3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
10th December 2012 Washington DC, USA
Unsung Heroes
Did you know – and not a lot of people know this – that the area that is often loosely referred to as ‘Los Angeles’ is actually made up of eighty-eight cities and is the second most populous in the United States, after New York City, with a population of nearly four million? Further, that […]
10th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The UK in the EU: 40 years on; assessing impact
Britain joined the EU (or the EEC as it then was) on 1 January 1973. To say the least the EU (and the UK) has changed a lot since then. For most of that period there’s been a lively debate on what the impact of EU membership is on the UK. Our government is clear […]
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10th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
My Voice Counts
Today we are marking International Human Rights Day and ending our 16 day campaign of activism against Gender Based Violence (GBV). This year’s theme for International Human Rights Day focuses on inclusion and the right to participate in public life. ‘My voice counts’ is the motto for the day. It is a very current concern […]
10th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
New Australian High Commissioner in London
Mike Rann, former Premier of South Australia, has just arrived in London as Australia’s new High Commissioner. For ambassadors, your counterpart in your home country is an important partner and ally. Luckily I had got to know Mike during my regular visits to Adelaide, and before he set off for the UK I hosted a […]
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9th December 2012 Harare, Zimbabwe
Election fever grips Nawa
For four days in early December over 6200 elders and notables from across Nawa District in Helmand made their way to register for the upcoming District Community Council (DCC) election. These DCC’s only occur in Helmand. It is the only province across Afghanistan where its citizens have the option to vote for a district representative […]
7th December 2012 British High Commission, Kingston, Jamaica
My Chevening Experience – Mark Reynolds
My experience as a Chevening Scholar has been an amazing and life changing experience. My preparation to embark on my studies was filled with anticipation. The Chevening Secretariat supplies you with information that you will need to prepare yourself. This information proved to be very useful. The Chevening reception held in August 29, 2012 was […]
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7th December 2012 Athens, Greece
Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict – Introducing a series of blogs
Sexual violence in conflict situations is as much a terrifying crime as a brutal one, wherever it takes place; it has direct and indirect effects on human lives, leaving deep, indelible scars on the victims as well as society itself. As part of the Preventing the Sexual Violence Initiative that the Foreign Secretary has launched, […]
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7th December 2012 New Delhi, India
Working together to tackle global challenges
A recent visit to India by the UK Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir John Beddington to talk about UK and India collaboration on research and innovation got me thinking about some of the fantastic projects that we are currently working on. Research and Innovation partnership between the two countries is growing from strength to strength, […]
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7th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The return of Boris to Bollyland: 48 hours of business
Many people in London, and other parts of the UK, think they know a good deal about the Mayor of the capital, Boris Johnson: judging from the number of British tourists who greeted him in hotels or on the streets of Mumbai he must also be one of our most widely recognised politicians. Less well […]
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7th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Defence engagements
Yesterday I went to hear the Chief of Army, Lieut. Gen. David Morrison, launch a book by one of his officers, our friend Malcolm McGregor. The book “An Indian Summer of Cricket” is about a love for cricket and for the army. It also tells the story of his brave gender reassignment over the last […]