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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
23rd April 2012 Washington DC, USA
New boy in Washington
I’m just three weeks into the Corporate Services role here and spent last week flying solo after a great handover from my predecessor, Alison, who is now destined for Uganda in the summer. It’s a busy agenda as expected, but made easier by a remarkable and supportive team from the very top downwards. But my […]
23rd April 2012 Washington DC, USA
UK finances Afghan Forces beyond 2014
At the 18 April meeting of the NATO Foreign and Defence Ministers in Brussels, the British Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond announced a firm UK commitment to help fund the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) after 2014. He said “The UK contribution of £70m per annum to the funds to support the Afghan National Security Forces will make […]
23rd April 2012 Budapest, Hungary
The Olympic spirit
Last week I beat an Olympic champion at tennis. OK, an ex-Olympic champion. A water-polo ex-Olympic champion. And it was Wii tennis (the video game). And he’d never played before. But a win’s a win, right? It was at a fantastic event which the Embassy supported. A competition for able-bodied children and children with disabilities […]
23rd April 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Time for a party!
The Jordanian parliament is debating a new law to regulate political parties. The law is part of a package of measures to implement the government’s commitment to political reform. The long term aim is to meet His Majesty’s vision of a small number of parties with programmes based on ideology to the right, left and […]
23rd April 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Easter with Stefan cel Mare
I returned last week from Bucovina, in the far north of Romania, where I spent Orthodox Easter with my family, my godson and his brother and parents, who were visiting from the UK. There can be few better places in the world to spend Easter than among the fabled painted monasteries of Bucovina. Here five […]
23rd April 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Linked by a red cross
Today, 23rd April, the Flag of St George is flying over the British Embassy in Addis Ababa. And it’s a timely reminder of yet another historical link between Britain (in this case, specifically England) and Ethiopia – the fact that we share a patron saint. We don’t know much about St George. He was soldier […]
23rd April 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Hamish and Andy
A quintessentially Australian experience: an invitation to appear on the Hamish and Andy radio show. Somehow this impressed my local staff more than when I go on the ABC to talk about foreign policy. Hamish Blake has just won the Gold “Logie” as this year’s most popular TV personality in Australia. He and comedic partner […]
20th April 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
InPERU visit to London: Peru in the global field
The timing of this visit is excellent, due to the consolidation of Peru as an emerging market and the pursuit of good investment opportunities globally by British investors and other countries. The Minister of Economy and Finance, Luis Castilla, and members of the mission of inPERU are welcomed to London, one of the most important […]
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20th April 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Will October’s elections be free and fair?
I recently wrote a blog in which I welcomed the announcement that Ukraine had written formally to invite OSCE/ODIHR* to send observers to the October 2012 parliamentary elections. I was a bit surprised to see some people interpreting my words as suggesting that the mere presence of the OSCE observers automatically meant the elections would […]
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20th April 2012 Dublin, Ireland
Space and beyond
For me, space was always about Star Trek or Apollo rockets. I am old enough to remember Neil Armstrong walking on the moon in 1969. This month we are celebrating the golden anniversary of “50 Years of the UK in Space.” Ariel-1 was the world’s first international satellite. It was US-built with UK instruments. It […]