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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
8th March 2013 Washington DC, USA
Daylight Savings Time – the economics of economising on sleep
In the United States this weekend, the clocks will go forward one hour. At precisely 1.59:59 on Sunday, our clocks will wind forward a whole hour to 3am. We will have leapt forward into spring as the saying goes and observe Daylight Savings Time (DST). The mornings will become darker and the evenings lighter. In […]
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8th March 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Falklands referendum – the islanders’ right to be heard and to decide
On 10th and 11th March voters in the Falkland Islands will be taking part in a referendum on whether they want to stay being British. They have decided to organise the referendum because they want the world to hear what they think and want for the islands where they live and for future generations. They want […]
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8th March 2013 British High Commission, Kingston, Jamaica
The Girls of Substance Project
The aim of the Girls of Substance project is to enhance the personal development of at-risk girls ages 12-24…
8th March 2013 Atlanta, USA
‘They have taken my life without killing me.’
These are the words of a rape survivor from the Bosnian conflict, quoted by Haja Zainab Hawa Bangura, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Sexual Violence in Conflict at a recent meeting in London Bangura spoke about the horrific reality of war for women and girls, where war has been waged not just […]
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8th March 2013 Vancouver, Canada
International Women’s Day – Remembering Bimla
Her name was Bimla… I think. It has been 26 years since I saw her so my memory may have distorted the truth. What I am certain of is her image – high cheek bones, deep hazel eyes, pure skin, long dark hair. She wore a green sari with gold trim and worn sandals. She […]
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8th March 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Women in the Foreign Office: Ambassador to Denmark
To mark International Women’s Day, we are featuring the stories of women who work for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office across our social networks. Vivien Life is the Ambassador to Denmark – she writes about the impressive number of women in Danish politics, bonding over making coffee and the benefits of understanding the concept of […]
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8th March 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Women at the Holy See
As we reflect on International Women’s Day, it seems clear to me that one of the tasks awaiting the successor to Benedict XVI will be to explore how the Holy See, and the Roman Catholic Church, can use better the talents, energy and loyalty of the women in its ranks. Anyone who works with the […]
8th March 2013 Dublin, Ireland
Happy International Women’s Day!
I am delighted to introduce today’s guest blog by an old friend, Dorota Mitrus*, who made an important contribution to helping promote effective democratic participation in Poland post-1989 and is now engaged in promoting democracy and effective governance in many other countries. Her blog speaks for itself. What I would like to stress is that […]
8th March 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Simone de Beauvoir’s got your number, Slim
Who said, when consulted on the possibility of women entering the British Diplomatic Service: “I dare say that the intellectual type of woman, which would presumably be the type to enter the Service, would be as useful as a man in a purely intellectual occupation such as that of junior clerk in the Foreign Office… […]
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8th March 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
‘A promise is a promise’
Today, we are celebrating annual International Women’s Day. This is an important occasion to raise awareness about women’s rights and to commemorate women who have fought for equality. (Something which I think of whenever I see the grave of Sylvia Pankhurst, campaigner for women’s suffrage in the UK, at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa.) […]