2nd December 2025
In cybersecurity, there are no limits – only new voices ready to lead
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
14th October 2025
Lost and Found (but mostly lost)
13th October 2025
UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls: September visits to Sarajevo and New York
29th March 2019 Geneva, Switzerland
New UK Report on Implementation of International Humanitarian Law
Here in Geneva yesterday we celebrated the publication earlier this month of the UK’s first ever report on national implementation of international humanitarian law (IHL). Alongside UK Ambassador Julian Braithwaite and Michael Meyer (Head of International Law at the British Red Cross), I spoke at a reception for IHL experts from permanent missions and international […]
Read more on New UK Report on Implementation of International Humanitarian Law | Reply
29th March 2019
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
You are not alone
Last week I visited Una-Sana Canton, to see first-hand some of the UK’s support work for local communities there. By chance, this coincided with the festival of Nowruz, so during my visit to one of the temporary accommodation facilities for migrant families, I was able to join their colourful, musical Persian New Year celebrations. In […]
28th March 2019 Skopje, North Macedonia
How well do you know your world?
This was the title of the presentation I had the pleasure to hear during my visit to Kumanovo this week during an English language class in one of their high schools. The theme of how well we know our world seemed to be the central topic of the hospitality I received during the visit. In […]
26th March 2019 Vienna, Austria
Water security, cancer and research in Austria
Could moves to “normalise” larger clothes sizes have a link to health risks such as cancer? And why should I travel to an 18th century Habsburg Palace to find out? 15 kilometres from Vienna is the beautiful Schloss Laxenburg, where the International Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA) carries out cutting-edge research on issues ranging […]
Read more on Water security, cancer and research in Austria | Reply
25th March 2019 Geneva, Switzerland
Fretful Felines at Forty
Last autumn, Pixie – our much loved cat (and subject of a 2015 blog trilogy) – fell seriously ill. After a week in pet hospital, the vets advised that she needed an urgent blood transfusion to survive. Except they didn’t have any cat blood in stock, so they asked if I could round up some […]
22nd March 2019 Geneva, Switzerland
Disarmament blog: Looking back at the UK’s Conference on Disarmament Presidency
Four weeks ago, the UK assumed the rotating Presidency of the Conference on Disarmament. Today, we hand it over, with our best wishes, to the US. It’s been an intense four weeks. During the High Level Segment we heard from 30 Ministers over five plenary meetings. We presided over eight working formal and informal plenary […]
Read more on Disarmament blog: Looking back at the UK’s Conference on Disarmament Presidency | Reply
19th March 2019 Skopje, North Macedonia
Chess, football and basketball – bringing youth together in North Macedonia
Sport is one of the best ways to socialise with peers, it has a positive impact on the well-being of children and youth and therefore it can raise productivity and change our everyday life. Youth in Chair, municipality in Skopje, North Macedonia were actively engaged in three tournaments this March, bringing together children from three […]
Read more on Chess, football and basketball – bringing youth together in North Macedonia | Reply
19th March 2019 Geneva, Switzerland
The Rule of Law in the Human Rights Council
The implementation of the rule of law, like human rights and fundamental freedoms, is a key means by which the power of the state is constrained. While human rights address the relationship between the state and its people, the rule of law governs the relationship between the branches of the state. Its implementation ensures that […]
Read more on The Rule of Law in the Human Rights Council | Reply
11th March 2019
10 facts you didn’t know about the UK’s links with the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth is one of the world’s oldest international networks, and this year, we celebrate its 70th anniversary. Since the modern Commonwealth came into being, independent countries from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Pacific have joined the Commonwealth family. Membership is voluntary and based on shared values. And it’s those common values of […]
Read more on 10 facts you didn’t know about the UK’s links with the Commonwealth | Reply (1)
8th March 2019 Science Innovation USA
International Women’s Day 2019: Spotlight on Scientists of the RIPE Project
As part of SIN USA’s celebration of International Women’s Day 2019, SIN Chicago profiled four early-career scientists from the RIPE Project, an international collaboration funded by the UK Department for International Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. RIPE aims to improve photosynthesis, the process plants use to […]
Read more on International Women’s Day 2019: Spotlight on Scientists of the RIPE Project | Reply (1)