange things happen to the passage of time at the Human Rights Council. The days go on forever, the weeks feels like months and don’t get me started on what the months feel like. I’d thought this was just the inverse of time flying when you’re having fun but to make matters more confusing time […]
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11th March 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Free Exchange on Free Movement
One of my followers on Twitter (@HMAMartinHarris) urged me last week to: “please untangle the politicians heads. UK and Romania should be partners.” I want to offer reassurance on two counts. Firstly – the UK and Romania are partners, on a very broad range of issues. Second – the politicians are putting their heads together […]
11th March 2013 Toronto, Canada
11 March 2013: Commonwealth Day
The second Monday in March is Commonwealth Day, a celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations and a brief reminder of why it’s one of the nicest intergovernmental clubs to belong to. Opportunity through Enterprise is the Commonwealth theme for 2013, an apt choice given the ongoing financial turmoil in wealthy nations and the continuing rise […]
11th March 2013 Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Mothers Schools – by Lea von Martius
In February 2013, in the sunny mountains of northern Tajikistan, in the city of Khujand, a group of pioneering female leaders came together to elaborate a curriculum to raise awareness among mothers for their role in confronting violent extremism and radicalization. Together with Tajik NGO ASTI, Women without Borders/SAVE developed the innovative concept of the […]
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8th March 2013 Warsaw, Poland
Inward Investment is GREAT – are you a Polish company looking into the UK?
Hit the road today – destination Krakow, a specialist seminar focused on inward investment into the UK. 30 great companies, some already in the UK, a number looking for strong growth, some interested to learn more about the exciting opportunities on offer. I have to congratulate our programme partners the BPCC and Deloitte on a […]
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