3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
4th September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Scorpion and The Frog
A scorpion wanted to cross the River Nile. Unable to swim, he asked a frog to carry him over to the opposite bank. “No way!” said the frog. “You’ll sting me and I’ll drown!” “Of course I won’t sting you,” said the scorpion. “I’d end up drowning myself too.” So the reluctant frog let the […]
3rd September 2012 Paris, France
The Greatest Paralympics Ever!
In this video, the British Ambassador to France, Sir Peter Ricketts, talks about the importance of the London Paralympic Games, which are the biggest Paralympics ever, with more than 4,000 athletes from 150 nations.
3rd September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Golden Edi!
Last weekend was a great weekend for Romania at the London 2012 velodrome. Many congratulations to Eduard Novak for first beating the world record in the qualifiers for the Men’s Individual C4 Pursuit, and then going on to win Romania’s first ever Paralympics Gold Medal in the final. Eduard is an amazing athlete, making his […]
3rd September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
On the climate change frontline in the South Pacific
British Environment Minister Richard Benyon described his attendance at the Pacific Islands Forum in Raratonga, the Cook Islands, as being on the frontline of climate change. In many meetings with ministers from the region, he heard about the vulnerability of low lying island states to sea level rise, and about how many Pacific islands are […]
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31st August 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
WASH-ing the community
Within a (fairly long) walk of where I live are slum communities where a new shower or latrine block or a supply of clean water within a few steps of home can have a transformational impact on the life of the community. AMREF (the African and Medical Research Foundation) have been working in the Kechene […]
30th August 2012 Ottawa, Canada
How’s it greening? A checkup on the UK low-carbon economy
A report released today offers the skinny on the UK’s low-carbon sector, with pretty impressive figures on growth, employment, exports, and investments. According to the Green Alliance’s research, the green economy was worth 9.3% of the UK’s total economy in 2011. £23 billion (about C$36 billion), mainly from the private sector, is being invested in low-carbon […]
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30th August 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Education is the key
Every parent knows how important education is to the future of their children. The same goes the world over. So I have been struck, in the short time I have been in Guatemala and Honduras, by the level of interest in UK educational institutions and our teaching methods. Perhaps this isn’t so surprising given that, […]
30th August 2012 Yerevan, Armenia
The 2012 Paralympics and stories that inspire…
The 14th Summer Paralympic Games opened on 29th August in London. And they are coming of age as a global sporting competition. These will be the biggest Paralympics Games ever with 4,200 athletes representing 165 countries. Britain feels a special attachment to the Paralympics. The idea of sports for disabled people can be dated to […]
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30th August 2012 Dublin, Ireland
Paralympics – the greatest show on Earth continues.
I am just about to go on leave out of Poland. One of the things I plan to do is watch lots of the Paralympics live on TV. One of my best experiences thus far was the farewell ceremony for the Polish Paralympics team last Friday. They are a fantastic bunch of dedicated athletes, who are gunning […]
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29th August 2012 Budapest, Hungary
A day to remember
Guest blog by Mónika Farkas So here we came – a Hungarian family and friends – supporting someone special at the XXX. London Summer Olympic Games Modern Pentathlon event. That morning we hit the road as early as 06.00 as our hotel was around South Croydon and we had to get to Stratford by 7.30 […]