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?
14th October 2018 Skopje, North Macedonia
Austin’s landcrab to Skopje
From 11th October to 15th October the British Ambassador’s husband Tom is driving his 1974 Austin 1800 from Birmingham, where the car was made, to Skopje where it will live for the next 4 years. He is being supported by his father Rob who worked at the factory and helped to build the car. For […]
12th October 2018 Vienna, Austria
The fifth biggest crime in the world
This week the United Kingdom is hosting many world leaders. They are coming to London to make commitments in the fight against the Illegal Wildlife Trade. The Illegal Wildlife Trade, or IWT, is not only big – the fifth largest transnational organised crime in the world – it also has incalculable costs for endangered species […]
11th October 2018
The illegal timber trade, forest governance and lessons for tackling illegal wildlife trade
Previous conferences on the illegal wildlife trade haven’t tended to feature much discussion of illegal logging and the trade in illegal timber – probably because most trees in international trade are not endangered species. Nevertheless, there are several common elements between illegal logging and the illegal wildlife trade. Both flourish in situations of weak governance […]
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11th October 2018 Geneva, Switzerland
Disarmament in Geneva: first impressions
I arrived at the UK Mission in Geneva at the end of July to take up my new post as Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament (CD). With my first session of the CD behind me, and before heading to New York for the UN General Assembly First Committee, I’ve been reflecting on my […]
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11th October 2018 Tokyo, Japan
Blade runner at the old folks’ home
Japan is famous for its robots. You can eat at a Tokyo café where they entertain you, or stay at a hotel where they do the check-in. But one area where they really have a big role to play is in helping to care for Japan’s increasing army of elderly people. There are 70,000 people […]
10th October 2018
The fight against the illegal wildlife trade CAN be won
This week the UK hosts a conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, bringing together global leaders to work together to end wildlife crime. Here two conference delegates from Africa pen a guest blog for the Foreign Office on what they’ll put into the conference – and what they expect to get out of it. “What […]
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9th October 2018 Vienna, Austria
EU exit and rights of UK nationals in Austria
I recently appeared on the Austrian TV news show “Zeit im Bild 2”. You can see the video below (in German). It includes an important message on citizens’ rights. The Prime Minister has always made clear that citizens’ rights are a priority in the Brexit negotiations. The draft Withdrawal Agreement published in March will secure […]
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8th October 2018 Morocco, Rabat
A Journey into Morocco’s Roman History
It is at once an immense honour and a surreal experience being an Ambassador. Sometimes, you have to pinch yourself to remember that it is all real. And last month began with one of those moments: a visit to which I had been looking forward for some time. Dame Mary Beard and her equally erudite […]
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7th October 2018 Canberra, Australia
She’s back! The return of Dr Who Down Under
As a child, watching Dr Who once a week was a family ritual. I still get a shiver down my spine whenever I hear that iconic music (‘Dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun, Waooooooooooo, Waoooooooooo….’) and remember the nights spent watching the latest episode from behind the sofa. The Daleks and Davros scared the heebie-jeebies out of […]
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5th October 2018 Skopje, North Macedonia
“End of the war to end all wars”
If your travel in the southern part of Macedonia near Dojran these days you can enjoy the warm climate even in the autumn, the soft weather and the sun rays. Nothing reveals the scale of the battle here a century ago. But if you take a tour of Dojran or travel near Rabrovo you will […]