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
29th November 2018
Sophie Lott: how the Forced Marriage Unit saves lives
I have spent 7 years working in the joint Home Office and Foreign Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU). As I walk into work, anticipating the type of calls I will handle today still brings a mixture of apprehension but also promise – knowing the unit, every day, has the potential to save lives. During my […]
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27th November 2018 Tripoli, Libya
Libya: UK leads the way as Libya re-opens for business
“The meetings in Aberdeen, in May, and this week in Tunis, have shown that the UK is a key partner for Libya in boosting oil production,” Mustafa Sanalla, Chairman of the National Oil Corporation (NOC), said at the recent trade mission hosted in Tunis by the Libyan British Business Council (LBBC). I could not have […]
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22nd November 2018 Abuja, Nigeria
Colourful, vibrant, booming Lagos: UK trade with Nigeria
When I tell people I live in Lagos, Nigeria, I often get quite a lot of quizzical looks… Why did you move there with your family? Is it safe? What about Boko Haram? Is corruption not endemic? As the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, I know that the challenges of corruption, insecurity and poverty […]
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22nd November 2018 New York, USA
Holding Russia to account at the United Nations: Russia’s role in blocking progress in Syria and flouting the rules of international law
The Syrian conflict has dragged on for seven long awful years. Over 400,000 people have been killed and half Syria’s population displaced. A terrible price has been paid by the Syrian people for the failure to make the Geneva Agreement of 2012 stick. This agreement identified steps for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a […]
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22nd November 2018 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Mongolia: small embassies can have a big impact
Mongolia is everything you expect. Mongolia is also everything you don’t expect. At least that’s what I found as the UK’s Ambassador. The world’s least densely populated country, which was once one of the largest empires in world history, it is a land of immense beauty and rich history. Mongolia is also a vibrant 21st […]
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16th November 2018 Calgary, Canada
Green Great Britain Week at the British Consulate-General Calgary
In October, the UK marked Green Great Britain Week and the 10th anniversary of the Climate Change Act. In Calgary, we marked it by taking a closer look at Alberta’s massive energy sector and the opportunities for the UK. The Canadian province of Alberta is known worldwide as the ‘gateway to the Rockies’ and home […]
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16th November 2018 Geneva, Switzerland
Disarmament blog: World War I – one hundred years on
Last weekend we commemorated the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting on the Western Front in the First World War. In the UK and Commonwealth, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month has become a time to stop, fall silent, and remember the sacrifice of those killed in […]
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15th November 2018 Burma
Posted to Burma: a country on the edge
Before starting my posting to Burma, I was frequently asked, “What can an Ambassador actually do in a country like Burma?”. It was a good question! The recent crisis in Rakhine State and the traumas faced by the Rohingya have been widely reported in the news. Less well known are: the violent conflicts in other […]
15th November 2018 Stockholm, Sweden
Frontline diplomacy: our woman in Ukraine
Historically Ukraine has been described as a borderland – to the East, this has meant the country on the edge of the Russian Empire, and to the West, this has often meant the country on the periphery of Europe. But in the 21st century, Ukraine is a sovereign country at the very heart of a […]
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14th November 2018 Vientiane, Laos
Remembrance Day 2018 – Marking the Centenary in Laos
Fellow Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth Ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps, proud veterans, ladies and gentleman. A warm welcome to the third Commonwealth Remembrance Ceremony in Laos which I am honoured to host at my Residence, to be followed by our traditional Indian curry meal on such an occasion. This really is a great Commonwealth tradition! […]
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