11th May 2026
The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill: turning a global ocean agreement into UK law
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
9th April 2026
The Gulf, Berlin and the Commission on the Status of Women: building global alliances to advance women’s progress
26th February 2026
Different Memories, Shared Futures: Why Inclusive Remembrance Matters for Serbia and the Region
3rd December 2012 Beirut, Lebanon
A Match Made in Heaven: Can Online Dating Transform British/Lebanese Trade?
Britain and Lebanon are great traders, on the edge of our continents. The Phoenicians were masters of global trade 7000 years ago. Our moment came several millennia later, but we also built our success, in the 19th century, on the back of a readiness to pioneer, to voyage, and to do business. Diplomats cling to […]
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3rd December 2012 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Through the Language Glass
This week is English Week in Tashkent, with a series of events organised by the British Council with the Ministries of Public and Higher Education and other partners. I attended the opening of an annual conference organised by the Uzbek Teachers of English Association (UzTEA) that brought together English teachers from across Uzbekistan. They were […]
2nd December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A visit to Port Sudan
I visited Port Sudan for a few days last week. A 10 hour car journey that began several hours before dawn finally drew to an end as we weaved through the Red Sea hills into a Port Sudan decked out in bunting for the opening of the 6th Red Sea Festival for Tourism and Marketing […]
30th November 2012 Washington DC, USA
Marshalling the Future
The following is a guest post by James Kariuki, Counsellor and Head of Politics, Economics and Communications Group at the British Embassy in Washington. Educational exchange is one of the most powerful forms of cultural diplomacy. It changes lives—and sometimes it can change history. Had a young Kenyan man not been given the opportunity to […]
30th November 2012 Ottawa, Canada
Roots and Wings
If you look carefully, you will see the Saltire, or St Andrew’s Cross, flying over many British Government Buildings today, including the British High Commission here in Ottawa. That’s because today is St Andrew’s Day – the patron saint of Scotland. St Andrew was one of the apostles, and was crucified on a diagonal cross […]
30th November 2012 London, UK
Satisfaction
The Rolling Stones may not have been foremost in the minds of Ministers as they agreed to open trade talks between the EU and Japan yesterday, but if the negotiations are successful, they could be among those that benefit. The decision to open negotiations between two of the world’s largest economies was a major success […]
30th November 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Why trade is win-win – for Turkey and the UK
Why does trade between countries help prosperity? Many people might say that the answer depends on your politics. But the most open trading economies in the world do tend to be comparatively wealthy. Most of those which seek to cut themselves off from the rest of the world (I won’t name them but you know […]
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30th November 2012 Windhoek, Namibia
Tackling sexual violence in Namibia
My day started early yesterday with a breakfast appearance on national TV’s Good Morning Namibia to discuss violence against women and how to tackle it. I was joined by Rachel Coomer from Namibia’s Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), a local legal NGO, which is helping to spearhead the current ‘16 days of activism’ in Namibia running […]
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30th November 2012 Warsaw, Poland
Inward Investment- it’s all about building partnerships for growth!
Up at the crack of dawn yesterday and on the way to Poznan to address a banking conference on what a Great Inward investment destination the UK is. Why on earth you may think would I address a set of moneymen and why in Poznan? Here we go: The banking community has a great role to play […]
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30th November 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Linked by a Saint
Today is the Day of St Andrew, Patron Saint of Scotland since the 10th Century – legend tells that his remains were sent out to sea in the 8th Century and by chance cast up on the coast of Scotland and buried there. So his national flag, the Saltire, will be flying over the British […]