Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

8th January 2013

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by Sarah Dickson

Ambassador to Guatemala (June 2012 - June 2015)

The 3 Ts of the G8 – what would they mean to us?

In 2013 the UK holds the Presidency of the G8 (the group of 8, the governments of 8 of the world’s largest economies). Even though Guatemala and Honduras do not form part of the G8 the themes of the UK’s Presidency are very relevant here. We want to drive global prosperity by promoting open economies, […]

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8th January 2013 Washington DC, USA

FCO Seeks Innovative NGO Counter-Proliferation Projects to Fund

How do you prevent the spread of dangerous weapons around the world? Negotiations? Treaties? Sanctions? Seizing illegal shipments? Securing dangerous materials? All of these play an important part. But there is always room for innovation. And who is better suited than the wealth of NGOs and think-tanks based here in the US to combine their […]

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8th January 2013

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by Paul Johnston

Ambassador to Ireland

Europe in 2013

First and foremost, happy New Year. I hope 2013 is a great year for all of you. Late 2012 marked the mid-point of the UK Coalition government’s five year term and this week the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister published the Government’s own mid-term review. Given the interest in Sweden on the UK’s approach […]

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8th January 2013 London, UK

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by Alison Daniels

Digital Transformation Leader at UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Digital’s place in the diplomatic toolkit | GDS

Departments’ Digital Strategies showed how far the impact of digital has been within government. For the FCO, the addition of social media tools to the diplomatic arena will be incredibly important: Like many organisations the FCO’s communications teams are well versed in the opportunities social media provides, from distributing and amplifying consular messages to British […]

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5th January 2013

by Peter Tibber

Ambassador to Colombia

New Year in Sudan

2012 in Sudan seemed hectic pretty much up until the last minute. 2013 promises to be no less. So, like many others, I squeezed in a bit of holiday between the two. My son came to visit and we spent some time visiting the old, the new and the in-between in Sudan. The old were […]

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3rd January 2013 Chevening, UK

A Re-Education Process: My Chevening Experience So Far

This months  Chevening Conversations blog entry is by Malaysian Chevening Scholar King Chai. Marcus was right – I should’ve taken more time to write for the (I presume) now-defunct Kopi Kluang ‘Weekly’ Column on LoyarBurok.com. As I was packing my things to leave for Kent to celebrate Christmas with my ‘parents-away-from-home’, it suddenly hit me […]

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3rd January 2013

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by Greg Dorey

Diplomat

UK 2013: G8 Presidency

This time last year, the UK was looking forward to Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and hosting the Olympics and Paralympic Games. I think most people would agree that they went tremendously well. 2013 promises to be busy in a different way, not least because the UK is taking on the Presidency of the G8. […]

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