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
1st August 2012 Budapest, Hungary
2012 London Olympic opening
Guest blog by Olympic Torch Bearer Andrea Snow After my “moment of shine” experience just a few weeks ago, I had the privilege to be present at the Olympic Stadium on 27 July 2012. That day something special was in the air. The XXXth Olympiad, the 2012 summer Olympic Games Grand opening was a wonderful […]
31st July 2012 Budapest, Hungary
Olympic D-Day
Well it’s tough to write about anything but the Olympics right now. At last the day has come and the competition is on for more than 10,000 athletes from 205 countries. And so far it’s every bit as exciting as we’d hoped. Did you see the opening ceremony? We organised a small event on Friday […]
30th July 2012 London, UK
Kosovo: Olympic Dreams
Like many athletes, Majlinda Kelmendi realised a sporting dream by competing at London 2012. But another, perhaps more important, aspiration remains sadly unfulfilled: the ambition to compete at the Olympics for her own country. Whereas every one of Majlinda’s competitors sported uniforms adorned with three letter code that signifies their country of origin, Majlinda did […]
30th July 2012 Dublin, Ireland
A long but GREAT day
Olympics opening day began early! I was at Polish Radio at 0700, fortified only by a double espresso. The toughest question by far: “Can you explain the rules of cricket?” I noted that it was the only game which could last two hours or five days and included a tea interval. But I am already […]
30th July 2012 Windhoek, Namibia
Tributes and tribulations to mark opening of Olympic Games and Olympic Truce in Namibia
Not many people know that the Olympics was historically a period of peace in ancient Greece, when warring factions put down their arms and focussed on competing rather than attacking each other. This ancient Greek tradition of “ekecheiria”: ‘truce’ helped encourage a special environment for the early Games, and ensured safe passage and participation of […]
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30th July 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Being Open
June and July 2012 have been a time for openings. First of all, opening data. The UK Government’s Open Data White Paper is about creating a culture where public data is available to make public services more effective and responsive to individual needs. Big data like this remains a huge untapped resource, and has been […]
30th July 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Oswaldo Paya, 1952-2012
All British ambassadors work with human rights defenders. As the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has said: “Human rights are part of our national DNA and will be woven into the decision making processes of our foreign policy”. I have written previously about our work with people and organisations trying to prevent the trade in human […]
30th July 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
London: the centre of the world
Waiting to do a radio interview, I heard an ABC reporter in the slot before me say, “When you’re here in London with all the history and all the international connections, it really feels like it’s the centre of the world.” And, at least for the next few weeks, so it is. July 27 began […]
27th July 2012 Washington DC, USA
Going For Gold, On And Off The Field
As the UK Government’s Chief Economist in the US, one of the things people ask me about most frequently is the Olympics. This line of discussion comes from all kinds of angles – which restaurants should people visit, what will the weather be like? But one of the most tantalising questions has to be from […]
27th July 2012 Washington DC, USA
Keep Calm and Host the Olympics
With the spectacular opening ceremony happening in London tonight, I wonder how many people attending the London 2012 Olympics this year will have been there in 1948, the last time London held the Olympics? My father was one of those who attended the 1948 London Olympics at the old Wembley Stadium, a 12 year old […]