26th February 2026
Different Memories, Shared Futures: Why Inclusive Remembrance Matters for Serbia and the Region
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
22nd December 2025
Continuing to grow the global alliance for women and girls
17th December 2025
MAKING LIFE SAFER, FOR EVERYONE
12th September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Visitors and visions
You can tell the Autumn season has started as an Ambassador when the steady stream of official visitors to Stockholm resumes. Last week I hosted the Head of the UK Civil Service, who was here to see what an Embassy does, not just to support the UK Foreign Office, but to help the work of […]
12th September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
When the ambassador is away…
A fellow diplomat in Amman once told me that he loved it when the Ambassador was away, because he didn’t have to do any work. Well, after a busy summer, @PeterMillett1 is now on a well-earned holiday. In his absence, has the British Embassy shut down?
12th September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Paralympics – Transforming Attitudes
The success of Ethiopian athletes in the London 2012 Olympic Games created an amazing wave of national excitement and pride here. And then the Paralympics games continued to maintain the spirit of jubilation. Like many Ethiopians and indeed sports fans all over the world, I was keenly looking forward to the Paralympics. Britain has always […]
Read more on The Paralympics – Transforming Attitudes | Reply (1)
11th September 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
Somalia: stepping into the future
Yesterday, Somalia marked a major milestone in its recent history. After two decades of civil war, and a year after the Roadmap was agreed, the Transitional Period finally concluded with the election by MPs of new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud. This was the first such election inside Somalia for many years and came just weeks after […]
11th September 2012 Washington DC, USA
Witnessing history at the US Open
What a privilege to be at the Arthur Ashe stadium last night, for the final, so long-awaited triumph of a summer of extraordinary sporting success for our country! A roller-coaster of emotions ranging from joyous admiration to head-holding agony when it looked as though the prize might once again be slipping from Andy Murray’s grasp. […]
11th September 2012 Warsaw, Poland
The biggest, greatest Olympic welcome back home ever!
21.20 last night the plane touched down at Okęcie Airport in Warsaw bringing back the best ever performing Polish Paralympic Team ever. 101 athletes across 11 disciplines; 36 medals – the 9th best team in the world, rank 3 in Europe and by far the leader of the pack in the Emerging Europe countries. A […]
Read more on The biggest, greatest Olympic welcome back home ever! | Reply (1)
11th September 2012 London, UK
The Brunei Blogosphere: Kingdom of Unexpected Treasures
I read somewhere that Brunei Darussalam was the most “Facebooked” country in the world, on a per capita basis. Whether or not that’s true, Brunei’s extraordinary levels of literacy (94.9%, among the highest in the world), and online of freedom of expression, combine to make “virtual Brunei” a dynamic and fascinating place. With a population […]
Read more on The Brunei Blogosphere: Kingdom of Unexpected Treasures | Reply
11th September 2012 Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town winter
It’s been a dreary old winter in Cape Town – lots of rain and wind. It’s probably not what the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt Hon John Bercow was expecting on his recent visit to the South African Parliament (which, incidentally, for historical reasons is based here, rather than the country’s capital city, […]
10th September 2012 Warsaw, Poland
A GREAT British Olympic Weekend in Kraków
The last weekend of the Proms season and the climax of the Great British Paralympics in London. A quick dash from the Embassy to the evening train to Kraków. What a Great weekend. This was the end of the week where both British and Polish Olympic teams exceeded their medal targets – the UK 3rd […]
Read more on A GREAT British Olympic Weekend in Kraków | Reply
7th September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A few words from the UK Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan
From time to time I intend to invite guest bloggers to contribute to this space. I’m delighted that this week our special representative, who will be attending the negotiations in Addis, has written the following: “I was delighted to have been appointed to this role in May of this year, following several years working on […]
Read more on A few words from the UK Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan | Reply (4)