25th April 2024
Reflect & Remember: Anzac Day 2024
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
23rd April 2024
Good English – A Key to Panama’s Future Success
21st March 2024
Forests in focus on International Day of Forests
17th July 2012 Budapest, Hungary
The honour of being an Olympic Torch Bearer
Guest blog by Olympic Torch Bearer Andrea Snow It is magical being one of those 8,000 inspirational people, who carry the Olympic Flame as it journeys across UK before the Olympic Games begin on 27 July, 2012. Weymouth, 13 July 2012 I had several minutes of “flame” and a truly wonderful “moment to shine”; a […]
Read more on The honour of being an Olympic Torch Bearer | Reply
16th July 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
Olympic dreams
There are days when you realise just how much of a privilege it is to be an Ambassador. Growing up in the UK, I vividly remember watching Daley Thompson, Seb Coe and Steve Redgrave achieving Olympic glory. This year, our hopes rest on the likes of Jessica Ennis, Tom Daley, and, of course, Mo Farah […]
13th July 2012 Washington DC, USA
A trip to 51 degrees south
In Washington DC, the summer climate has reached its miserable peak of 100+ degrees. While my colleagues are packing their swimsuits into their backpacks and heading off to the beach, I am scouring my closets for a warm winter coat to face the cold winds of the South Atlantic with a visit to the Falkland […]
13th July 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Hats Off to Good Government in Peru
This year, for the second year running, I have had the honour of sitting on the Technical Team that considers the applications to be considered in the “Good Practices in Public Management Prize”, a competition organised each year by Ciudadanos al Dia (CAD). As CAD explain on their website (www.ciudadanosaldia.org), the organisation is a private, […]
Read more on Hats Off to Good Government in Peru | Reply (1)
13th July 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Religion against Poverty and Injustice
I take my title from the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, which on 3 July published a report on an important new development initiative in the United Kingdom, called “Faith Partnership Principles”. On 26 June, the Faith Partnership Principles paper was launched at an inter-faith event at Lambeth Palace, convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury and […]
13th July 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Iron awe in the Pilbara
Anglo Australian giant Rio Tinto earns $21bn a year from mining in Western Australia. They took me to visit their vast iron-ore mining operation in the remote Pilbara region, some 1000 km north of Perth. As I lined up at the airport with hundreds of miners in their hi-vis jackets, at 4.30 am, I reflected […]
12th July 2012 Guatemala City, Guatemala
Guatemala: Crimebusters!
Security and justice have been prominent themes this week in Guatemala. On 9 July the International Commission Against Impunity (CICIG) launched their new work-plan for 2012/13, its Head, Francisco Dall’Anese, flanked by Guatemala’s heads of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial powers, as he described how CICIG intends to continue tackling impunity. Then a day later, […]
12th July 2012 Ottawa, Canada
Getting outside is GREAT
In celebration of summer and getting outside, another guest blog posting by our British High Commission Ottawa, Climate and Prosperity Advisor, Adrienne Yuen: Last week, I came across this eye-popping infographic on nature and us. Apparently, nature is good for you. It can make you healthier, smarter, fitter, and nicer. Just two minutes outside can […]
12th July 2012 Washington DC, USA
Winning Gold in the Green Race
Today the UK is being recognized by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), for its efforts and achievement in energy efficiency. The ACEEE believes that “a country that uses less energy to achieve the same or better results reduces costs and pollution, creating a stronger, more competitive economy.” This is what we’re doing […]
12th July 2012 London, UK
Reviewing the Balance of Competences between the UK and EU
Today the Foreign Secretary launched the review of the balance of EU competences. As he said, now is the right time to take a critical and constructive look at exactly where competence lies, how the EU’s competences, are used and what that means for our national interest. A desire to see significant reform and change […]
Read more on Reviewing the Balance of Competences between the UK and EU | Reply