9th April 2026
The Gulf, Berlin and the Commission on the Status of Women: building global alliances to advance women’s progress
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
26th February 2026
Different Memories, Shared Futures: Why Inclusive Remembrance Matters for Serbia and the Region
22nd December 2025
Continuing to grow the global alliance for women and girls
31st October 2012 London, UK
Vocational English: building a bridge between education and industry.
Does anyone own the English language? Of course not, thank Goodness! Though I sometimes wish there were an “Acronym Authority”. Those questions cropped up in workshops I attended last week with 240 teachers from vocational and technical schools all over Brunei. The event was funded by the Ministry of Education, who have prioritised VTET – […]
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30th October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Ground Breaking IEA Iraq Study
The International Energy Agency, a sister organisation to the OECD, has been doing some of the world’s leading energy analysis for years, much of it captured in its renowned annual World Energy Outlook (WEO) publication. In recent years its in-depth country studies of Chinese, Indian and Russian energy sectors have been important new contributions to […]
29th October 2012 Paris, France
Our cooperation on crisis management
I wanted to talk to you this week about Franco-British cooperation on crisis management. I had the good fortune to go at the end of last week to the joint naval exercises held off Toulon, in the Mediterranean. This is all part of a process launched at the Lancaster House talks in 2010, where we […]
29th October 2012 Vientiane, Laos
Opening the British Embassy in Vientiane
The Foreign Secretary announced in April 2012 his intention to re-open our Embassy to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (closed in 1985). Colleagues at the FCO in London have pretty much moved heaven and earth since then to make it happen. I arrived in Vientiane on 12 October, just two months after I received the […]
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29th October 2012 Washington DC, USA
Antony Gormley ‘Extends’ the Residence
Some people have garden gnomes, but here at the British Embassy in Washington, we’ve gone one better. Last Thursday we inaugurated a new sculpture on the lawn of the Ambassador’s Residence: ‘Extend’ , a remarkable work lent to us by one of Britain’s most highly-regarded sculptors, Turner Prize winner Antony Gormley. The sculptor himself was […]
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29th October 2012 Windhoek, Namibia
Discovering memories of Livingstone alive in the depths of Caprivi
Driving through the bush in Caprivi last week, heading for the magical Nkala Lupala conservancy, I passed a sign pointing down a rough track indicating the David Livingstone Museum. I was surprised. Neither the Regional Governor nor the Mayor of the nearby regional capital Katima Mulilo had mentioned the existence of a British-linked attraction despite […]
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26th October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Reflections from our visit to the Falkland Islands and next steps
This is a guest blog from Eduardo Smith, our Political Officer, and Bruce Callow from our Embassy in Costa Rica, about their recent visit with Central American journalists to the Falkland Islands. We are now back in our home countries after an exhausting 24 hour journey from the Falklands. Our group split up in Panama […]
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26th October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Reflections from our visit to the Falkland Islands and next steps
This is a guest blog from Eduardo Smith, our Political Officer, and Bruce Callow from our Embassy in Costa Rica, about their recent visit with Central American journalists to the Falkland Islands. We are now back in our home countries after an exhausting 24 hour journey from the Falklands. Our group split up in Panama […]
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26th October 2012 Vancouver, Canada
Inside out
Only a few weeks ago I settled into my new office at the UK Consulate General. In addition to the usual desk, chair, IT and telephony, it’s home to a struggling Yucca that I will doubtless see to a drawn-out dehydrated death, a framed painting of Her Majesty the Queen, and a corner window overlooking […]
26th October 2012 Dublin, Ireland
Britain and Poland in the EU
Our Minister for Europe David Lidington was in town this week for discussions with Polish Ministers, commentators and representatives of British business. It was an excellent opportunity to challenge some of the assertions in the local media regarding the UK’s disengagement from the EU and our attitude towards Structural and Cohesion Funds for Poland. On […]