5th November 2026
United Nations General Assembly: championing women and girls’ rights
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
1st October 2026
A Year Too Big for Two Suitcases: Notes From a Chevening Scholar
11th May 2026
The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill: turning a global ocean agreement into UK law
3rd October 2012 Warsaw, Poland
All aboard for the Great British Polish Rail journey
There’s one thing you can say about the railways since I’ve been living in Poland – they’ve got slower. There still on time but you need a lot of it plus a big dose of patience to travel around the country. Well that’s about to change. We’re getting stuck in to help to modernise one […]
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3rd October 2012 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Coming back to Tashkent
I arrived in Tashkent six weeks ago. In September I presented my credentials to President Karimov (letters from The Queen confirming my appointment as Ambassador). I was one of four Ambassadors to see the President that day. Each of us formally handed over our Letters of Credence, and then spent some time in one-to-one conversation […]
3rd October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Is it a mosque? Or is it a church?
Imagine you are in an enormous mosque, over 1,000 years old. You find an architectural style that encourages serene contemplation: a seemingly endless vista of columns culminating in an octagonal mihrab, a sacred focal point for prayer. But then, in the heart of the mosque, you come across a cathedral: an altar, statues of saints […]
3rd October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Challenges facing Europe: A British view
Britain’s future relationship with the EU is a subject of constant debate. This week our Minister for Europe, David Lidington, has been in Stockholm, addressing the challenges the EU faces. He had good meetings with Carl Bildt and Birgitta Ohlsson. In a talk at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs he stressed that for all […]
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2nd October 2012 Paris, France
British innovation and creativity in the motor and fashion industries
I’ve been thinking a lot this last week about innovation and creativity, because we’ve had two major events in Paris which have brought innovative parts of British industry to France. We’ve been able to host both of them in the Residence here. Transcript: First of all, the Motor Show in Paris, which is a great […]
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2nd October 2012 Beirut, Lebanon
The Naked Diplomat
Tomorrow, we’re hosting in Beirut a conference on how diplomats can respond to the way in which social media is changing our work. We’ll be hosting a tweetup (#digiconflb) and drawing on the feedback so far on the FCO’s digital consultation. I was lucky to take part in a panel on social media during last […]
2nd October 2012 Chevening, UK
Join Chevening, make the climb, leave behind a legacy…see you when you get there!
Our latest blog entry is by 2009 Chevening Scholar Erick Kowa, who shares his Chevening Experience with us. Erick is from Papua New Guinea and he studied for a Masters degree in Oil and Gas Engineering at the University of Aberdeen. The prestigious Chevening Scholarship was a tremendous experience that propelled me onto a new level […]
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2nd October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Russia and the OECD
Gareth Ward’s blog about Russia joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO) caught my eye last week. It brought back fond memories of working on economic and trade issues as a diplomat in Beijing in 2001, when it was China who was joining the WTO. I remember how WTO accession was a lightning rod for China’s reform […]
2nd October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A Grand Final to Remember
In Australia, sport doesn’t get any bigger than the AFL (Aussie rules) Grand Final. In British terms it’s like the Premiership and FA Cup rolled into one. 99,683 of us were gathered in the cauldron of the Melbourne Cricket Ground -“the G” – last Saturday. I had been invited by my friend Paul Sheahan, former […]
1st October 2012 Washington DC, USA
Nic Hailey blogs from Afghanistan
I wanted to bring your attention to the following blog posts by Nic Hailey, the new Deputy Ambassador at the British Embassy in Kabul. Nic writes in his blog about a visit the Embassy had from the British Library’s India Office Archives and got some fascinating insights into the UK’s role in Afghanistan’s past. Including […]